The prevailing belief regarding the cause of depression in the brain is centered around some form of chemical imbalance. Pharmaceutical companies often claim in their marketing that antidepressants work by addressing this imbalance. This notion was also embraced by mental health activists aiming to demonstrate that depression isn’t uniform across all individuals, but rather has a “real” biological root.
While many antidepressants do impact various chemical levels in the brain, particularly neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, and glutamic acid, most experts now acknowledge that attributing depression to chemical imbalances is an oversimplified view.
The absence of a standard for defining the “correct” levels further complicates this theory. A significant review of literature published in 2023 has even asserted that there is insufficient evidence supporting a biochemical foundation for depression. While this review generated controversy, some critics argue it’s a far-reaching claim.
Other aspects of brain function also seem to influence a person’s susceptibility to depression and its onset. For instance, overactivation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been implicated in this condition. The HPA axis is a network of brain regions responsible for regulating responses to stress.
Several studies have indicated a complex relationship between biochemistry and depression. – Credit: Mary Long
Individuals with depression often exhibit an overactive HPA axis, potentially stemming from early life stress, and show elevated cortisol levels. Dysfunction in the HPA axis can also disrupt levels of other mood-related brain chemicals like serotonin.
Additionally, signs of dysfunction in the brain’s immune system are linked to depression. People with depression tend to have increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines in both the body and brain, with neuroinflammation posing a risk factor for depression.
There is evidence suggesting that stressful experiences can trigger this immune dysfunction, contributing to a higher risk of developing depression.
It’s evident that there isn’t a single cause of depression in the brain, but rather a complex interplay of factors. One plausible framework is the idea that depression results from a lack of neuroplasticity. Chronic stress and trauma seem to diminish the brain’s adaptability, leading to a negative bias in memory and thought processes.
Factors like altered brain chemicals, an overactive HPA axis, and neuroinflammation can all contribute to this inflexible state. Various treatments such as antidepressants, brain stimulation, therapy, and exercise can enhance neuroplasticity by promoting new neuron growth and better communication between pleasure and reward centers in the brain.
This article addresses the query “What actually causes brain depression?” from Chloe Reynolds in Bath.
Please send your questions via email toquestions@sciencefocus.comor connect with us onFacebook,Twitter,orInstagram(please include your name and location).
British Summer Time (BST) is back in England, meaning the clocks are about to move forward by one hour. But when exactly will this change happen in the UK in 2025? And why do we shift time twice a year?
When will the clocks change in 2025?
In the UK, the clocks will spring forward on Sunday, March 30th, 2025 at 1am, meaning the official time will instantly become 2am.
What does this mean practically? Evening sunlight will last longer – London’s sunset will shift from around 6:29pm on Saturday to 7:30pm on Sunday.
Then, in a different direction, the clocks will fall back on October 27, 2024, giving us an extra hour in bed. However, on this occasion, that extra hour will not be granted.
British Summer Time will remain until Sunday, October 26th, 2025, when we will revert back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Most devices nowadays automatically adjust for daylight saving time, but you might need to manually change older clocks and appliances.
Will the clocks go forward in March or will they fall back?
In March, the clocks will move forward – we lose an hour of sleep but gain longer evenings.
In October, the clocks will fall back, giving us extra time in bed and marking the return to shorter daylight hours. The phrase “Spring forward, fall back” is a handy way to remember this.
read more:
Why do we move the clocks forward?
While the concept may not have scientific roots, daylight saving time serves a practical purpose of maximizing the use of daylight during the summer months.
By moving the clocks forward, we extend daylight into the evening, which is beneficial for activities like evening walks, sports, and finishing work in daylight. This system is also used in parts of the Southern Hemisphere to align with the summer season.
Where did daylight saving time originate?
This idea is often credited to George Hudson, an insect enthusiast from New Zealand. He proposed the idea in 1895 to shift the clocks for more evening sunlight.
Germany was the first country to officially implement daylight saving time in 1916 during World War I. The UK followed suit shortly after, along with other countries involved in the conflict.
Why do some people want to stop changing the clocks?
Critics argue that daylight saving time can have negative effects including sleep disruptions, increased risk of heart attacks, and confusion in daily routines, especially for teenagers.
Disrupting morning sunlight can interfere with the body’s internal clock, affecting mood and alertness. Some believe that with more flexible working patterns and 24-hour lifestyles, daylight saving time is becoming less relevant.
Do all countries follow daylight saving time?
Of the 195 countries worldwide, only about 70 observe daylight saving time, and many are reconsidering its necessity. Equatorial countries tend to skip daylight saving time as they receive consistent sunlight throughout the year.
In Europe, the European Parliament proposed abolishing biannual clock changes in 2019, but the decision has yet to be finalized. For now, European countries continue to align their clocks with the UK.
Some research stations in Antarctica alternate between GMT and Central European Summer Time, making their timekeeping quite unusual.
How to adjust to clock changes?
To minimize the impact of losing an hour, consider adjusting your bedtime gradually leading up to the time change. Getting natural light early in the morning and staying active can help reset your internal clock.
If you have young children or pets, be prepared for disruptions in their routines. To learn more about minimizing the health impact of daylight saving time changes, check out expert tips on how to cope.
Throughout history, it was believed that only the elite were buried in the pyramids. Recent discoveries of ancient skeletons, however, have challenged this notion.
New research has revealed insights from analyzing the remains found in Tombos, an archaeological site in Sudan near Egypt.
About 3,500 years ago, Tombos, located in Nubia along the Nile River, was captured by Egyptian Pharaoh Tutmose I. Archaeologists studied the skeletons from various burial sites to identify muscle and ligament attachment marks, known as Entele’s Changes, discerning levels of physical activity.
“These changes don’t provide specific details of the individuals’ activities, but they indicate if they were more active or sedentary,” stated Dr. Sarah Schroeder, an Associate Professor of Archaeology at Leiden University, as reported by BBC Science Focus.
Some skeletons exhibited minimal marks, suggesting a sedentary lifestyle typical of wealthy nobles, while others showed signs of physical activity, indicating a working-class background.
This research challenges previous assumptions about the purpose of pyramids, indicating that not all occupants were elites. The study revisits an earlier discovery from 2012 and encourages reevaluation of other pyramid burial sites.
The Mystery of Active Skeletons
Active individuals in these graves may have been workers, servants, or individuals linked to high-status persons, possibly buried to sustain their masters in the afterlife. Alternatively, some speculate they were nobles assuming physical roles to solidify their status.
Dr. Roland Enmark of the University of Liverpool, not involved in the study, posits that non-royals were tomb occupants during that period, including pyramids in their structures.
Unveiling a Complex History
Tombos, a confluence of Egyptian and Nubian cultures, offered a unique setting for archaeological exploration. Discoveries challenge prior beliefs about the residents’ health and life expectancy, presenting a more nuanced social landscape.
The study raises questions for future research, prompting a reevaluation of existing knowledge about pyramid occupants.
About our Experts:
Dr. Sarah Schroeder is an Associate Professor of Archaeology at Leiden University, focusing on human bone archaeology and various aspects of ancient life, such as health, diet, and mobility.
Dr. Roland Enmark, an Egyptologist at the University of Liverpool, specializes in ancient Egyptian and Accadian studies, particularly literary lament.
Fossil feathers are usually preserved or embedded in mber as impressions of carbonaceous membranes and lake sediments and marine sediments, but are rarely mineralized. In a new study, paleontologists have examined the mineralised feathers of 30,000 years old Griffon vultures preserved in ash-rich volcanic deposits of the Koli-Albani Volcanic Complex in Rome, Italy. Bird feathers were conserved in three dimensions, conserving tissue ultrastructures such as melanosomes. These ultrastructures are mineralized with nanocrystalline zeolites, a preservation mode that has not been previously reported in fossil soft tissue.
Fossil feathers from the 30,000-year-old Griffon vulture preserved in volcanic rocks at the Koli-Albani Volcanic Complex in Rome, Italy. Image credit: Edoardo Terranova.
The fossil vulture was discovered in 1889 near Rome by a local landowner who recognized its incredible preservation.
The entire body was preserved as a three-dimensional impression, with fine details such as the lid of the eye and wing wings.
The new study, led by University College Cork paleontologist Valentina Rossi, shows that feather preservation extends to the pigmented structure of small microscopic feathers.
“Fossil feathers are usually preserved in ancient mudstones laid in lakes and lagoons,” Dr. Rossi said.
“Fossil vultures are preserved in ash deposits, which is very unusual.”
“When analyzing the feathers of fossil vultures, we found ourselves in unknown territory.”
“These feathers are different from what we normally see in other fossils.”
The authors discovered that feathers are preserved in mineral zeolites by analyzing small samples of fossil feathers using electron microscopy and chemical testing.
“Zeolites are silicon and aluminum rich minerals and are common in volcanic and hydrothermal geological environments,” Dr. Rossi said.
“Zeolites can be formed as primary minerals (using clean crystals) or secondary during the natural changes in volcanic glass and ash, giving rocks a mudlock-like side.”
“The changes in ashes due to the passage of water induced precipitation of zeolite nanocrystals, replicating feathers to the details of the smallest cells.”
“Fine preservation of feather structures indicates that vulture corpses were buried in cold thermal clastic matter.”
“We are used to think that volcanic deposits are associated with high temperature, fast-moving thermal breaking flows that destroy soft tissue,” says Professor Dawid Iurino of the University of Milan.
“However, these geological environments are complex and can include cold deposits that can store soft tissue at the cellular level.”
“The fossil record is constantly amazed us with new fossil species, strange new body shapes, in this case a new style of fossil preservation,” said Professor Maria McNamara, a professor of Cork at the University.
“We never found any delicate tissues, such as feathers, preserved in volcanic rocks.”
“Discoveries like these broaden the range of potential rock types that can be found in fossils.
Read more. The findings were published in the journal Geological.
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Valentina Rossi et al. Fossil feathers from the Coralbani Volcanic Complex (central Italy, late Pleistocene) preserved in zeolites. GeologicalPublished online on March 18th, 2025. doi: 10.1130/g52971.1
The Crown Prosecutor’s Office is planning to update its guidance on “revenge porn” crimes to ensure that explicit photos of the victim are no longer allowed to be retained.
observer reported last month that the Magistrates’ Court did not order the removal of content related to Image-based abuse cases, and prosecutors did not request such action.
An examination of court records revealed that out of 98 cases, only three resulted in deprivation orders requiring offenders to surrender their devices and delete private photos and videos.
In one case, a man was accused by a magistrate of engaging in “deeply disturbing” behavior to emotionally intimidate the victim. Despite receiving a suspended sentence, no order was issued to have him surrender his device for deletion, leaving the police without the legal authority to do so.
These findings prompted outcry from activists, demanding immediate action and stating that the failure to act left victims “living in fear.” The CPS acknowledged the need for more action to prevent these images from being used to perpetrate further crimes.
The prosecutor’s guidance on communication crimes is currently being revised. The new guidelines, released this week, urge prosecutors to utilize deprivation orders more effectively and consistently.
Prosecutors are advised to consider implementing the order early in their case strategies to strip offenders of their devices promptly and foster a more uniform approach to device confiscation from suspects from the outset.
Campaigners welcomed the change as a positive step forward.
Elena Michael from the campaign group #notyourporn commended the guidance as a helpful step but emphasized the need for further actions to be taken.
She highlighted additional areas for improvement, such as addressing issues related to evidence collection and advocating for a more comprehensive investigation process.
Furthermore, she urged clarity on whether the guidance would extend to hard drives, cloud storage, and physical devices in addition to mobile phones.
Law professor Claire McGlyn praised the updated guidance as a positive development and a step towards progress, emphasizing the importance of addressing image-based sexual abuse cases more effectively.
The Judgment Council, responsible for issuing guidance to judges and magistrates, stated that they are monitoring the government’s new intimate image law proposal and will consider necessary adjustments to guidelines once it is enacted.
Astronomers using Atacama’s Large Millimeter/Sub-Millimeter Array (ALMA) detected oxygen in the most perilous confirmed galaxy ever discovered. This detection, made by two different teams, suggests that the galaxy is much more chemically mature than expected.
This is the impression of the artist Jades-GS-Z14-0. Image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser.
