○ On a recent Monday morning, Olivia Shalhoup opened her laptop and braced herself for the day’s meetings. As the founder of marketing and PR agency Amethyst, about 40% of her work focuses on helping musicians take advantage of TikTok. Her client was nervous that day, with a Supreme Court decision looming and the fate of the app in the United States hanging in the balance. “The key thing we talked about on every call was, ‘What are we going to do?'” Shalhoup said. “It’s no exaggeration to say that TikTok is critical to artists’ campaigns at this point. No one is immune to this.”
Since its debut in 2017, TikTok has become a star-making machine, with short-form video content overtaking traditional music promotion formats like TV and radio. This app features up-and-coming artists. A-listers promotes the rise to topof the chart And make Magic FM classics like Running Up That Hill a Generation Alpha hit. With the help of TikTok, Lil Nas Ta. More recently, songs such as Djo’s “End of Beginning” and Artemas’ “I Like the Way You Kiss Me” have become global hits after going viral on the app. The ability to track a song’s tenacity, engagement, and reach is a label executive’s dream, and one that author John Seabrook provides. I called “Real-time global callout data” helps leading companies make smarter trades.
Lil Nas X performs in New Jersey in 2019. The rapper and singer’s career soared after his smash single “Old Town Road” went viral on TikTok. Photo: Scott Ross/Invision/AP
“Right now, most label strategies rely heavily on TikTok,” said Ray Uskata, managing director of the Americas at music marketing agency Round. “It’s not just an entertainment platform, it’s a discovery platform. People go to Instagram to see what their friends are up to, they go to YouTube to see what their favorite creators are up to. I go to TikTok to see something new.”
The key to TikTok’s success is a feed filled with algorithmic recommendations that seem to know you better than you know yourself, and keep you in tune, sometimes unnervingly, with the trends and music you’re obsessed with. We provide you with a stream of carefully selected content.
It was enough to give lawmakers pause. In April, the U.S. Congress ordered TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell the app to a U.S.-based owner, citing national security concerns over possible manipulation of TikTok by the Chinese government and its collections. They passed a law forcing them to do so or face complete closure. Sensitive User Data Signed by Joe Biden. On January 10th, the Supreme Court convened to decide whether to force TikTok to go dark in the US on January 19th. Despite widespread protests from the creators (and the ACLU) slam On January 17, a court upheld a law that threatens to kill the app in the United States (the proposal is unconstitutional).
Music’s new kingmaker
Many marketers say they are at a loss. “I think a lot of people are in denial,” said Meredith Gardner, co-founder of agency Tenth Floor and former senior vice president of digital marketing at Capitol Records. She said that as recently as 10 days ago, potential clients at major labels were still talking about TikTok as a priority. “I think a lot of people are still hopeful that there will be some form of Hail Mary,” Gardner said.
Artists and record labels view TikTok as the closest thing to a kingmaker in today’s fragmented mainstream music industry, making it difficult to imagine a future without it. “If you look at the top 50 in the world, [chart] Compared to the viral charts, on Spotify, most of these songs are currently charting or trending on TikTok,” Uskata says. “These aren’t actually from other platforms.”
Its influence spreads worldwide. Patrick Clifton, a UK-based music and technology strategy consultant, says the power of TikTok’s network effects in the vast US market is such that it influences what people listen to on Spotify, and that TikTok directly connects Spotify to Spotify. It states that you can click through to listen to the song. Post – Around the World.
“TikTok has been a huge catalyst for music trends in the U.S., and the size and distribution of its user population in the U.S. has made it a catalyst for algorithmic trends on platforms like Spotify around the world,” Clifton said. I say. Therefore, the US ban could change what Spotify offers to listeners in regions where TikTok is still available, such as the UK.
Jeff Halliday, vice president of marketing for Downtown Artist & Label Services, said a potential ban “would immediately cause a lot of disruption.” “It’s like every stage of grief. At first it was mostly denial. A lot of people thought, ‘That’s never going to happen.’ And then the negotiation begins where you say, ‘Well, there’s another way.'”
In the face of uncertainty, marketers are advising artists not to put all their eggs in one basket. Gardner said he tells the artists he works with to take a cue from the pre-iTunes era and cultivate a digital Rolodex of fans. She was recently contacted by a singer-songwriter client seeking advice on how to share his rich archive of demos and home recordings with listeners. In another era, a collection like this would seem tailor-made for TikTok, but Gardner took a different view. “We encourage TikTok to launch Substack.”