Discovered in 2024, the Jades-GS-Z14-0 (GS-Z14 for short) is far apart, and its light took 13.4 billion years to reach us. This means that the universe was under 300 million years old, about 2% of its current age.
“It’s like finding adolescence you only expect from a baby,” said PhD Thunder Shues. Leiden Observatory Candidate and First Author of a paper Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal.
“The results show that galaxies are forming very rapidly, mature rapidly, and there is growing evidence that galaxies form much faster than expected.”
Galaxies usually begin life filled with young stars. This is mainly made of light elements such as hydrogen and helium.
As the stars evolve, they create heavier elements like oxygen, which will disperse into the host galaxy after exploding in supernova events.
Researchers thought 300 million years ago that the universe was too young to ripen galaxies with heavy elements.
However, two ALMA studies show that GS-Z14 has about 10 times more heavy elements than expected.
The inset of this image shows Jades-GS-Z14-0 seen in Alma. The two spectra arise from independent analysis of ALMA data by two teams of astronomers. Both discover oxygen radiation, making the universe the most distant detection of oxygen just 300 million years ago. Image credits: alma/eso/naoj/nrao/carniani et al. /schouws et al. /NASA/ESA/CSA/WEBB/STSCI/BRANT ROBERTSON… etc.
“They opened up a new perspective on the first stages of Galaxy’s evolution and were surprised by the unexpected results,” said Dr. Stefano Carniani, an astronomer at the Scola Normal Superore in Pisa and lead author. paper Published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
“Evidence that galaxies are already matured in the infantile universe raises questions about when and how they formed.”
Oxygen detection allowed astronomers to make distance measurements on the GS-Z14 more accurate.
“ALMA detection measures galaxy distances very accurately to just 0.005% uncertainty,” says PhD Eleonora Parlanti. A student at the Scola Normal Supers in Pisa.
“This level of accuracy is similar to being accurate within 5 cm at a distance of 1 km, but it helps to improve our understanding of distant galactic properties.”
“The galaxy was originally discovered by NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb’s space telescope, but Alma took it to see and accurately determine its huge distance,” said Dr. Leichard Boowens, an astronomer at the Leiden Observatory.
“This shows an incredible synergy between Alma and Webb, revealing the formation and evolution of the first galaxy.”
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Thunder Shues et al. 2025. Detecting [OIII]88μm with Jades-GS-Z14-0 at Z = 14.1793. APJin press; Arxiv: 2409.20549
Stefano Carniani et al. 2025. The eventful life of a bright galaxy at Z = 14: metal enrichment, feedback, and low-gas fractions? A&Ain press; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202452451
The key underlying mechanisms may include the protective effects of these diets on blood vessels and nerves, and their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, according to new systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Increased consumption of fruit, dietary fiber, dairy products and caffeine may be associated with a lower risk of tinnitus. Image credit: SERP PAE.
Tinnitus is characterized by perceived sounds such as buzz, cicada, and currents, and occurs without external auditory stimuli.
It is associated with pain, depression, anxiety, stress, and in severe cases suicide, which has a major impact on the overall quality of life.
Recent epidemiological data suggest a globally pooled prevalence of approximately 14.4% in adults and 13.6% in children and adolescents.
The prominent prevalence of tinnitus and its major impact on life and mental well-being is becoming increasingly important medical and social concerns.
The origin of tinnitus remains elusive and involves a variety of factors.
Some researchers suggest neurological dysfunction or circulation problems in the inner ear, abnormal neural activity in the central auditory pathways, and irregular activity in nonauditory brain regions such as the anterior edge, anterior cingulate cortex, and thalamus.
Dieting can have a major impact on tinnitus, but it remains unclear which specific foods will aggravate or alleviate tinnitus symptoms.
In their review and meta-analysis, Dr. Menni Chang and his colleagues at the traditional Chinese Medical University University University searched a research database looking for research linking tinnitus and diet in adults published by May 2024.
They found eight observational studies, including 301,533 individuals who evaluated 15 dietary factors using a quality questionnaire suitable for inclusion in the analysis.
Dietary factors include carbohydrates, caffeine, eggs, fruits, fiber, fat, meat, protein, sugar, fish, vegetables, and dairy products.
The combined findings revealed that increased consumption of fruit, dietary fiber, dairy products and caffeine is associated with a decrease in the incidence of tinnitus.
These reductions were 35% for fruit intake, 9% for dietary fiber, 17% for dairy products, and 10% for caffeine intake.
Although no association was found between other dietary factors and tinnitus, the results were inconsistent after further analysis, the authors point out that the association between caffeine intake and tinnitus is controversial.
The authors acknowledge that the observational design of the included studies did not establish causal relationships, and that a relatively small number of included studies may have led to certain traditional beneficial dietary factors (such as vegetables and eggs) not showing significant differences.
“The major underlying mechanisms may include the protective effects of these diets on blood vessels and nerves, as well as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties,” they said.
“A further extensive research is needed to complement and verify the relationship between dietary intake and tinnitus.”
Their paper It will be displayed in the journal BMJ Open.
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M.Chan et al. 2025. 15 common dietary factors and tinnitus relationships: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. BMJ Open 15: E091507; doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-091507
The movement to ban synthetic dyes in food across the US is gaining momentum, driven by critics who argue that these dyes pose a problem that should not be ignored.
States like West Virginia are referencing the Make America Healthy Movement, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as a key driving force. There is no established monitoring for this issue.
In the first three months of the year, 20 states, including Oklahoma, West Virginia, and New York, have introduced nearly 40 bills aimed at restricting artificial dyes and other food additives, the highest number in any year according to the Environmental Working Group, a food safety advocacy group.
Advocate Brandon Cowd, who with his wife Whitney created the film “Documentary” cited by West Virginia lawmakers, expressed optimism about the progress being made. “We have bills on the table in states like Oklahoma, Tennessee, Florida, New York, Texas, and Arizona. There is a strong showing from all these states,” Cowd said.
The FDA has approved 36 color additives, including nine synthetic dyes used in food and beverages. Despite their approval, concerns have led to bans on certain dyes like Red No. 3 in January due to potential cancer risks.
These synthetic dyes are commonly found in products marketed to children such as candies, breakfast cereals, and soda, due to their bright and eye-catching colors.
Recently, West Virginia lawmakers passed a bill to ban seven dyes, including Red 40 and Green 3, effective 2028 upon the governor’s signature. This follows a previous ban on six dyes from foods served in public schools, similar to actions taken in California.
Lawmakers in Arizona also discussed a bill to ban certain chemicals, including synthetic dyes, from foods served in public schools.
Kennedy advocates for the elimination of artificial dyes
While the FDA has not established direct links, some government officials and groups claim a connection between these dyes and health issues.
Harvard nutrition professor Jerrold Mande noted the increasing attention to this issue and credited grassroots movements for the shift in focus. Studies have suggested possible links between dye consumption and behavioral issues in children.
Kennedy has been a vocal advocate for the elimination of artificial dyes, citing reports that indicate these dyes could disrupt normal behavior in children. He also plans to address major food company executives on this issue.
While scientific evidence regarding the effects of artificial dyes on health is inconclusive, many state lawmakers have taken action based on precautionary principles, pointing to stricter regulations in European countries.
Consumers like Wendy Bacos and Liz Dent have taken the initiative to avoid foods containing artificial dyes for their children, citing health concerns and seeking out alternatives to these additives.
Researcher of University of California, Davis We generated the chromosomal scale reference genome of the most widely grown pistachio variety, “Kerman.”
pistachio(Pistasia Bella) A sustainable nut crop with exceptional climate resilience and nutritional value. Image credit: NONAME_13.
pistachio(Pistasia Bella)) Along with cashews and mangoes, it belongs to the family of the Anacardia family and is the only species of the genus. Pistasia It is grown for edible fruits.
Although commonly known as nuts, pistachio fruit is a plant-based heat-deficient collision consisting of leathery exomesocarps, inner stone inner membrane (shell), and edible seeds (kanel).
Pistachios are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins.
Given the highly resilient resilience to abiotic stress, particularly drought and salt, pistachio trees are predicted to be an important source of sustainable nutrition in the face of next-generation climate change, with global production of pistachios more than doubled in the past 20 years.
“Scientists have previously sequenced pistachio DNA, but the new genetic maps are very detailed and accurate,” says Dr. J. Greymonroe, a researcher at the University of California, Davis.
“Improved accuracy of the new reference genome is like moving from hand-drawn maps of the landscape to satellite images from Google Earth.”
The authors also identified four important stages of nut growth from flower to harvest, providing a complete physiological assessment, including shell hardening and kernel growth.
“Knowing how nuts change through development will help farmers make better decisions, such as when to water the trees, leading to more sustainable pistachio production,” said Dr. Bárbara Blanco-lute, University of California, Davis.
“A more accurate assessment of its development will also provide growers with a better strategy for harvesting and help avoid problems such as insect damage and fungal infections.
“It was important to detail not only the physical changes in pistachios, but also the genetic and molecular drivers of those properties.”
“Genome sequencing contains precedent configuration information on how different genes behave in nuts over the growing season.”
Researchers also identified genes and pathways that affect the nutritional value of pistachios.
This includes insight into how proteins and unsaturated fatty acids accumulate. This is important for both shelf life and dietary benefits.
“We get information on how all of these nutritional properties can be obtained with pistachios and how they can be improved from a management perspective,” Dr. Blanco Raul said.
Jaclyn A. Adaskaveg et al. In short, the development of the pistachio genome and kernel. New BotanistPublished online on March 19, 2025. doi: 10.1111/nph.70060
Paleontologists discovered and described the new ctenochasmatid pterosaurian mandible from the late Jurassic Portland limestone formations in southern England.
Reconstruction of the life of ctenochasmatid pterosaur Gladocephaloideus jingangshanensis. Image credit: Zhao Chuang.
“In the Upper Jurassic Formation of England, poverty is rare and consists primarily of isolated bones and bone fragments,” said Roy Smith and David Martill, paleontologists at Portsmouth.
“Many records of the late Jurassic Palace in England are merely historical interests, and now contain species named. Nomina Dubeer. ”
“Nevertheless, some materials are diagnostic and some species stand the test of time.”
“Most of the Upper Jurassic palaces in England come from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in southern England, with events from the Oxford portion of Oxford clay formation in southern and eastern England, and one event from the Kinmeridge Clay Formation in Scotland.”
“In spite of this lack of material, there was a near-complete skull with some of the associated materials. Cuspicephalus scarfi In areas of the Kimmeridgian stage type. ”
The new Pterosaurus specimen is the mandible with at least two, perhaps three teeth.
The fossils date back to the Titonian period, in the late Jurassic period, about 147 million years ago.
It represents the youngest geologically in the UK Jurassic palace.
“The specimen is an isolated mandible that lacks most of the post-Simfisil section of the lam,” the paleontologist said.
“Because of the mandible, which is very thin and compact and elongated, it has been identified as Pterosaurus.”
This represents the first pterocortic material documented, described and proposed from this layer.
“The specimens are likely first discovered when the stones were divided using a standard “feather and wedge” procedure,” the researchers said.
“This caused damage to the central part of the specimen, but the jaw split along its length also damaged the specimen. It appears that the counterpart has not been recovered.”
The lack of diagnostic function prevents introduction to known or new species of fossils, but it can be confidently assigned to the Pterosaur clade Ctenochasmatoidea.
“The ctenochasmatoids are a diverse group of pterosaurs with prominent, most genus, as they are prominent in long, sometimes dorsal curved jaws and elongated, thin teeth,” the scientist said.
“It’s true, one form, South America Pterodaustrois in the longest teeth in terms of the diameter length ratio of the tetrapod. ”
“Basal anthelminthus bacterium” Pterodactylus antiquus and ctenochasmatoid Ardeadactylus longicolumBoth have short conical teeth with wider alveolar spacing than the Titonian period. ”
“The elongated, thin mandible bone and numerous closely spaced alveoli suggest that it is a member of Ctenochasmatidae.”
“The faint central ridge of the occlusal surface between the two grooves converges to the anterior groove, and the lack of a distinct anterior chamber suggests that the specimen is part of the mandibular intermembranes.”
“This is the first documented record of the wing glands from the Portland group in England.”
Survey results It was released this month Proceedings of the Geologists Association.
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Roy E. Smith and David M. Martill. ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Portland Limestone Formation (Late Jurassic, Titonian) in southern England. Proceedings of the Geologists Associationpublished online 20255l doi: 10.1016/j.pgeola.2025.101100
According to the French government, the opinion he expressed about the Trump administration’s policies on academic research prevented French scientists from entering the United States this month.
French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Philip Baptist explained that the move is worried.
“Freedom of opinion, free research and academic freedom are values that we continue to proudly support,” Baptist said in a statement. “I defend the possibility that all French researchers can be faithful to them in compliance with the law, wherever they are in the world.”
Baptist did not identify the scientist whose backs were turned away, but said the academic works at the publicly funded National Science Research Center in France, where he was traveling to a conference near Houston when border officials stopped him.
US authorities refused to enter the scientist and later deported him as his phone included exchanging messages with colleagues and friends.
It was not immediately clear why border authorities forced the scientists to stop, why they looked up the contents of his phone, or why they found the conversation undesirable.
Customs officials are permitted to search for mobile phones, computers, cameras or other electronic devices from travelers across the border. According to US Customs and Border Protectionthough agents say such cases are rare. In 2024, less than 0.01% of international travelers who arrived searched for electronics, according to the agency.
Baptist’s office declined to provide further details regarding the incident. A spokesman for the US Embassy in Paris also declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the National Center for Science and Research said the scientists who were turned away did not want to talk to the media and declined to comment further.
Agence France-Presse News Agency Reported previously The scientist refused to enter the United States.
Minister Baptist has been particularly vocal over the past few weeks by denounceing the threat to academic freedom in the United States. There, the Trump administration’s funding cuts and layoffs target higher education, scientific research and the federal government’s own scientific workforce.
Baptist urges French universities and research institutions to welcome researchers looking to leave the United States.
“Europe must be there to protect research and welcome talent that can contribute to its success,” Baptist said. I wrote it on social media After meeting with his European counterparts in Warsaw on Wednesday, he dealt with the “threat to free research in the United States.”
Jennifer Jones, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the American advocacy group, the Union of Concern Scientists, said he was worried that incidents involving French scientists would have a calm effect on cross-border research cooperation.
“My fear is that these are more and more early cases,” Dr. Jones said. “I’ve heard from my network that people are very concerned about all sorts of international travel in either direction.”
“It should be worrying for all of us,” she added. When scientists restrict movement to conferences and other events designed to advance research, she said “it’s the masses that suffer.”
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday Requirements are delayed by 30 months Its food companies and grocery stores quickly track and pull contaminated food through their supply chains and pull them off the shelf.
The rule, which aimed to “limit food-borne illness and death,” required businesses and individuals to maintain a better record to identify where food was cultivated, packed, processed and produced. It is expected to come into effect in January 2026 as part of the groundbreaking food safety law passed in 2011, and progressed during President Trump’s first term.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has shown interest in food chemical safety, moving to ban food dyes and making public debuts that people can move to ban food dyes. Track toxins in food. However, other actions in the Trump administration’s first months have undermined efforts to tackle the bacteria and other contaminants of diseased food. The administration cut its way through the company closed down jobs for major food safety commissions, frozen scientists’ credit card spending, and routine testing was conducted to detect food pathogens.
In recent years, there have been several well-known outbreaks, including cases related to last year’s fatal listeria of wild boar headmeat and E. coli in the onion of MacDonald’s quarter pounders.
The postponement issued an alarm among several advocacy groups on Thursday.
“The decision is extremely disappointing and consumers are at risk of getting sick with unsafe foods as small segments of the industry are seeking delays despite their 15 years of preparation,” said Brian Ronholm, Food Policy Director for the Advocacy Group’s Consumer Report.
Many retailers have already taken steps to adhere to the rules. Still, food industry trade groups lobbyed to delay the implementation of the December regulations. To the Los Angeles Times.
In a letter to President Trump in December, food manufacturers and other corporate trade groups cited many regulations that they said were “strangled our economy.” They asked Food traceability rules stored and delayed.
“This is a huge step towards food safety,” said Sarah Sosher, director of regulatory affairs at the advocacy group, Science Center for the Public Interest. “The surprising thing about that is that this was a bipartisan rule.”
Sosher said there is widespread support for the measure to protect consumers and businesses.
During a flurry of executive orders signed by President Trump, significant changes were made affecting the content on government web pages and public access to data related to climate change, the environment, energy, and public health.
In the past two months, hundreds of terabytes of data have been removed from government websites, raising concerns about potential deletions. While the underlying data still exists, tools for public and researcher access have been taken down.
Now, hundreds of volunteers are actively recreating digital tools to gather and download as much government data as possible, making it readily available to the public.
Volunteers working on the project Public Environment Data Partner have already recovered over 100 datasets that were removed from government sites and aim to store a growing number of 300 datasets.
Efforts to download climate, environmental, energy, and public health data began in 2017 amidst fears about its future under a president who dismissed climate change as a hoax. Federal information has since disappeared, prompting a new response.
Environmental scientist Gretchen Gerke emphasized the importance of resilient public information in the digital age, expressing concern over the removal of vital data access tools. The need for data like climate measurements collected by NOAA is crucial for various parties, yet efforts to restrict public access continue.
The technology director at the Center for Environmental Policy Innovation highlighted the removal of public access and emphasized the taxpayer-funded nature of these tools.
Requests for two essential data tools, Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) and Environmental Justice Screening Tool (EJScreen), have been frequent. These tools, crucial for addressing environmental justice and climate change issues, were removed from access.
The removal of these tools has hindered efforts to address structural racism and disproportionate impacts on communities of color, as highlighted by Dr. Geke.
National Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Saturday instructed leaders of the nonprofit organization he founded to mimic the design of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site, but to remove web pages that mimic cases where the vaccine causes autism.
The page was published on a site that is clearly registered in the Child Health Defense of the nonprofit Anti-Vaccination Group. Kennedy’s actions came after the New York Times asked about the page and then it bouncing off all over social media.
The page was taken offline on a Saturday night.
“Committee Kennedy has directed the Advisory Bureau to send formal demand to children’s health defenses requesting the removal of their website,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.
“At HHS, we are dedicated to restoring the institutions to a tradition that supports science based on gold standard evidence,” the statement said.
It was not clear why the anti-vaccine group released a page mimicking the CDC. The organization did not respond to requests for comment, and Kennedy said it cut ties with the presidential election in 2023.
The fake vaccine safety page was virtually indistinguishable from what is available on CDC’s own site. The layout, typeface and logo were the same, and probably violated federal copyright laws.
The CDC’s own website refutes the relationship between vaccines and autism, but fraudsters leave the possibility of existence open. The bottom included a link to video testimony from parents who believed their child was harmed by the vaccine.
The page was first published Reported on Substack by E. Rosalie LiFounder of Information Epidemiology Lab. The nonprofit did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For many years, Kennedy has argued that there is a link between vaccines and autism. He held that stance during the Senate confirmation hearing despite extensive research exposing the theory.
Under his direction, the CDC recently announced plans to review the evidence. This is a waste of money from Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and chairman of the Senate Health Committee.
Online at Mock Web Pages is the familiar blue banner from CDC above, featuring the agency’s blue and white logo and the term “vaccine safety.” The headline read “Vaccinations and autism.”
The text supported the link between vaccines and autism, laid out both the exposed research, but left it announced the possibility that it had been countered by scientists.
This included citations to research by Brian S. Hooker, chief science officer for child health defense, as well as other studies critical of vaccination.
“This is a mix of legally peer-reviewed and fake,” said Dr. Bruce Guerin, who oversaw HHS’ vaccine programs for the Bush and Obama administrations.
“Footnotes give the impression that it’s a legitimate scientific work,” he added.
The series of testimonies at the bottom of the page featured videos with titles such as “Mother of 3: I Will Will Will Wild Again” and “We Signed His Life.”
This is in stark contrast to CDC officials. Autism and Vaccine Websitewhich is primarily devoted to exposing connection ideas, clearly saying, “study shows no links.”
Recently, Children’s Health Defense has faced the outbreak of measles in West Texas.
The organization’s CHD.TV channel posted an on-camera interview with the parents of a six-year-old girl who was declared dead from measles by the state health department.
The child was not vaccinated and had no underlying medical conditions. According to the health organization. However, they claimed that children’s health defenses had obtained hospital records that conflict with the cause of death.
The organization also handled the girl’s siblings and interviewed Dr. Ben Edwards, one of two Texas doctors.
In response to the video, Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas issued a statement this week that “recent videos are circulating online and contain misleading inaccurate claims,” saying the confidentiality law does not prevent hospitals from providing information specifically relating to cases.
As containment efforts weaken, Texas health officials say the outbreak of measles in West Texas is likely to last a year, possibly even retreating the country’s fierce battle against the virus.
As of Friday, more than 300 outbreaks have become ill in Texas since January. 40 people are hospitalized. One child died of illness, and this was his first death in 10 years. Related cases have been reported in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Chihuahuas in Mexico.
“This is going to be a big outbreak,” said Katherine Wells, director of public health in Lubbock, Texas, in a recent news briefing. “And we’re still on the side that’s increasing the number of cases.”
“I really think this will be a year,” she added.
Some doctors in West Texas said in an interview that they had given up hope that vaccination campaigns could end the outbreak.
Dr. Ron Cook, who is also a state health official in Lubbock, said he resigned to the fact that the outbreak could infect more children and kill more children again.
“You just have to burn the community,’ Dr. Cook said. “That’s where we are.”
So far, cases have been concentrated in the large Mennonite community in Gaines County, which has historically had low vaccination rates. But experts fear that the longer the outbreak will last, the more likely it will spread to other unvaccinated communities around the country.
In New Mexico, authorities have reported 42 cases and one death. In Oklahoma, there were four cases of measles.
There is a particular concern that potentially infected children in West Texas will begin traveling for spring break, according to Dr. Phil Fan, director of the Dallas County Health and Human Services.
Measles has been considered “excluded” in the United States since 2000. Cases are generally linked to international travel, and if the virus attacks unvaccinated communities, the outbreak cannot last for more than a year.
The US almost lost its exclusion status in 2019, when a major outbreak spread across parts of New York for nearly 12 months. It was essentially useful as mostly due to aggressive vaccine orders. Increased vaccination rates in childhood In the community.
In Texas, where the obligation is deeply unpopular, vaccination efforts are “fighting,” Wells said. Public health officials have set up vaccination clinics in the area and are encouraging attendance in flyers and signs. It’s hardly succeeded.
In Seminole, Texas, it is the epicenter of the outbreak, with about 230 residents receiving shots at vaccination clinics.
“They’ve given out some vaccines in their community, but certainly not many,” Dr. Cook said.
“It doesn’t help that HHS secretaries aren’t actually continuing to intensify their vaccinations,” he added.
Local efforts to encourage shots were bumped into by a confused message from the country’s top health authorities, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In his first official statement on the outbreak, Kennedy faced a fierce backlash to minimize the threat, saying the outbreak was not “unusual” and falsely claimed that many hospitalized people were there “mainly due to quarantine.”
He later changed his approach, offering calm recommendations for vaccines to Western Texas, while also raising horrific concerns about vaccine safety.
To the frustration of local doctors and health officials, he also promoted unproven treatments such as cod liver oil and vitamins, and promoted a “nearly miraculous and instantaneous” recovery with steroids or antibiotics.
There is no treatment for measles, only medications that help manage symptoms. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection.
Texas health officials say measles patients rely on these unproven treatments and are worried that they will delay serious medical care as a result.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Kilmer S. McCurry, a pathologist at Harvard Medical School, was controversially expelled into the basement. He claimed that the amino acid homocysteine had been overlooked as a potential risk factor for heart disease.
His daughter, Martha McCurry, later revealed that he passed away due to metastatic prostate cancer. His death was not widely reported at the time.
Dr. McCurry’s theory, which is still debated, suggested that inadequate vitamin intake could lead to high homocysteine levels in the blood, causing plaque buildup and artery stiffening. This challenged the prevailing cholesterol-centric view supported by the pharmaceutical industry.
Although Dr. McCurry acknowledged the importance of cholesterol, he believed homocysteine should not be ignored. However, his superiors at Harvard disagreed, leading to his lab being moved underground and eventually being told to leave.