Cortisol, a hormone produced by adrenal glands located on top of the kidneys, plays a crucial role in various body functions such as metabolism regulation, inflammation reduction, and stress response promotion. While essential for health, chronically elevated cortisol levels can lead to numerous problems.
Increased cortisol levels can occur due to factors like Cushing’s syndrome from long-term use of synthetic cortisol-containing steroid drugs or tumors in the brain or adrenal glands causing excessive cortisol production.
There are several indicators of elevated cortisol levels:
Weight Gain
High cortisol levels can lead to weight gain, particularly around the abdomen. Cortisol influences fat storage, causing more fat to accumulate in that area. While this is true for both genders, hormonal variations can affect distribution.
Other factors like diet, lifestyle, genetics, and hormonal imbalances such as insulin resistance also contribute to increased abdominal fat. Signs may include fat accumulation in the neck and shoulders (buffalo hump) and a rounded, swollen face.
Fatigue and Insomnia
Despite feeling tired, individuals with high cortisol levels often experience sleep disturbances, leading to chronic fatigue. Disrupted cortisol circadian rhythm affects sleep patterns negatively.
Man fighting fatigue while lying on the sofa – Credit: Catherine Falls Commercial
High Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar Levels
Elevated cortisol levels can increase blood pressure and blood sugar levels over time, raising the risk of hypertension and diabetes.
Mood Changes
Cortisol, known as the stress hormone, can induce anxiety, depression, and irritability by affecting brain neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
Bone Weakness
Prolonged high cortisol levels can cause muscle atrophy, loss of bone density, and increase the risk of osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women.
Other Symptoms
Additional symptoms may include bruising-prone skin, large purple stretch marks, low sex drive, and fertility issues.
This article addresses the query (sent by Stephen Donnelly): “How do I know if my cortisol levels are high?”
To submit questions, email questions@sciencefocus.com or message us on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Page (include name and location).
For more fascinating science facts, visit our Ultimate Fun Facts page.
Humans tend to mimic those they see as more successful to achieve a similar status, especially those with wealth, fame, and power. Many CEOs, celebrities, and fitness influencers share their routines claiming they lead to maximum productivity and continued success. These routines, like Mark Wahlberg’s early workouts and Grimes’ health routine, may seem extreme and are often at odds with the average person’s lifestyle and science.
Why do successful individuals promote such challenging routines? It may be to gain a sense of control in their unpredictable lives. Factors like the stock market, economic changes, and social media algorithms can create feelings of anxiety and instability, leading to the adoption of strict routines.
Successful people may adopt harsh routines to feel in control of their destiny, even if these habits seem illogical. Money and status may play a role in reinforcing extreme behaviors, as individuals strive to maintain their high status among their successful peers.
Successful people may leverage extreme routines to assert superiority and differentiate themselves from others. However, these routines may polarize groups and push individuals to more extreme behaviors over time.
While extreme routines may be associated with success, luck also plays a significant role in achieving success. Many highly successful individuals attribute their success to luck, which can create cognitive dissonance for those who prefer to believe in a fair and controlled world.
Ultimately, success is a complex interplay of various factors, including luck, discipline, hard work, and social advantages. Embracing the role of luck in success can help reconcile conflicting beliefs about the nature of success.
Recently, archaeologists uncovered the ancient city of Pompeii, preserved under volcanic ash for around 2,000 years.
The discovery of a massive private bathhouse, believed to be the largest in the city, by an international team of experts has shed new light on Pompeii’s reputation for innovation and wealth.
The baths included hot and cold rooms, intricate artworks, a large pool, and the capacity for up to 30 people, along with workers on site.
Within a small room, the remains of two individuals – a male slave and a high-status woman – were found.
Dr. Sophie Hay, an archaeologist working at the excavation site, stated, “This site truly brings the past to life, revealing the stark disparities in Roman lifestyles within these ruins.”
One of the excavation sites discovered during the work – Credit: BBC / Lion TV
In addition to the baths, a complete block of Pompeii was unveiled, featuring a grand house with direct access to a laundry, bakery, and bathhouse, all likely belonging to wealthy politician Aulus Rustius Verus.
The direct connection between the bathhouse and the house suggests it was a venue for private gatherings, a luxury reserved for the affluent in Pompeii.
Skeleton discovered next to set of coins during excavation – Credit: BBC/Lion TV
The discovery also revealed advanced technological features in the city, like a boiler room with a system of pipes distributing water from the road, highlighting Pompeii’s engineering progress.
The contrast between the affluent luxuries of the bathhouse and the toil of slaves in the boiler room is a poignant reminder of social inequality in Roman society.
These earrings discovered during excavations are thought to belong to wealthy individuals – Credit: BBC/Lion TV
The bodies of two individuals in a room exemplify this inequality, with valuable items found with the high-status woman but signs of labor on the young man’s body, suggesting different social statuses. The woman likely perished in the volcanic eruption, while the man died from a collapsing wall.
Despite nearing the end of the excavation, the possibility of further discoveries remains open as the team delves deeper into the site.
For more insights, tune in to BBC Two’s documentary, “Pompeii: New excavations – House of Treasures,” airing on Monday, January 20th at 9pm.
Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur based on descriptions of now-destroyed specimens from Egypt’s Bahariya Formation.
rebuilding the life of Tameriraptor Markography. Image credit: Joschua Knüppe.
The newly identified dinosaur lived in what is now Africa during the Cretaceous period about 95 million years ago.
dubbing Tameriraptor Markographyan ancient species, is a member of a group of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs. Carcharodontosauridae.
The fossilized remains of this dinosaur were discovered in 1914 about 2 km (1.2 miles) from Ein Gedid, at the western foot of Gebel Hara in the Bahariya Formation.
This fossil was first described as a carcharodontosaur species by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach in 1931. Carcharodontosaurus sahalix.
“In 1931, Stromer described the first partial skeleton of a carcharodontosaur from the Cretaceous period of North Africa,” said first author Dr. Maximilian Kellermann and Ludwig Maximilian of the Bavarian State Institute of Paleontology and Geology. said a university colleague.
“The specimens were excavated from the Bahariya Formation, a locality in the northern Bahariya Oasis of Egypt, and include skull fragments (maxilla, nasal bone, part of the brain shell), vertebrae, part of the pubic bone and ischium, femur, and fibula. It consisted of
“Recognizing the common features of the related teeth, Stromer referred to the specimen as: Dryptosaurus sahalixproposed a new genus name, but carcharodontosaurusfor this kind of case. ”
According to the authors, the original specimen was destroyed during World War II.
The only extant data consist of Stromer's description and depiction of the specimen and an endocast of the brain box, currently stored in Berlin.
“What we saw in the historic footage surprised all of us,” Dr. Kellerman said.
“The Egyptian dinosaur fossils depicted there are very different from more recent dinosaur fossils.” carcharodontosaurus Found in Morocco. ”
“Thus, Stromer's original classification was inaccurate. We have now identified and named a completely different and previously unknown species of predatory dinosaur. Tameriraptor Markography”
Tameriraptor Markography It was approximately 10 meters (33 feet) long and had symmetrical teeth and a prominent nasal horn.
“We found that this dinosaur was closely related to the carcharodontosaurs of North Africa and South America, and to the metricanthosaurids, a group of predatory dinosaurs in Asia,” said the study's senior author. said one Dr. Oliver Rauchat.
“The dinosaur fauna of North Africa was probably much more diverse than we previously thought.”
“This study shows that there is value for paleontologists to dig not only in the ground but also in old archives.”
“However, a more comprehensive assessment of the Cretaceous predatory dinosaur fauna of Bahariya Oasis will require the recovery of more fossils from the site.”
of the team work Published in a magazine PLoS ONE.
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M. Kellerman others. 2025. Reassessment of its implications for the phylogeny of Bahariya Formation carcharodontosaurids (dinosaurs: theropods) and allosaurids. PLoS ONE 20 (1): e0311096;doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311096
I
I started playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) about 10 years ago when I was 7 years old. My older brother Marco had already been playing with my father for years. At first, the three of us were playing at home. For me, Pokemon TCG is a family activity that keeps us close. I think that’s important, especially today when everyone is using a cell phone.
I’m from Iquique, a city in northern Chile. There’s a strong Pokémon community here, and several local shops host tournaments. This game is for two players, each person preparing a deck of 60 cards. Each card represents one Pokémon with different abilities and powers. Then use your cards to battle your opponent. The person with the more powerful card combination is the winner.