In a 1995 interview, Dr. McCurry described his experience as “very traumatic.” He felt isolated and misunderstood by his peers.
At a medical conference in Boston, Dr. McCurry learned about Homocystinuria, a genetic disorder linked to high homocysteine levels. This discovery sparked his interest in the role of homocysteine in disease.
One case involving a young girl with homocystinuria who had a family history of the disease stood out to Dr. McCurry. This prompted him to further investigate the connection between homocysteine and artery stiffness.
“How did an 8-year-old die in the way an elderly man?” Dr. McCurry wrote in The Heart Revolution, recalling the incident that led to his controversial research. credit…HarperCollins
After studying tissue samples, Dr. McCurry found evidence that homocysteine could lead to artery stiffening without cholesterol or fat buildup. This discovery further fueled his research into homocysteine’s role in heart disease.
The rejection of Dr. McCurry’s theory in the 1960s and 1970s took a toll on his career. He struggled to find employment for years after leaving Harvard.
Despite facing resistance, Dr. McCurry continued his research on homocysteine and its impact on heart health. His persistence ultimately paid off, as studies in the 1990s confirmed his earlier findings.
Dr. McCurry’s work shed light on the importance of homocysteine as a marker for cardiovascular disease risk. His perseverance and dedication to his research have since been acknowledged by the medical community.
Dr. McCurry’s early research laid the foundation for later studies linking homocysteine levels to heart disease risk. Subsequent investigations have supported his initial claims, validating his work and legacy in the field of cardiology.
Despite initial skepticism, Dr. McCurry’s contributions to the understanding of homocysteine have been recognized by the medical community. His insights have paved the way for further research into the role of this amino acid in cardiovascular health.
Dr. McCurry’s groundbreaking work continues to inspire researchers and clinicians to explore the complex relationship between homocysteine and heart disease. His legacy lives on in the ongoing pursuit of innovative approaches to cardiovascular care.
Refineries in New Mexico are blaming the federal government for severe air pollution issues.
A chemical plant in Louisiana is under investigation for gas leaks from storage tanks.
An Idaho rancher is accused of polluting wetlands.
Under President Biden, the Environmental Protection Agency took a strong stance on environmental enforcement against pollution and waste violations. On the other hand, the Trump administration aims to shift the EPA’s focus from environmental protection to reducing costs related to transportation, heating, and business operations. The stability of long-term research initiatives is now uncertain due to recent EPA policy changes.
A memo from March 12 states that EPA enforcement actions will not intervene in energy production unless there is an immediate health risk. The memo also undermines President Biden’s efforts to address pollution disparities affecting low-income communities. It emphasizes that no consideration should be given to the affected individuals’ minority or economic status.
EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, believes these changes enable agents to focus on their core mission and contribute to a successful American resurgence.
David Ullman, who oversaw enforcement at the EPA during the Biden administration, criticized the recent memo for absolving corporations, especially in the oil and gas industry, of responsibility for breaking the law.
He expressed concern that these changes harm communities across the United States.
EPA spokesperson, Molly Vaseliou, refrained from commenting on ongoing investigations. The Justice Department, facing internal issues and budget cuts, also chose not to comment.
Conservatives argue that EPA regulations hinder economic growth and investment, while supporters believe that deregulation efforts will boost American energy and reduce costs for families.
Despite ongoing enforcement cases initiated by the Biden administration, the direction of the EPA’s objectives is shifting under the Trump administration, including the removal of key environmental regulations.
rEid Hoffman is a prominent Silicon Valley billionaire entrepreneur and investor known for co-founding LinkedIn, a professional social networking site currently owned by Microsoft. He is also solidly anti-Trump. Longtime Democrat donors threw his support behind Kamala Harris at the White House race. Hoffman spoke observer His new book on our future with new political environment technology and artificial intelligence; Super Agency. The book doesn’t ignore any issues that AI can cause, but, This technology claims to be poised to provide a cognitive superpower that will increase our personal, collective human institutions and create a broad state of empowerment in society.
You have a vested interest in being positive about AI, including companies focused on conversational AI for business, Inflection AI. Why should we listen to you? First, economic benefits don’t necessarily make what someone is saying wrong, I am transparent and I try not to hide mine. Secondly, I tend to start with my beliefs and follow my own money. And sometimes it means doing something against my financial interests. Don’t kiss [Trump’s] The ring is probably an economic limiter, as many others have, but in principle it’s better to do it. I could have put the time and energy I spent writing Super Agency I made more money for my company, but I would like to share my intellectual discourse.
What are your hopes for books? I want to at least make people ai-curious, so they start exploring these superpowers that we all may be getting. There is a flood of debate about AI, which tends to be negative and has to do with a decline in human institutions. And it’s a general response to new technology, but in previous cases it didn’t go through – the human institutions have increased – and I predict that the AI revolution will land in the same place. However, there is a turbulent transition. I call it the “Cognitive Industrial Revolution.” Not only because of the expected superpowers and superinstitutions, but as with the Industrial Revolution, the transition will be difficult. When we use techno and humanist compasses that point us towards building technology that increases human institutions, we can overcome it with less pain and more bounty.
It claims like an AI chatbot chatgpt Because of the comparison, it was a turning point when increasing the number of human agents. With AI technologies like facial recognition, predictive policing, and algorithmic surveillance, they work for With us and Not us Above We must choose to use them positively. But they still lead us towards a specific perspective, paralyze critical thinking, and of course, could overturn our work – It seems to undermine human agents. They are transformed to do their jobInformation experts need to use AI tools to do some of the work. Otherwise you’re short on tools and not competitive. And you may feel it as a loss of the agency. You don’t want to change, but you can’t choose not to do so. But then you start to see the benefits. Iterative tasks can be automated and accelerate creative processes. You get more agents, so do other people.
So, isn’t we all going out of date? I believe that AI will mostly still be copilots, but obviously some job types will disappear. We need to build technology that can help people whose jobs change their adaptation. Or, if the job is completely gone, you can find other jobs that they can learn and do with AI.
You label people who harm AI’s short-term risks and harms as “dark,” but isn’t it important to criticize new technology? yes. But if it makes sense, you need to stop or slow down significantly. It’s not helpful. This is especially true because countries that are adopting the cognitive industrial revolution early and firmly will gain a large amount of economic strength, and their values will shape the world. I want them to acquire Western democracy before others like China who are trying to embrace it through dictatorships.
You will reach a good future by piloting towards it. It’s not that we’re not paying attention to a bad future, but we do so because we’re thinking about how to navigate the right way. It adopts a repetitive unfolding stance – tests deliberately progressive versions in the real world at once to see where criticism plays and adjusts (this is how Openai unfolds ChatGpt).
Where is wealthy leadership? Democrats against Trump? Or people are lying low for fear of political retaliation You said Are you worried? Personally, I am reorganizing. For me, the point is not fighting Trump. It helps to improve humanity and society, including American society. And you may be thinking that this administration is not going to listen to my thoughts on what the government should do with AI, so I should focus on contributing elsewhere. I recently launched Manas AI, focusing on the discovery of drugs to cure cancer. He also recently became a fellow at the London School of Economics, helping AI think about how to reinvent the university.
That being said, obviously I was disappointed and deeply concerned about the various things that have happened since Trump took office, as if he had formed a seemingly alliance with Russia and Putin and resigned from an offensive cyber operation.
You’re in itFew high-tech moguls are not jointlyHeaded towards President Trump. What should we conclude about the morality of this industry? Roll back the Dei (Diversity) initiative and drop FactCheckinglike Meta did? I have a quiet friend! The tech industry should talk and take some of the clues from governments elected by Democratic votes. The fact that you happen to not like this government does not deny it. But on the other hand, frankly, there are times when something bad is happening for society. It can be easily argued that some Dei initiatives are going too far and it’s good to adjust them, but part of Dei is civil rights.
I clearly disagree with some of the moves made to remove fact checks. There are anti-Vax claims on various social networking platforms, very easily false and have a double-digit percentage of Americans who believe in various vaccine-related conspiracy theories. Such a level of disinformation within society makes it difficult for democracies to operate. LinkedIn is criticized for being boring, but it illustrates many of the things you think should be happening on social networks around fact checking.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are outside the White House. Photo: Shutterstock
How worried was it to see the “fast move, break things” technical approach applied to the US federal government by DOGE? [Elon Musk’s department of government effeciency]in some cases, do you use AI software to identify budget cuts? I think most businessmen, including myself, would think that coming up with ways to make government more efficient is a good goal. But you can do it in a more legitimate way than you do it. They are trying to fire all these professionals and rehire them. It’s a hot mess of incompetent behavior. Even if you’re doing it vigorously and quickly, there are ways to do it. They may have asked for notes about the program they were considering cutting off. “Just cancel everything and see what happens” is a path with large external costs.
You and Elon Musk were once friends. However, he condemns you and continues to repeatedly accus you of being one of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients. What you said “demons and lies” and your only involvement with Epstein, which you apologise, is to help raise funds for MIT Media Lab.Do you have any plans to take legal action? I have not filed a personal lawsuit yet. I tend to be a builder, and this kind of manufacturer and legal action is very difficult in the US. I also thought of calling for the release of the Epstein Files to unravel the truth. But do I really want to get into that tar pit? I question Yellon’s motivation for saying these things that he is given to him now in government. I think he’s trying to smear my voice down to reduce its connection with Americans.
How do you equip yourself? What advice do you have for young adults thinking about their career path? I don’t think it would prevent myself. It’s about amplifying yourself. The key is to engage with AI and learn the tools. And young people have real benefits. They tend to easily adopt new technologies, which can bring skill sets and mindsets to the workplace that can help transform the workplace.
Your previous book, Improvingis described as “written.”Reed Hoffman With chatgpt-4“And it documents the conversation with the chatbot. How much did you use AI to write this book? meanwhile [my co-author and I] Feeling that we own all the words here, we use it a lot! For research, I would like to give us the advantages and disadvantages of what we discussed in the various sections, suggesting rewriting the paragraph and giving us more zing. My recommendation for all writers is to start using AI in depth. It’s a huge intelligence amp. And the way we used it was not wholesale to say “written in ai”. It’s like saying “written on a Mac.”
How should AI be regulated? Biden’s 2023 executive order, which aimed to reduce the risk of the US closest to federal AI regulations, was rescinded by Trump, who described it as a barrier to American AI innovation. Regulations, such as deployment, must be repetitive. Certainly, regulations as we go, and now even some regulations. Biden’s executive order was right in the direction of dealing with great harm, not all the harm you could think of. But that’s not just a regulation. Feedback from customers, employees and the public is all part of steering the road here. Benchmarks and metrics are also important ways to combine non-legs of low-performance shelf algorithms.
Will it be a chatbot built on a leading partisan language model (LLM) that eschew the truth and strengthens your worldview? Obviously, it’s not good that we’re in a perfect filter bubble. And I think you’ll get some of that with some LLM. I’m a fan of identifying the principles you are training in your LLM and clarifying rational arguments for that. So: I believe this, this, and this, so I believe that I am a “confession” LLM, because I believe that people who oppose you are LLM that let you know because it is important for you to be informed. That way people will know what they are using.
The Holy Grail of Engineers to Reach Artificial General Information – AI can carry out the intellectual tasks that humans can do in cans and what many expect will be achieved by the end of the decade. Industrial Revolution? Although not necessarily, it will amplify even more. Today’s LLM allows us to do things that humans cannot do in terms of knowledge and can bring things together. Within three years the tools are sufficient, so if you don’t use them, you’ll be like an expert who doesn’t have a mobile phone. But are we talking about AGI or artificial super intelligence (ASI)? [greatly exceeding human cognitive abilities]And I think it’s at least decades away, but we should try to shape them in a way that’s good for us and in a way that’s good for society. Let’s make sure ASIS is essentially Buddhist in their values.
Superagency: What could work with the future of AI? Reid Hoffman and Greg Beat are issued by Authors Equity (£22). Supporting Guardian and observer Please order a copy at Guardianbookshop.com. Shipping charges may apply
When you’re about to have a nice meal, nothing worse than a noisy neighbor. Even if the meal is made up before it liquefies the inside of the prey.