Throughout Chile, Japanese culture is ingrained within our own, and anime, Pokemon, and manga are very popular here. When I was a child, there were many Japanese programs on TV. I watched Naruto, Dragon Ball, and of course Pokemon.
When I was 10 years old, I went to Santiago for my first tournament and made it to the finals. Before I started playing Pokemon TCG, I hadn’t traveled much. Currently, I have participated in tournaments in Sao Paulo, New Orleans, Buenos Aires, and most recently in Hawaii, where the 2024 World Championships were held.
We started saving for Hawaii a year before the competition. My brother won the tournament in Brazil and won the prize money, as well as the funds to go to the World Championships as one of the top players in Latin America.
My father Marco and I left for Hawaii last August. It was the furthest place we have ever traveled. On the first day, there was a three-hour wait to register for the tournament, and then we lined up again at the Pokemon Center where merchandise was sold. I got stuffed animals such as a scuba diving Pikachu that is exclusive to Hawaii. Then we watched the matches and focused on developing strategies against our opponents.
Marco is a better player than me and one of the best players in the world. But the game also involves luck. I didn’t get too emotional during the three-day championship, I just had a lot of fun. My father taught me not to worry about winning or losing, but to focus on playing well and sharing great experiences with my opponents.
I participated in 15 games throughout the tournament. Each game can last up to 50 minutes. In the final, I didn’t have a very good deck, so I didn’t expect to win. But my opponent made a mistake, so I gave it my all and it worked out. My father would say I’m too humble.
I didn’t have time to celebrate my victory because I had a flight to catch. I received the trophy and immediately headed to the airport. But when we returned to Chile, we arranged a barbecue, invited about 30 friends over to our house, and of course played Pokemon. A few weeks later we received an invitation to the presidential palace. Athletes, even those in niche sports, are invited to meet with the president.
I wasn’t really interested in it, but I saw it as an opportunity to encourage younger kids to play. I was the first Chilean to win the Pokémon Championship. We are such a small country that we cannot win many things.
When my father and I arrived at the palace, we were told that Chilean President Gabriel Boric had to attend an emergency meeting and would not be able to attend. Instead, we spoke to the Secretary General, the Foreign Minister, and the Japanese Ambassador who were interested in the social impact of this game.
Suddenly the door opened and Borrick came in and said, “Hello, Kabros (everyone), how are you doing?” He asked to see some of my cards and offered to take a few selfies. It didn’t feel like I was talking to the president, I was just playing with another card player. He plays the Magic the Gathering card game, which has a similar format to the Pokémon TCG.
I’m not interested in defending my title. No one has ever won the title back-to-back. I just play for fun. Anyone can win with a little luck. Even if you have a good deck and that day comes, who’s to say you can’t become the next Pokemon champion?
As told by Caris McGowan
Do you have an experience to share? Email experience@theguardian.com
Government-linked hackers from Russia targeted WhatsApp accounts of government officials worldwide by sending emails inviting them to join user groups on the messaging app.
This tactic by a hacking group called Star Blizzard is a new approach. The UK’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) has connected Star Blizzard to Russia’s FSB domestic spy agency, accusing them of trying to undermine trust in politics in the UK and similar countries.
According to Microsoft, victims would receive an email from an attacker posing as a US government official, instructing them to click on a QR code. This action would allow the attacker to access their WhatsApp account, connecting it to a linked device or WhatsApp web portal instead of a group.
Microsoft stated, “Threat actors gain access to messages within WhatsApp accounts and the ability to exfiltrate this data.”
The fake email invited recipients to join a WhatsApp group about supporting NGOs in Ukraine. Ministers and officials from various countries, especially those involved in Russia-related affairs, defense policy, and Ukraine support, were targeted.
In 2023, NCSC revealed that Star Blizzard had targeted British MPs, universities, and journalists to interfere with British politics. The group is likely affiliated with Russia’s FSB Center 18 unit.
Microsoft warned that despite the WhatsApp campaign ending in November, Star Blizzard continues to use spear phishing tactics to steal sensitive information.
Microsoft advised targeted sectors to be cautious with emails, especially those with external links. They recommend verifying email authenticity by contacting the sender through a known email address.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, offers end-to-end encryption, ensuring message privacy between sender and recipient unless account access is compromised.
A WhatsApp spokesperson emphasized using official WhatsApp-supported services for account linking and caution when clicking links from trusted sources only.
A demonstrator holds a pro-TikTok sign in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on January 10, 2025.
Alison Robert/Washington Post/Getty Images
The United States Supreme Court supported A ban on the popular video streaming app TikTok is set to come into effect on January 19th.
of Prohibited Unless ByteDance, the app's Chinese parent company, sells TikTok to a U.S. company by a January 19 deadline, the U.S. company will have to restrict users from accessing and updating TikTok through app stores and internet browsers. You will be required to block it.
TikTok's challenge to the law, which the Supreme Court began hearing on January 10, argues that TikTok violates the U.S. Constitution's free speech protections. On the same day, the court heard arguments in a related case, with lawyers representing TikTok content creators arguing that the ban also violates the constitutional rights of these individuals.
However, U.S. Attorney General Elizabeth Preloger argued that the ban on TikTok was not meant to crack down on free speech, but to prevent foreign espionage. The US government's case is that the Chinese government used TikTok to collect sensitive personal data on hundreds of millions of people in the US, which could later be used against them.
The Supreme Court unanimously agreed with the government's arguments and ruled against TikTok and individual creators in both cases. “There is no question that TikTok provides a unique and far-reaching source of expression, participation, and community for more than 170 million Americans. “We determined that division was necessary to address widely held national security concerns regarding relations with foreign adversaries,” the opinion states.
TikTok plans to shut down its app for U.S. users on January 19, the same day the ban goes into effect. According to Reuters. But this may not be the last twist in the courtroom drama.
US President Joe Biden is scheduled to leave office on January 20, the day after the ban goes into effect. Administration officials said Mr. Biden would not enforce the law. According to the Associated Press. Rather, the strength of the ban will depend on the actions of President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration.
President Trump initially supported banning TikTok during his first term, but later changed his stance and expressed support for allowing the platform to continue operating in the United States. After taking office on January 20, he could ask MPs to repeal or amend the law, or instruct the government not to enforce it.
Ion traps can control atoms for quantum experiments
Y. Colomb/National Institute of Standards and Technology/Scientific Photo Library
After decades of investigation, researchers observed a series of atoms undergoing a one-dimensional phase change. This was so elusive that it could only happen in a quantum simulator.
“There is only one motive [for our experiment] I'm trying to really understand basic physics. “We're just trying to understand the fundamental states that matter can be in,” he says. alexander shuckardt at the University of Maryland.
He and his colleagues used electromagnetic fields to arrange 23 ions of the element ytterbium in a line, forming a nearly one-dimensional chain. The device can be used for quantum computing, but in this case the researchers used the chain as a simulator instead.
In it, they built a 1D ytterbium magnet one atom at a time. Previous calculations predicted that this type of magnet would become unmagnetized when warmed, thanks to quantum effects. However, no experiments have achieved this phase transition in the past.
One reason for the difficulty is that systems such as quantum computers and simulators typically only work properly when they are very cold. So heating them to cause a phase transition can cause them to malfunction, Schuckert says.
To get around this, he and his colleagues tuned the initial quantum state of the atoms so that over time, the collective state of the 1D magnet changes as if the temperature were increased. This revealed a phase transition that had never been seen before.
The result is very unusual, he says, because chains of atoms are generally not supposed to undergo phase transitions. Mohammad Maghrebi at Michigan State University. The researchers were able to manipulate it precisely because each ion could interact with other ions over large distances, even if they weren't in contact. This caused the entire line to engage in abnormal collective behavior.
Because their simulator allows for such exotic states of matter, it could be used to study theoretical systems that are extremely rare or may not exist in nature, Maghrebi said. say.
Schuckert suggests that quantum simulators could also help explain the strange electrical or magnetic behavior that some materials exhibit in the real world. But for that to happen, these devices will have to be able to reach higher temperatures than they currently do. Currently, researchers can only create models at extremely low temperatures, but within five years it may be possible to simulate even higher temperatures, he says.
And if the simulator could be made larger, for example by arranging ions in two-dimensional arrays, many more existing theoretical systems could be studied, he says. andrea trombettoni at the University of Trieste, Italy. “This would suggest new physics to explore,” he says.
I
When I can't last more than 5 minutes without needing some kind of stimulation, I wanted to make a change. Music, podcasts, movies, reels, a combination of them, or all at the same time (probably) created the soundtrack of my life. I'm not alone in this inability to sit still and pay attention without distraction. You also won't feel drained and depressed by endless scrolling. more boredom. But I don't want this state to be the default.