New research shows that some spiders living in cities somehow weave soundproofing designs into the web structure to manage unnecessary noise.
“The University of Nebraska Lincoln” has announced that Irene Hebetz, author of the paper led by University of Nebraska-Lincoln biologist and university postdoctoral researcher Brandi Pessman.
Funnel web spiders are becoming more common in North America. These quarter-sized spiders, with their legs stretched, attach nets to everything, whether they are rocks, grass or human objects. They weave a kind of funnel into a web that usually hides from predators. Their silk is not sticky, so they rely on speed and ambush. After detecting prey into their nets, they burst and attacked, injected the victim with venom, then liquefying the inside for easy digestion.
Spiders don’t have human ears, so they don’t necessarily listen to things in the traditional way. However, sound produces vibrations that travel through the ground into the net through the chains of silk.
“They really rely on those exact vibrations to determine where their prey is, what their prey is, and whether they’re going to attack,” Dr. Pessman said.
“The sense of vibration tends to be forgotten in nature,” added Beth Mortimer, a biologist who studied noise pollution and was not involved in the study at Oxford University. This species builds both urban and rural nets at home. And Dr. Pessman began to wonder whether noise pollution might plague spiders enough to change their web weaving strategies.
in study Presented in the Journal Current Biology last week, Dr. Pessman and Dr. Hebets rounded up Arachnid City Slickers and Country Bumbkins and took them to the lab. They placed each spider in a container with the speakers on the bottom and played loud or quiet white noise for four days.
The researchers then analyzed the webs constructed by each spider by transmitting measured vibrations at different points.
Dr. Hebbets and Dr. Pessmann could not find any major differences in the way urban spiders and farm spiders communicate vibrations when they play quiet noises.
When they played loud noises on urban spiders, they discovered that their web was less sensitive and less vibrations to the funnel. “Their web was inherently quiet,” Dr. Pessman said. Researchers didn’t know how the web differed structurally, but Dr. Pessman said it was clear that “it reduces the constant noise approaching where they sit.”
Conversely, when the country’s spiders heard a loud noise, they created a more sensitive web. Researchers speculated that they were not used to such rackets and were desperately trying to feel the incoming prey. It’s like turning up a TV as the lawnmower passes by the window.
Meanwhile, city spiders essentially filled the wall because everything was boring. This is an adaptation that puts you at a disadvantage to hear your prey and potential companions, using vibrations to communicate availability. But it may help animals save their energy and not respond to all the city sounds they detect.
“If you have masking noise, that means you’re less likely to detect small items coming into your web,” said Dr. Mortimer, who said the study “doesn’t really well.”
The study highlights the refinement of spiders, Hebbets said, because despite the problems with big cities, he came up with solutions to find food and companions.
“Animal sensory systems can certainly adapt to changes in environmental conditions over time, but this takes time,” Dr. Hebbets said. “However, behavioral changes can be immediate.”
In late February, as the Trump administration stepped up its quest to transform the federal government, the psychiatrist treating veterans was turned to her new workstation, which was incredible.
She had to perform virtual psychotherapy with patients from any of the 13 cubicles of large open office spaces used for call centres under the Return Office Policy from the New Office. Other staff could overhear the session, appear on patient screens, or be handed over to the toilet or break room.
The psychiatrist was unsure. Her patient suffered from disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It took months to get their trust by dealing with them from her home office. She said the new arrangement violated a central ethical doctrine of mental health care: guarantees of privacy.
When doctors asked how they would expect to protect the privacy of their patients, the supervisor suggested buying a privacy screen and a white noise machine. “I’m ready to leave once it comes,” she wrote to her manager in a text message shared with the New York Times. “I got it,” replied the manager. “Many of us are ready to leave.”
These scenes have been unfolding at veteran affairs facilities nationwide in recent weeks as treatment and other mental health services have been disrupted amid the dramatic changes ordered by President Trump and driven by Elon Musk’s government efficiency.
Among the most consequential orders is the requirement that thousands of mental health providers, including many who have been hired for completely remote positions, currently work full-time from the federal government.space. This is the reversal of the VA’s harsh policy that pioneered virtual medicine practices as a way to reach isolated veterans 20 years ago, long before the pandemic made telehealth a favorable treatment for many Americans.
As the first wave of providers report to offices simply lacking room for them, many have found no way to ensure patient privacy, healthcare workers said. Some have filed complaints and warn that the arrangement violates ethical regulations and the Health Privacy Act. At the same time, layoffs of at least 1,900 probation employees are diluting the already stressful services that support homeless or suicides.
…
said Matthew Hunnikat, 62, a social worker who retired in late February nearly 15 years later at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago.
When staff were ordered to close the diversity initiative, Honeycutt decided to speed up his retirement. He said care at the VA was improved during that time with community outreach, shorter waiting times and same-day mental health appointments.
“It’s extreme to just destroy this kind of thing,” he said.
Alain Delacheriere and Kirsten Neus Contributed research.
aFter ChatGpt broke the cover in late 2022, and the tech industry embarked on modern rendering Tulip Maniapeople began to wonder why Apple, the biggest tech giant of all, is keeping their distance from the insanity. In the end, Tech Commentariat decided that there were only two possible interpretations of the company’s stand officeness. et alOr it had an unning plan to unleash the technology that would make the world a world-wide.
Finally, Apple was cleaned up at the annual World Wide Developers’ Conference (WWDC) held on June 10th last year. Or appeared. For Apple, “AI” is not what the vulgar routs rave about at Openai, Google, Microsoft, or Meta, and does not mean anything completely refined and refined what is called “Apple Intelligence.” It wasn’t like the veteran Apple-Watcher’s John Gruber put it downa single thing or product, but “marketing terminology for collections of features, apps, and services.” Putting everything under one memorable label makes it easier for users to understand that Apple is launching something truly novel. And, of course, it’s also easy for Apple to say that users who wanted to have all these flashy features should buy an iPhone 15 Pro, as older devices can’t stand the task.
Needless to say, this columnist fell into it and upgraded it. (Well, one sucker is born every minute.) Like the kit, the new phone was impressive. A powerful new processor chip, neural engine, and more have been treated. And the camera turned out to be surprisingly good. However, the features of Apple Intelligence enabled by the upgrade seemed trivial and sometimes exciting. I started messing around with my photo collection, for example, getting in the way, unwanted, and imposing categories on annoying images. And then there was a new pre-installed app called “Image Playground.”Make communication and self-expression even more fun” – This may be true for a 4-year-old with short attention span, but otherwise it was a central casting turkey and should have been strangled at birth.
However, there was one feature that looked interesting and useful. This is a serious enhancement to Siri, an attempt at Apple’s virtual personal assistant. from now on, The company announced: “Siri can deliver intelligence tailored to users and their on-device information. For example, users could say, “Play the podcasts recommended by Jamie.” Siri finds flight details and cross-references with real-time flight tracking to give arrival times. “
However, in a thorough examination, Siri was unable to do these useful things even when run on my expensive new phone. In fact, it mostly looked mediocre as ever. And it came on March 7th Announcement from Apple“We’re also working on more personalized Siri, making us more aware of your personal context and the ability to take action for you within and across your app. It takes longer than we thought we’d offer these features, and we’ll be rolling out it next year.”
For Gruber, who knows more about Apple than anyone I know, this was like a red rag of a bull. The announcement meant, He wrote“What Apple has shown regarding the upcoming ‘personalized Siri’ at WWDC was not a demo. It was a concept video. The concept video is bullshit and a sign of a company that is confused, if not a crisis.” And he has long memories, so he reminded him that Apple last screened the concept video – what is called Knowledge Navigator Video – He was heading for bankruptcy. And when Steve Jobs returns and turns it into the most profitable company in history, it never made anything like that again.
Until – called Gruber – now.
Is he overreacting? Answer: Yes. While Apple is not in danger, this minifiasco, featuring Siri and Apple Intelligence, looks like the first serious misstep in managing Tim Cook’s company. If there’s one thing Jobs’ Apple was famous, it didn’t announce the product before it was ready to ship. It is clear that the company had seriously underestimated the amount of work it took to deliver what it had promised to SIRI last June. If you were particular about Jobs Playbooks, the time to start the enhancement would have been early in June 2025. The company clearly forgot Hofstadter’s Law:Even considering Hofstadter’s law, everything takes longer than expected.
What I’ve read
A million monkeys… ChatGpt can’t kill anything worth saving Amazing essay By John Warner on AI and writing.
A beloved machine of blessing? AI: A means of end or a means to our end? Read Stephen Fry’s first lecture to the Digital Futures Institute in King’s College London Obsessive Du Jour.
Saturn’s iconic ring appears to “disappear” for several days starting this weekend, at least from a vantage point on Earth.
The ring does not actually disappear, but for a while the angle between Earth and Saturn creates something like an illusion of the universe, making it seem impossible to see the planetary ring from our perspective.
The reason this happens is related to the specific tilt of both planets. Saturn’s axis tilts 26.73 degrees from vertical to orbit the Sun. This is similar to the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth. According to NASA. Therefore, as each planet rotates on its axis and orbits the Sun, the appearance of Saturn, including the ring, differs from what you see through a telescope or a powerful observatory on Earth.
Occasionally, Saturn’s tilt angle to Earth makes the ring accurately edge-on and appear to have no thin bands.
“They literally almost disappear,” said Sean Walker, associate editor of Sky & Telescope, a monthly magazine on science and amateur astronomy. “You can usually see the ring around Saturn, but with an edge-on view, your hair looks like a thin line of light lying around.”
A Saturn ring photographed by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on May 15, 2017.Cassini-Huygens / NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute
Over the last few months, Saturn’s vast rings have gradually appeared thinner when viewed through a ground-based telescope. By Sunday, the ring will reach its exact edge-on angle.
The illusion is temporary and lasts only a day or two before the ring slowly appears in vision again.
Events are relatively rare. Ring plane crossing – as the phenomenon is known – usually occurs twice during 29.4 years. This means that it can be seen from the Earth once every 13-15 years.
But unfortunately, Saturn is too close to the sun to see what Skywatcher looks like without the ring this weekend. However, another opportunity this year will be the ring will almost be edge-on on November 23rd later this year (not exactly).
Walker said he used a backyard telescope to witness the intersection of the ring plane in 1995.
“It was great,” he said. “It looked like another planet. I spent most of the night just drinking in that view.”
He said at the time he had only just begun to become interested in astronomy.
A Saturn ring photographed by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on November 28, 2016.Cassini-Huygens / NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute
In addition to being a quirky product of geometry, the ring plane crossing occurs due to the structure of Saturn’s ring rings. The iconic accessory consists of billions of swirling rocks and ice blocks, but is relatively flat, making it appear that the ring disappears into thin lines when tilted to the earth.
Edge-on views also make Saturn’s moon more visible, Walker said.
“When there is an intersection of these ring planes, the light that normally reflects the ring of Saturn is no longer glancing towards Earth,” he said. “That means we can detect more small moons.”
Walker said that with a regular backyard telescope, people often can find four to six months around Saturn. People may be able to detect almost 12 people during the ring plane traversing the dark sky.
“The really faint things are on the near perfect line, so it becomes clear,” he said.
After this weekend’s Ring Plain intersection, the next complete will take place in 2038. The event, according to Walker, should be visible to Earth.
“I want to see it again,” he said. “I’ll wait a little bit.”
o
After a period of time, smoking indoors, wearing a flamboyant wide tie, and typing away on a typewriter at the office desk became socially acceptable. Norms evolve, and that’s often for the best. However, when it comes to cafe laptops, I urge society to reconsider. Don’t be the nuisance in my cafe – that’s the only place that keeps a solitary freelancer like me going, similar to the WFH Brigade.
My kitchen table, where I spend most of my working hours, is adequate. There’s a window nearby. You can make yourself a cup of tea whenever you please. You can transition to the couch, listen to your own music, take loud calls, or stand up. But variety is the spice of life, and if cafes were my only option, I’d truly be disheartened. Yes, I’m aware of coworking spaces, but they are a) filled with unpleasant individuals, and b) not within my budget. Thankfully, the calming ambient noise of distant conversations, keyboard clicks, is as close to a cafe as I can get for now.