We want to stop using screens, music, and podcasts to fill the void when we should have downtime. I want to be able to be bored. To me, boredom is a state of being unable to suppress the desire to do something. I think you can instill a sense of tranquility by consciously not using your devices and instead using your downtime to spend time with yourself in your local spaces. In doing so, I think we can learn to slow down and be present without the need for digital distractions. It's embarrassing that you can't stand boredom. But it's not just that, I'm scared of not being able to decide where to focus my attention.
When I started the challenge, I hoped that this would lead me on a path to greater attention and awareness of the world around me. There, stopping to smell the roses is not only worth your time, but you'll notice that there are roses there. Start with I want to rebuild my attention span.
1st week
The novelty of starting something new makes me excited and optimistic.
It starts with disconnecting yourself from your phone. I deleted my social media apps and tried not to listen to anything during my commute or daily tasks.
This is certainly uncomfortable and difficult at first (you keep thinking of things to do to avoid getting bored, who would have thought!), but when you finally get down to just staring into space, it's not at all unpleasant. there is no. It's refreshing to have the time and space to have my ideas heard.
2nd week
As I walked without listening, I started noticing things that I normally wouldn't look at twice.
But this is how I feel when I hear unexpected news about my life situation.The urge to rid yourself of all negative emotions. What is the solution? Separation due to large amounts of multimedia content.
I feel guilty for backtracking before my video call with Professor James Danckert, an expert on the psychology of boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Could he tell I wasn't bored enough?
However, cognitive neuroscientists explain that forcing boredom or making yourself “boredible” is bad.
Turns out I was wrong about boredom. Dankert tells me it actually is“I’m highly motivated – but I’m frustrated at the moment because I want to do things that are important to me and I can’t find an outlet for that motivation.”
Boredom is beneficial, he says, because it encourages you to explore your environment and engage in something meaningful. The difficult part is finding or rediscovering the “things” that are important to you.
So I realized that the challenge is no longer about wanting to be bored, but about learning how to tolerate the feeling of boredom, so that you have the space to pay attention to where you are and where you want to be. I decided that I could do it.
3rd week
After the conversation with Dunkert, think about what it felt likeDo you like being bored and how long has it been since you had that feeling? When was the last time that anxious restlessness welled up within you? When was the last time you wandered around the living room aimlessly?
The silence I wanted to avoid wasn't as scary as I thought. It actually helps you identify what is worth paying attention and care to in your life.
I was used to jumping from stimulus to stimulus, so when I started leaning into stillness, I realized that I had more time because the world wasn't moving at 10 TikToks a minute. So, I used the time I had back to make a list of things I wanted to do over the next few weeks. At the top is the desire to return to painting.
When I sit down, my instinct is to reach for my phone, but instead I stop and think about what I actually want to do. Instead of wasting your energy on pointless scrolling, you might be able to channel this feeling into something that gives you more energy. It's finally time to hang up your photos and make your room your own.
Week 4
During my off time, I often take walks outside without my earphones.
I noticed brush staining the sidewalks and jacaranda trees sprouting bright purple in places I didn't expect them to. Was summer this close? These cues from nature remind us of how time passes in a very physical sense that goes beyond the numbers on a clock and refers to the ground we walk on.
I realized that the way I had been thinking about time was wrong. Browsing a lot of social media apps condensed it. Stopping and paying attention to what was around me was stretching my time.
Week 5
In a boredom-induced moment of reflection, I think about my friend's birthday this week and remember my bucket list. There is one item of note on the list. It's about making birthday cards.
When I was a child, I often made cards. I love making gifts for my friends and I wonder why I never made time for it. Maybe you didn't think you had enough time, maybe you weren't attentive enough to see the process from beginning to end, or maybe you lacked concentration.
I gave it to a friend as a gift and the response was better than I expected. It makes me feel full. I had a very fulfilling time.
Week 6
There were moments when I felt confident that I wasn't stuffing my phone up my nose or covering my ears. I've noticed that people around me always pull out their phones when they're waiting for something.
By aligning with the boredom and resisting its calls for attention, I am actively choosing to be present, and to be honest, this is a feeling I'm not very familiar with. But as I grew in my ability to work with myself, I realized that it deepened our friendships. Now you have more to say than just entertaining your friends with meaningless memes. I feel connectedIt's not just about watching the same content.
Week 7
Despite all this challenge, the desire to consume some content is always present. I remember my conversation with Dunkert. Dunkert assured me that “giving up vegetables” isn't a bad thing, but “recognizing the fact that it's what we want to do.”
So I decided to try watching slow TV instead of what I usually watch (comfortable sitcoms) to cultivate a sense of calm.
The 7-hour train journey began from Bergen to Oslo Although it was boring, I had the ability to slowly choose where to focus my attention and when to stop.
Week 8
Being outside the city makes it easier to kill boredom. So, to change my usual way of socializing, I went to a barren nature reserve with some friends.
Immersing yourself in local wildlife and surrounded by
Robotic exoskeleton can train people to move their fingers faster
Shinichi Furuya
The robot hand’s exoskeleton helps professional pianists learn to play faster by moving their fingers.
Robotic exoskeletons have long been used to rehabilitate people who have lost the use of their hands due to injury or medical conditions, but their use to improve performance in able-bodied people has been less studied.
now, Shinichi Furuya and his colleagues at Sony Computer Science Laboratories in Tokyo found that using a robotic exoskeleton can improve the finger speed of trained pianists after a single 30-minute training session.
“I’m a pianist, but [injured] My hands got damaged from practicing too much,” Furuya says. “I was struggling with the dilemma between over-practicing and preventing injury, so I decided I had to figure out a way to improve my skills without practicing.”
Furuya recalled how his teacher would often teach him how to play a particular song by holding up his hand. “I could understand it intuitively, tactilely, without using words,” he says. This led him to wonder if it would be possible to replicate this effect in robots.
This robotic exoskeleton can raise and lower each finger independently up to four times per second using separate motors attached to the base of each finger.
To test the device, the researchers recruited 118 experienced pianists who had played for at least 10,000 hours since before they were eight years old and asked them to practice one piece for two weeks until they stopped improving.
The pianists then underwent a 30-minute training session using the exoskeleton, during which they moved their right-hand fingers slowly or quickly in various combinations of simple and complex patterns. This allowed Furuya and his colleagues to pinpoint what type of movement was causing the improvement. .
Pianists who experienced high-speed, complex training were able to better coordinate their right-hand movements and move the fingers of either hand faster, both immediately after training and one day later. This, along with evidence from brain scans, suggests that the training changed the pianists’ sensory cortex, allowing them to better control overall finger movements, Furuya says.
“This is the first time I’ve seen someone use it.” [robotic exoskeletons] It is about learning beyond normal dexterity and beyond what is naturally possible.” Nathan Lepora At the University of Bristol, UK. “Why it worked is a little counterintuitive, because we thought actually performing the movements ourselves spontaneously would be the way we learned. But passive movements seem to work better.”
The union representing tech workers in the UK expresses concerns on behalf of British staff at Meta about the company’s decision to eliminate fact-checkers and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. They feel disappointed and worried about the future direction of the company.
Prospect union, which represents a growing number of UK Meta employees, has written to express these concerns to the company, highlighting the disappointment among long-time employees. They fear this change in approach may impact Meta’s ability to attract and retain talent, affecting both employees and the company’s reputation.
In a letter to Meta’s human resources director for EMEA, the union warns about potential challenges in recruiting and retaining staff following the recent announcements of job cuts and performance management system changes at Meta.
The union also seeks assurances that employees with protected characteristics, especially those from the LGBTQ+ community, will not be disadvantaged by the policy changes. They call for Meta to collaborate with unions to create a safe and inclusive workplace.
Employees are concerned about the removal of fact-checkers and increased political content on Meta’s platform, fearing it may lead to a hostile work environment. They highlight the importance of maintaining a culture of respect and achievement at Meta.
Referencing the government’s Employment Rights Bill, the union questions Meta’s efforts to prevent sexual harassment and ensure that employees with protected characteristics are not negatively impacted by the changes.
The letter from the union follows Zuckerberg’s recent comments on a podcast, where he discussed the need for more “masculine energy” in the workplace. Meta has been approached for comment on these concerns.
“Alien Clay sends some serious criminals to a labor camp on a remote planet.”
Shutterstock / Space Creator
They say you shouldn’t start a story by waking up, but when you’ve been in a deep sleep for 30 years, you don’t know where else to start.
It may begin with awakening and end with awakening.