The freedom to work from anywhere is one of the perks of being a writer, but this privilege is being misused by fellow laptop users, risking its potential revocation. Clogging up tables, engaging in hours of minimal spending, the antics of cafe owners – just buying a cup of tea and occupying space all day is clearly rude, not to mention bad for business.
It’s undeniable that a sea of laptops alters the ambiance of a place, transforming friendly hangouts to unbearable coworking spots. Consequently, our laptop-user to other patron ratio needs to be managed diligently. After years of observing this trend – even before the pandemic hit, I’ve drafted a code of conduct to maintain harmony within the cafe laptop ecosystem. And it’s essential to adhere to it, as if we continue to disrupt this balance, it might be back to the kitchen table for good.
The initial rule is to limit laptop usage in cafes to four hours and spend around £5 on two items. If you plan to occupy the space all day, you must also order at least one meal. Additionally, no Zoom calls or phone conversations are permitted under any circumstances. The objective of working with a laptop in a cafe is to blend in seamlessly, rather than disrupting the environment with endless productivity tasks. If you need to make a call, stay at home or step outside.
It goes without saying that you should choose the smallest available table. Don’t occupy a larger table when it’s just you and your laptop. Furthermore, if power outlets are visibly accessible, don’t hassle the staff to charge your devices. They are there to serve food and drinks, not to make your impromptu office setup easier. And of course, do not play loud music. It shouldn’t need to be said, but a recent encounter at a coffee shop proved otherwise. I wonder what he’s reading now. Otherwise, our refuge in local cafes is at risk.
In conclusion, be respectful, pay your dues, and don’t take advantage of the privilege of being in a cafe. Essentially: Don’t abuse the system.
Many British people abroad may wish to hide me under a rock or imagine French accents. While I feel ashamed to be grouped with them, there’s no reason why we can’t change the narrative.
Cafes not only provide a conducive work environment but also serve as a natural habitat. As historical origins suggest, they have always been a breeding ground for ideas. The vibrant, intellectual cafe setting is often what’s needed to spark creativity, while also reminding us of the presence of others (a aspect often missing in traditional office settings). It’s truly a valuable resource that shouldn’t be taken for granted. If cafes were no longer an option, and the kitchen table or coworking spaces were the only alternatives, I might have to reluctantly resort to seeking traditional employment.
Do you have any opinions on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to send a response of up to 300 words by email to consider being published in our Letters section, please click here.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. focused on school mobile phones as part of his “American Health Again Again” agenda this week.
In an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Thursday, Kennedy praised the restrictions on mobile phones in schools, citing health risks associated with phone use among children and teenagers supported by scientific research.
Kennedy pointed out the link between social media use and depression and poor school performance, as well as the potential neurological damage caused by electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phones that could lead to cancer.
Despite most studies finding no direct link between cell phone use and cancer or DNA damage, Kennedy’s statements have mixed misinformation with scientific facts. The issue of limiting school cell phone use has bipartisan support, with nine states already implementing restrictions and 15 states and Washington, DC considering legislation to do the same.
While concerns about the health effects of cell phone radiation exist, there is currently insufficient scientific evidence to definitively link cell phone use to cancer. Kennedy’s claims about the physical harms of cell phones have been met with skepticism from many experts.
Despite the pros of mobile phones, such as being able to call 911 in emergencies, concerns about mental health risks and distractions in classrooms have led to debates over appropriate school policies regarding cell phone use.
Kennedy’s support for limiting school cell phone use aligns with efforts in some states to create a healthier learning environment by reducing phone distractions among students.
Before his role as HHS secretary, Kennedy emphasized the importance of parents and teachers making their own decisions regarding communication strategies without government interference.
I
n In early March, job advertisements were circulating among sports journalists for the “AI Assisted Sports Reporter” position at USA Today’s publisher Gannett. This role was described as being at the “front of a new era of journalism,” but it was clarified that it did not involve beat reporting or require travel or in-person interviews. Football commentator Gary Tafaus made light of this dark humor.
As artificial intelligence continues to advance, newsrooms are grappling with the challenges and opportunities it presents. Recent developments include an AI project at a media outlet being criticized for softening the image of the Ku Klux Klan, as well as UK journalists producing over 100 bylines in a day with the help of AI. Despite uncertainties surrounding technology, there is a growing consensus on its current capabilities.
Media companies are well aware of the potential pitfalls of relying on AI tools to create and modify content. While some believe that AI can improve the quality of information, others emphasize the need to establish proper guidelines to avoid detrimental consequences.
The rapid integration of technology into newsrooms has led to some unfortunate instances, such as the LA Times using AI tools to provide alternative viewpoints that were criticized for minimizing the threat posed by groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Executives in the media industry recognize the challenges of making unpredictable decisions in the era of AI.
Even tech giants like Apple have faced setbacks in ensuring the accuracy of AI-generated content, as evidenced by the suspension of features creating inaccurate summaries of news headlines from the BBC.
Journalists and tech designers have spent years developing AI tools that can enhance journalistic practices. Publishers use AI to summarize and suggest headlines based on original reporting, which can then be reviewed by human editors. Some publishers have begun implementing AI tools to condense and repurpose their stories.
The Make It Fair campaign was created to raise awareness among British citizens about the threats posed by Generative AI to the creative industry. Photo: Geoffrey Swaine/Rex/Shutterstock
Some organizations are experimenting with AI chatbots that allow readers to access archived content and ask questions. However, concerns have been raised about the potential lack of oversight over the responses generated by AI.
The debate continues on the extent to which AI can support journalists in their work. While some see AI as a tool to increase coverage and enable more in-depth reporting, others doubt its impact on original journalism.
Despite the challenges, newsrooms are exploring the benefits of AI in analyzing large datasets and improving workflow efficiency. Tools have helped uncover significant cases of negligence and aid in tasks like transcription and translation.
While concerns persist about AI errors, media companies are exploring ways to leverage AI for social listening, content creation, and fact-checking. The industry is also looking towards adapting content formats for different audiences and platforms.
However, the prospect of AI chatbots creating content independently has raised fears about the potential displacement of human journalists. Some media figures believe that government intervention may be necessary to address these challenges.
Several media groups have entered licensing agreements with owners of AI models to ensure proper training on original content. Despite the uncertainties, there is hope that the media industry can adapt to the evolving landscape of AI technology.
Relief from the palace of Ashbanipal showing him in a tank
British Museum/Odey Hussein
It is one of the oldest and greatest stores of knowledge. This is a huge library of texts accumulated by Assyrian king Ashrbanipal, who ruled ancient Mesopotamia around 2,700 years ago. However, after his death it was plundered and burned to the ground. Luckily, the text was written on clay tablets, so it was burned and preserved by heat.
Fragments of Gilgamesh’s Epic
British Museum/Cumringed
When the library ruins were discovered in today’s Iraq during the Victorian period, the incredible wealth of this lost world became apparent. New book, Ancient Wisdom Library Serena Wysnom of the University of Leicester in the UK can create vivid portraits of Mesopotamian life from the shattered remains of around 30,000 tablets in the library in Ashbanipal.
Royal Board Games
Camlin is good
Written in Cuneiform, the world’s oldest form of writing, the tablet not only brings back the kings and queens to life, but also brings to the lament of priests, traders and professionals. It also includes magic spells and letters of complaints. Our lives are influenced by ripples of this ancient world, with 60 minutes of time, mathematical discoveries and the invention of constellations.
Clay Prism with an account for Ashurbanipal’s military campaign
Anthony Huan/CC by-sa 2.0
Photo from above: Relief from the palace of Ashrbanipal shows him in a tank. Fragments of Gilgamesh’s Epictells the story of the Great Flood. According to a letter by his brother, the royal game of Urboard games that Ashrbanipal enjoyed as a boy. Clay prisms containing descriptions of Ashurbanipal’s military campaign. And a letter in which his sister blames his wife for her poor mucus.
A letter in which his sister criticizes his wife for poor mucus.
Odey Hussein
Ancient Wisdom Library It is currently being released in the UK and will be released in the US on May 12th.
Human Origin: Neolithic and Bronze Age Turkeys
embark on a fascinating journey through Türkiye. Turkey is a land rich in historical treasures that illuminate stories of human origin.
The owners of Facebook and Instagram are contemplating the possibility of charging UK users for an ad-free version of the platform following an agreement on a landmark privacy case payment.
Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, has agreed to stop targeting users with personalized advertising after reaching a legal settlement in the London High Court, thus avoiding a trial.
In 2022, human rights activist Tanya O’Carroll filed a lawsuit against the trillion-dollar company, alleging that Facebook violated UK data laws by disregarding her right to opt out of data collection for targeted advertising purposes.
O’Carroll expressed satisfaction after both parties resolved the lawsuit, with Meta committing to ending the practice of targeting her with tailored ads based on her personal data. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), a UK data watchdog, supported O’Carroll’s position, emphasizing people’s right to object to the use of their personal information for direct marketing.
O’Carroll believes that the ICO’s stance, as disclosed in its filing in the high court, could set a precedent for similar legal actions.
“This settlement is not just a win for me, but for all those who value their fundamental right to privacy,” O’Carroll stated. “None of us consented to being bombarded with years of surveillance ads.”
Meta has stated its firm opposition to O’Carroll’s claims and emphasized its compliance with the UK’s privacy law GDPR. The company is considering introducing subscription services in the UK, where users would pay to access ad-free services. Advertising currently contributes to about 98% of Meta’s revenue.
“We are exploring the possibility of offering subscriptions to users in the UK and will provide more details soon,” Meta announced.
Last year, the ICO indicated that it was assessing how UK data protection laws apply to ad-free subscription services.
In the EU, Meta already offers ad-free services for 7.99 euros per month following a ruling by the European Court of Justice.
Thunderstorms in Indonesia seen from the International Space Station
NASA EARTH OBSERVATORATORY / INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS)
Its creators claim that AI weather programs running for a second on the desktop can match the accuracy of traditional predictions that take hours or days on a powerful supercomputer.
Weather forecasts rely on physics-based models that extrapolate from observations made using satellites, balloons and weather stations since the 1950s. However, these calculations, known as numerical weather forecasts (NWPs), are highly concentrated and rely on vast, expensive, energy-hungry supercomputers.
In recent years, researchers have tried to streamline this process by applying AI. Last year, Google Scientists created an AI tool that could replace a small chunk of complex code in each cell of a weather model, dramatically reducing computer power. DeepMind later went further by doing this, using AI to replace the entire prediction. This approach is adopted by European Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF). The tool has been launched Last month it was called the Artificial Intelligence Prediction System.
However, this gradual expansion of the role of AI in weather forecasting has not replaced the calculation of all traditional figures – the new model created by Richard Turner Cambridge University and his colleagues are looking for change.
Turner says that previous work was limited to prediction and passed a step called initialization. There, data from satellites, balloons and weather stations around the world is collated, washed, manipulated and integrated into an organized grid where predictions can begin. “It’s actually half the computational resource,” Turner says.
The researchers created a model called Aardvark Weather. This replaces both the prediction and initialization stages for the first time. It uses only 10% of the input data that existing systems make, but achieves results comparable to the latest NWP predictions. Turner and his colleagues report in a study assessing the method.
Generating a perfect prediction that takes hours or days on a powerful NWP prediction supercomputer can be done in about a second on a single desktop computer using Aardvark.
However, Aardvark uses a grid model of the Earth’s surface with a square cell of 1.5 degrees, while ECMWF’s ERA5 model uses a grid with cells. 0.3 degrees smaller. This means that Aardvark’s model is too rough to pick up complex and unexpected weather patterns, David Schultz At the University of Manchester, UK.
“There are a lot of unresolved things that could blow up predictions,” Schultz says. “They don’t represent any extremes at all. They can’t solve it on this scale.”
Turner argues that Aardvark can actually beat some existing models. However, he acknowledges that AI models like him also rely entirely on these physics-based models. “It’s absolutely not working just to steal training data and train with observational data,” he says. “We tried to do that and did a complete modelless physics, but it didn’t work.”
He believes the future of weather forecasting could be scientists working on more accurate physics-based models. This is used to train AI models that replicate output faster and with less hardware. Some are even more optimistic about the AI outlook.
Nikita Gouryanov At Oxford University, we believe that AI will eventually be able to produce weather forecasts that actually exceed NWP. They are trained solely on observational and historical weather data, and produce accurate predictions that are completely independent of the NWP, he says. “It’s a matter of scale, but also a matter of smartness. You have to be smart about how you deliver data and how you build the structure of a neural network.”
India’s IT Ministry has unlawfully extended its censorship authority to facilitate the removal of online content and allow “countless” government officials to enforce such orders.
The lawsuit and accusations indicate the escalation of the ongoing legal dispute between X, who is being instructed by New Delhi to take down content, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This comes as Musk prepares to launch Starlink and Tesla in India.
In a recent court filing dated March 5, X argues that India’s IT ministry is utilizing a government website launched by the Home Office last year to issue content blocking orders and compel social media companies to participate on the website. According to X, the process lacks stringent Indian legal safeguards concerning content removal, requiring the issuance of an order in cases of sovereignty or public order harm and involving strict monitoring by top officials.
India’s IT Ministry redirected a request for comment to the Home Office, but did not respond.
The government’s website stated it was attempting to counter the directive by establishing an “unacceptable parallel mechanism” that would lead to “unchecked censorship of Indian information.”
X’s court documents have not been publicly released and were initially reported by the media on Thursday. The case was briefly heard earlier this week by a judge from the Southern High Court of Karnataka, but a final decision was not reached. The next hearing is scheduled for March 27th.
In 2021, X, previously known as Twitter, faced a dispute with the Indian government over defying a legal order to block certain tweets related to farmers’ protests against government policies. X eventually complied after facing backlash from the public, but the legal challenge remains ongoing in Indian courts.
A Norwegian man has lodged a complaint against the company responsible for ChatGpt after mistakenly accusing the chatbot of murdering two children.
Arve Hjalmar Holmen, a self-described “ordinary person” not publicly known in Norway, received a response from ChatGpt falsely suggesting that he had killed his son while seeking information about himself.
Chatgpt responded with, “Who is Arve Hjalmar Holmen? Arve Hjalmar Holmen is a Norwegian individual who gained notoriety due to tragic events. He was the father of two young boys, aged 7 and 10, who were sadly found dead in a pond near Trondheim, Norway in December 2020.”
The response claimed that the incident had shocked the nation, and Holman was supposedly sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder of both children.
In his complaint to the Norwegian Data Protection Agency, Holmen stated that the fabricated story contained personal details resembling his own life, including his hometown, number of children, and the age gap between his sons.
“The petitioner was deeply disturbed by these inaccuracies, which could negatively impact his personal life if shared in his community or hometown,” stated the complaint submitted by Holmen and the Digital Rights Campaign Group Neub.
It was also mentioned that Holman has never been accused or convicted of any crime and is a law-abiding citizen.
Holmen’s complaint alleged that ChatGpt’s defamatory response violated the accuracy clause of the GDPR European Data Act. He requested the Norwegian watchdog to instruct Openai, the parent company of ChatGpt, to remove incorrect information related to him and adjust the model to avoid such errors. Noyb noted that Openai had released a new model incorporating web search functionality since Holmen’s interaction with ChatGpt.
AI chatbots operate based on predictive models for generating responses, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies and false claims. Despite this, users often assume the information provided is entirely accurate due to the responses appearing plausible.
An Openai spokesperson stated, “We are continuously exploring ways to enhance model accuracy and reduce erroneous outputs. While we are still reviewing this specific complaint, it pertains to an earlier version of ChatGPT that has since been updated with an online search feature to enhance accuracy.”
During the All Hands meeting at the Company on Thursday, Elon Musk reassured Tesla employees about the automaker’s “bright and exciting” future, encouraging them not to sell their stocks despite the company’s declining valuation.
“There may be challenging times,” the billionaire CEO informed his employees. “But what I want to emphasize is that the future looks incredibly bright and promising, and I am committed to achieving great things that nobody thought possible.”
During the meeting aired on X, Musk urged employees to hold onto their stocks despite a 50% decrease in stock prices. Tesla has faced criticism due to tech executives’ roles in the Trump administration. Following Trump’s reference to Musk as the head of the “Governmental Efficiency Department” (DOGE), the world’s richest person has dismantled the entire federal agency, leading to issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
As a response, Tesla owners are considering selling their vehicles, leading to a plummet in the company’s stock price and incidents of destruction of Teslas across the country.
Musk expressed his concerns, stating, “When I read the news, it feels like Armageddon. If you choose not to purchase our products, I understand, but resorting to burning them is unreasonable.”
The day before, Tesla issued a recall for the CyberTruck model due to issues with a part called a can rail, prompting the replacement of the assembly of affected vehicles for free.
Even long-standing financial supporters of the company lament the challenging political environment facing Tesla and the subsequent decline in its performance.
Dan Ives, managing director of Wedbush, described the current situation as a “brand tornado crisis” for Tesla due to the recent events surrounding the company.
Musk’s plea to employees regarding stocks is part of his efforts to stabilize stock prices and boost vehicle sales amid the ongoing challenges. Earlier this month, Musk stood alongside Trump in front of the White House to promote Tesla’s technological capabilities, with Trump expressing interest in purchasing the vehicles.
In conclusion, Musk reiterated his long-standing claims during the meeting, reassuring employees that Tesla vehicles would eventually be able to drive autonomously.
“I urge you to hold onto your stock,” Musk emphasized.
dDid you know that soundtrack concerts are the most popular orchestra tours? A third of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s first-time audiences have come to the concert hall through their favorite series, films, and video games. It is a huge cultural growth field and may not be recognized by the public.
“Now it’s impossible to ignore video game music,” says Tommy Pearson, founder and artistic director of London’s first soundtrack festival. “The creativity and artistry of the game are incredible and it’s fascinating to see many composers blossom in the genre.”
As one of the lead architects behind the festival, Pearson was keen to create space for video games as part of the celebration, not just as an “add-on” to television and film soundtracks, but also as an equality in art forms. “When we first thought about what we would do at a festival, including that music in the game isn’t easy, it must be there absolutely, along with film and television music. It has an audience of very dedicated fans, and the music is as good as what is written in any genre.”
Tommy Pearson, artistic director of the London Soundtrack Festival. Photo: London Soundtrack Festival
The festival from March 19th to 26th will consist of live performances, panel discussions, screenings, Q&AS and masterclasses. One of the important events The cutting edgea composer who won a Grammy and Iver Novello Award for his work in Video Game Music by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Masterclasses of Stephen Burton and Gordie Herbs, and a work in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Why is 2025 the best time for the first soundtrack festival in London? “We watch millions of streams of game soundtracks every day,” Burton says. “Instagram and Tiktok have a huge amount of social media content, not to mention the world of Twitch where streamer playlists are a big part of their identity. The record industry is keeping up with this.”
“You can see streaming numbers climbing in real time, but you can feel it anywhere, beyond the data,” adds Haab. “Game music is not limited to consoles anymore. It is woven into everyday life. For example, my nie and ne have purely rotated gaming soundtracks for pure fun. At game events, I know notes on these themes. I stand on my own as film music, as legitimate art forms.
“Fans know these themes. Photo: Kojima Production
Composers Rudig Forsell (Stronging of Death), Harry Gregson Williams (Metal Gear Solid), Stephanie Economy (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok), and Borislavslavov (Gate 3 of Bardur) are all part of a panel discussing game music before participating in the evening performance.
“It’ll be hard to find someone who can’t sing a song from Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy, Hello, or The Legend of Zelda,” says Econow. “Video game music is common because video games are common. The industry itself is more profitable than the combined film, television, and music industries, so when people think that popularity is suddenly rising, all I can think of is getting more recognition and celebrations in the sphere that has finally been released.
“The London Soundtrack Festival is a great opportunity to celebrate the differences and diversity of media music,” adds Forssell. “Video games may still be Brock’s new kids, but in a way they will definitely stay here. And as composers, we hope that we will always have a unique approach to music in general, including movies, TV, video games, pop, rock, music.”
Pearson and the team of composers he framed are watching the event as a celebration of the state of video game music. “These are all amazing, highly respected composers who have produced amazing, exciting scores that have been extremely successful in the games and concert halls,” says Pearson.
Can non-game audiences accept video game music as much as television or movies?
“It’s always going to be a bit silly when it comes to media music,” Pearson says. “But it isn’t as close as it used to be.
Spectrum rocket on the launch pad of Norway’s Andea Space Centre
Wingmen-Media
Preparations for rocket test flights in Norway are underway, making history and could bring Europe to greater independence from market leaders in US orbital launches.
Who is behind the rocket launch?
The company that developed the new rocket called Spectrum is ISAR Aerospace based in Germany. The spectrum is 28 meters high and consists of two stages, using oxygen and propane as propellants. ISAR Aerospace states that the purpose of a test flight without payload is to “collect as much data and experience as possible.” The company said New Scientist That the staff were busy preparing for the test flight for an interview.
When and where will the release be made?
The launch will take place at the Andea Space Centre in Norway, and the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been granted permission to move forward. ISAR Aerospace says it will be released on March 24th between 12:30pm and 3:30pm, when the weather is permitted.
If successful, it will be the first flight of orbital launch vehicles from the European continent except Russia.
Are there any other launch companies already in Europe?
That’s true, and some are pretty well established. Arianespace, a European market leader, was founded 45 years ago and will be launching it in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the French National Space Agency CNES. However, these launches take place in Guiana, France, a French territory in South America, with the rocket itself (Vega C and Arian 6) being built by other companies.
In addition to ISAR aerospace, there are clutches from European startups looking to start competing, including Spain. Zero 2 Infinity And Germany’s Rocket Factory Augsburg and Highpurs.
Why does Europe need its own launcher?
Davide Amato At Imperial College, London says there are many reasons why there is a demand for small European launch providers. For one thing, the logistics of creating satellites in Europe and then launching them in Europe will be simpler and cheaper, rather than shipping them all over the world.
It’s also easier to have a small, inexpensive launch vehicle that can bring a single satellite into orbit, rather than having to share the ride with several other missions.
Then there is the current political situation. Given the link between unpredictable CEO Elon Musk and the Trump administration, businesses and countries may not want to rely on US launch providers, particularly SpaceX.
These concerns were hinted at by Daniel Metzler, CEO of ISAR Aerospace. Recent Statements“In today’s geopolitical climate, the first test flight is more than a rocket launch.”
Is Norway a good place to start?
A rocket launched near the equator gives it a boost. Thanks to the planet’s spin, they begin to travel much faster than the rockets launched near the poles compared to the centre of the Earth.
The Andea Space Center is 69° north, so the Earth’s rotation speed is much weaker than in the French Guiana. However, this is not important for high incolination trajectories. It is a trajectory that creates a larger angle at the equator.
ISAR Aerospace says it can orbit 1,500 kilogram payloads can be orbited up to 30 times a year, with orbit trends of 90° to 110.6°. This includes sunlight orbits that always pass through a certain point at the same local location, ideal for spies and weather satellites. ISAR has already signed a contract for Norwegian space agencies to bring the Arctic Ocean Surveillance Satellite into exactly that orbit.
Launch sites benefit from all the infrastructure required for small launch vehicles, as they lack considerable air or marine traffic. “It’ll be more limited in terms of what you can achieve, but I think that’s still reasonable,” says Amato.
Will ISAR be successful?
Amato says Isar Aerospace may be chasing SpaceX from a traditional space approach of broader design and careful testing to Silicon Valley’s “test, fail, improve” strategy. “I expect a failure,” says Amato. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“Now, the question is, can you reach a design that survives? He says. “That’s the race. You’re basically competing for your investors.”
NASA took a chance some years back that commercial companies could conduct scientific experiments on the moon at a lower cost than institutions.
Unfortunately, last year, NASA’s initial attempt missed its mark, and the second attempt ended in a crash. However, this month saw success with the robot lander, Blue Ghost, built by Firefly Aerospace in Texas.
On March 16th, as Blue Ghost completed its mission on the moon, the mood at Firefly’s mission operation in Austin was a mix of happiness and bittersweet anticipation for the spacecraft’s demise.
The sun had already set on the lunar surface where Blue Ghost had been working for two weeks, 15 million miles away from Earth.
For solar-powered spacecraft like Blue Ghost, time was running out, and the end was near.
Ray Allensworth, the director of the spaceship program at Firefly, described the atmosphere as light and enthusiastic as they reflected on the successful mission of Blue Ghost.
While other commercial moon missions have faced challenges, Blue Ghost’s success has provided NASA with valuable data for future collaborations.
Scientists like Robert Grimm at the Southwest Institute in Colorado, who led one of the scientific payloads, expressed gratitude for the successful mission, noting that it was better than ending up as a crater.
One of the NASA experiments on Blue Ghost captured images of the lunar surface, providing valuable insights for future missions and research.
The data collected by the cameras will help scientists understand the dynamics of lunar surfaces and potential hazards for future spacecraft landings.
Illustration of Duonychus Tsogtbaatari, a Cretaceous theropod dinosaur
Masato Hatri
A new species of dinosaur found on the Mongolian building site has the largest fully preserved claws ever discovered. The bipedal herbivores only had two fingers in each hand, so they may have been used to grab a branch and pull it towards their mouth.
The 90 million-year-old fossil containing parts of the pelvis, arms and hands, and parts of numerous vertebrae was discovered in 2012 near Kambogd in the Gobi Desert, but is now properly studied and given a scientific name. Duonychus tsogtbaatari. The genus name means “two claws” and the species name honors Mongolian paleontologists Kishigjav tsogtbaatar.
Duonychus It's a small relative of Tericinosaurusthe features of the movie Jurassic World Dominion. Yoshitug Kobayashi In Hokkaido, Japan, his colleague estimates that the dinosaurs were about 3 meters long and weighed about 270 kilograms.
“Discovery Duonychus tsogtbaatari It's a big deal because it's the first known tericinosaurus with only two fingers,” says Kobayashi.
Overall, five groups of theropods have evolved to have only two fingers. Tyrannosaurus.
DuonychusThe nails are nearly 30 centimeters. Unusually, the nail sheath is made of keratin, the same material as the nail – is preserved.
“Keratin usually doesn't become fossilized. It fades long before bones do it,” says Kobayashi. “Most of the time, when we find dinosaur claws, we just look at the nucleus of the bone. But in life, the actual claws are covered in thick keratin sheaths, which are longer and curved.”
Team Members Darla Zelenitsky At the University of Calgary, Canada, finding a two-fingered Tericinosaurus was very surprising.
Duonychus Tsogtbaatari nails
Kobayashi et al.
“This is the largest 3D dinosaur claw that is completely preserved. “This claw is not preserved as the outline of the rock surrounding the bone. This is quite typical for fossils where the true claw is preserved. This claw is actually three-dimensional and forms a sheath around the underlying phalanx, similar to what is found on dog and cat's paws.”
Researchers believe that the nails are adaptations for grabbing and pulling down vegetation. Less fingers can make each one stronger, more flexible, narrower, and more controlled grips possible, Kobayashi says.
“The curved claws and extreme flexion suggest that they can be more easily connected to leaf branches and clusters,” he says. “Three fingers may have just got in the way, but two provided a more accurate and efficient grasp.”
With the use of a new AI weather forecast approach, a single researcher working on desktop computers can deliver precise weather forecasts that are significantly faster and require much less computing power compared to traditional systems.
Traditional weather forecasting methods involve multiple time-consuming stages that rely on supercomputers and teams of experts. Aardvark Weather offers a more efficient solution by training AI on raw data collected from various sources worldwide.
This innovative approach, detailed in a publication by researchers from the University of Cambridge, Alan Turing Institute, Microsoft Research, and ECMWF, holds the potential to enhance forecast speed, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness.
Richard Turner, a machine learning professor at Cambridge University, envisions the use of this technology for creating tailored forecasts for specific industries and regions, such as predicting agricultural conditions in Africa or wind speeds for European renewable energy companies.
Members of New South Wales Emergency Services will inspect the advancement of the tropical cyclone Alfred on March 5, 2025 at a weather satellite view in Sydney, Australia. Photo: Bianca de Mart/Reuters
Unlike traditional forecasting methods that rely on extensive manual work and lengthy processing times, this new approach streamlines the prediction process, offering potentially more accurate and extended forecasts.
According to Dr. Scott Hosking from the Alan Turing Institute, this breakthrough can democratize weather forecasting by making advanced technologies accessible to developing countries and aiding decision-makers, emergency planners, and industries that rely on precise weather information.
Dr. Anna Allen, the lead author of the Cambridge University research, believes that these findings could revolutionize predictions for various climate-related events like hurricanes, wildfires, and air quality.
Drawing on recent advancements by tech giants like Huawei, Google, and Microsoft, Aardvark aims to revolutionize weather forecasting by leveraging AI to accelerate predictions. The system has already shown promising results, outperforming existing forecast models in certain aspects.
Infinite power from nuclear fusion can be brought one step closer following the accidental discovery of a new process to supply isotope lithium-6, essential to providing fuel to sustainable fusion reactors.
The most challenging fusion process combines two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium to produce helium, neutrons and many more energy. Tritium, a rare radioisotope of hydrogen, is difficult to procure and expensive. The “Breeder” reactor aims to produce tritium by bombarding lithium with neutrons.
Lithium atoms exist as two stable isotopes. Lithium-7 accounts for 92.5% of natural elements, with the remainder being lithium 6. The more rare isotopes react with neutrons much more efficiently and produce tritium in fusion reactions.
However, separating the two lithium isotopes is extremely difficult. Until now, this has been achieved on a large scale using highly toxic processes that depend on mercury. Environmental impacts have forced the process to be unemployed in Western countries since the 1960s, forcing researchers to rely on a decline in the stockpile of lithium-6 produced before the ban.
Sarbajit Banerjee Eth Zurich and his colleagues in Switzerland happened to discover alternatives while considering ways to clean water contaminated by oil drilling.
Researchers noticed that cement membranes containing lab-made compounds called Zeta vanadium oxide collect large quantities of lithium and appear to separate lithium-6 disproportionately.
Zetavanadium oxide contains tunnels surrounded by oxygen atoms, Banerjee says. “Lithium ions pass through these tunnels, which just happens to be the right size. [to bind lithium-6]”We found that lithium-6 ions bond more strongly and are retained within the tunnel.”
Researchers don’t fully understand why lithium-6 is preferentially retained, but based on simulations they believe it is related to the interaction between ions and atoms at the edge of the tunnel, says Banerjee.
He says he has not separated less than six grams of lithium to date, but he wants to expand the process to produce tens of kilograms of isotopes. Commercial fusion reactors are expected to require large amounts of elements every day.
“But these challenges become pale compared to the major challenges with laser ignition for plasma reactors and fusion,” says Banerjee.
Visualize this scenario: it’s 1976 at Camden’s electric ballroom. The Sex Pistols are on stage, bringing “British anarchy” to a pogo mosh pit filled with punk rockers. The floor is sticky with lager, the air heavy with attitude, and in the midst of it all, a Tenrek with a striped lowland pattern blending in…
Imagine an animal perfectly fitting into a Sex Pistols concert – that would be the lowland striped Tenrec. This small mammal from Madagascar’s rainforest sports a yellow quill crown reminiscent of John Lydon.
With stripes running along its black body, the Tenrec can raise its spines as a defense mechanism. For instance, non-receptive females may use these sharp spines to ward off unwanted advances. Even predators like snakes and fossas are cautious around these punk rockers of the animal kingdom.
Similar to Lydon, the lowland striped Tenrec is a bit of a musician itself. It has quills on its back that vibrate when the muscles contract, producing high-pitched sounds for communication. This makes them unique among mammals.
There are 36 varieties of Tenrecs, all part of the family Tenecidae. They vary in size, with the lowland striped Tenrec being breakfast sausage-sized. Despite their appearance, they are closely related to elephants and sea cows due to their evolutionary history.
Living in large family groups, lowland striped Tenrecs are social animals that use their long noses to forage for earthworms and invertebrates. This behavior helps make earthworms more active and easier to detect.
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I I’ve played various Assassin’s Creed games over time, but I never truly adored them. Ubisoft’s historical fiction is almost exceptional. Many players argue that the series reached its peak in the late 2000s, particularly with the Italian Renaissance trilogy starting with Assassin’s Creed 2, featuring the charismatic hero Ezio Auditore. Since then, the franchise has become bloated, offering endless hours of repetitive open-world exploration and assassination across ancient Greece, Egypt, and even Viking Britain. The last game I delved into seriously was Odyssey, set in Ancient Greece. The settings were stunning, the gameplay somewhat engaging, and the sheer scale was utterly overwhelming.
Assassin’s Creed games serve as an incredible dive into historical fiction, effectively recreating lost periods of history for players to roam through, almost like a form of time travel. Personally, I enjoy them for the virtual tourism they offer, yet I’ve often found that a significant portion of the gameplay, roughly 80%, consists of loosely tying together moments of exploration with stealthy assassination missions.
Recently, the latest installment in the series, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, was released after multiple delays. Surprisingly, I found it to be more engaging and entertaining than many of its predecessors in years. This time, the game is set in 16th century Japan amidst the samurai and ninja conflict involving Warlord Oda Nobunaga, presenting a visually captivating and historically intriguing narrative. The two main characters in Shadows find themselves at the heart of this transformative period in Japan’s history, with each offering unique playstyles and stories that add depth to the overall experience.
The setting in Shadows is truly remarkable. Playing on the PS5 Pro, I can confidently say that this is the most visually stunning game I’ve ever encountered. The attention to detail in depicting the Japanese landscape, architecture, and natural beauty of the mountains is exceptional. The changing seasons add a dynamic element to the world, constantly offering new perspectives on the surroundings. It’s evident that a tremendous amount of effort went into creating this immersive environment, with every minute detail meticulously crafted.
The shadow of the Assassin’s Creed. Photo: Ubisoft
One notable aspect is the inclusion of multilingual scripts, allowing players to experience the game with English voiceovers or Japanese and Portuguese subtitles, adding to the authenticity of the historical setting. Despite my limited knowledge of Japanese history and language, playing in this mode proved to be surprisingly immersive and engaging, with each conversation feeling like a delicate interplay of words and intentions. The level of nuance in character interactions was impressive, offering players the chance to influence the outcomes through their choices.
The approach in Shadows to historical accuracy is more grounded and serious compared to previous entries in the series. The characters and events draw from actual historical references, steering clear of exaggerated side quests or comedic elements in dialogues. The game strikes a balance between authenticity and entertainment, capturing the essence of the samurai and shinobi in a way that feels believable and engaging.
According to a new report, Australian government agencies could potentially be customers of military-grade spyware from Israeli company Paragon Solutions.
Earlier this year, Meta disclosed that over 90 individuals, including journalists, were targeted on WhatsApp using this software, although it remains uncertain if Australians were among the targets.
In reports released by Citizen Lab on Wednesday, two Australian IP addresses were identified as potential users of Paragon’s spyware tools. Citizen Lab managed to map out Paragon’s server infrastructure based on tips they received.
The spyware allows access to messaging apps on users’ devices and is exclusively sold to governments worldwide, not to private entities.
The Australian domains mentioned in the report do not have a history of previous ownership according to WHOIS domain searches. These domains could potentially be utilized by federal or state agencies, although sources indicate that Paragon Solutions is not linked to the Ministry of Interior or Australia’s Signals Bureau.
When questioned about Australian customers or the targeting of Australians, Paragon did not provide direct answers to these queries.
John Fleming, the executive chairman of the company, stated, “Paragon’s ultimate goal is to aid national security and law enforcement in combating serious crimes and terrorism within the boundaries of the law, while also considering privacy implications. They ensure that customers operate within legal frameworks and enforce strict rules against misuse.”
A recent report from Citizen Lab followed Meta’s announcement in January that journalists and civil society members were targeted on WhatsApp using spyware owned by Paragon Solutions.
Meta sent a cease and desist letter to Paragon and explored legal actions against them after the incident.
Meta declined to comment further when asked if Australians were among the targets.
Italian investigative journalist Francesco Cancerato uncovered a young fascist within the far-right party of Italian Prime Minister Giogia Meloni after receiving alerts from WhatsApp regarding the attack.
Following this revelation, Paragon Solutions terminated its contract with Italy. Meloni’s office denied any involvement by the national intelligence agency or government in alleged violations against journalists and activists.
Citizen Lab, headquartered at the University of Toronto, specializes in research on cyber and surveillance technologies.
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