I’ve heard that hard sleep is a technical term. It’s hard because you’re shut down, dry, and frozen for your journey from star to star. They make it into art – it takes 11 minutes like clockwork. The whole ship is full of villains and they are dry to the point of being able to do anything. . . Well, I was going to say that you can survive indefinitely, but of course that’s not the case. you don’t survive. You die, but you’re flash-frozen in a very specific way, allowing you to more or less pick up where you left off on the other side. After all, a detour about it would kill any body that is not withered – a permanent and irreparable kind of killing.
They are full of things that re-expand you to more or less previous dimensions – you will notice that there are many more or less In this process. It’s an exact science, but it doesn’t bother you exactly. The thought process does not pick up where it left off. Short-term memory is not stored. The mental path these days doesn’t work. Therefore, start by waking up. Because until you can establish a connection with an old memory, that’s all you have at that moment. I know who I am, but I don’t know where I am or how I got there. It sounds scary, but let me tell you, when you wake up, you’ll find yourself in a real hell. The roar of massive structural damage echoes as ships are destroyed around you. The jostling impact when the little translucent plastic bubble you’re riding on loosens and starts rolling. A cacophony of vibrations that travels through the curved surface to you. The death knell of the vessel that carried you here, carried you out into the void, and is now fragmenting. At that time, there is a world below that is not in your head and that you know nothing about. And above you there is only a cosmic murder field. The fact that there is a bottom and a top indicates that the earth has already won a certain battle for your soul and you are falling. The oldest fear of apes is the fear of involuntarily clenching a baby’s rubbery hand. It is a fall from grace that neither mankind nor apes ever imagined.
You can also see other people around you, through the celluloid walls of the prison. Because there can be no hell without fellow sinners to suffer. Each in its own bubble, torn from the collapsing ship. His face was contorted with fear, he screamed and banged on the wall, his eyes were like wells and his mouth was like the gate of a tomb. Please excuse the excessive explanation. I’m an ecologist, not a poet, but mere biology isn’t enough to appreciate the horrific spectacle of 500 humans being brought back to life at once and no one understanding why. you For reasons unknown, the ship falls apart in the cracks, and the world below is the hungry mouth of a gravity well. oh my god! When I remember that, my stomach hurts. And above all, in the midst of that confusion, I remember that I’m an ecologist. A universe without even an ecosystem. Has any self-knowledge ever been so useless?
Some of us have not yet woken up. I see at least two bubbles flying past me. Inside, the crew was left as desiccated corpses, and the systems malfunctioned. “Acceptable waste” is a technical term, but it’s also a concept you don’t want to suddenly remember. Because there will always be people at the end who will not wake up. They say this is an inevitable violation of entropy on a very long journey. Maybe so. Or maybe those who don’t wake up are the worst troublemakers. It’s hard to tell who it is when the skin clings to the skull without any familiar flesh intervening, but I notice my old colleague Markein El whirling past. I think I saw it. She was transported all the way from Earth here at minimal cost with a boiled-down process, but it might have been better to throw her in an incinerator to achieve the same effect.
Another piece of knowledge comes from remembering minimal costs. Another couple of my neurons resume a severed acquaintance, bringing with it a related but unwelcome understanding. This is intentional. Not the traumatic wreck of the Hesperus. It’s a feature, not a bug. Sending people into space used to be expensive, and it’s still expensive for anyone interested in space. It is recommended to provide practical medical care and life support, waking up from time to time to check on your very sensitive physical and mental health to ensure you stay alive while on the move. And, noticeably, it is recommended to arrange means of bringing them. return After completing the mission, return home. Large, expensive ships capable of complex maneuvers such as refueling, decelerating, accelerating, and turning.
But if you just want to send felons to a labor camp on a remote planet, it’s literally cheaper and easier than having a machine do the same job, so you don’t have to worry about them coming back. Because they don’t. It’s a life sentence, a one-way trip. Even as my head falls into the temptation of Imno 27g along with the rest of me, further unwelcome revelations fall upon my head.
I should have smashed my newly revived fist into the inside of the bubble, but it was falling from the collapsing ship and swirling around, the world below growing larger and larger. The void became a yellow-blue sky. Do you have yellow and blue? This is not the earth, but this is the sky of Immuno. Blue represents the oxygen that the planet’s biosphere pumps into the atmosphere as a byproduct of metabolic pathways, just like on Earth. Yellow is a diffuse cloud of aerial plankton. Alternatively, it is actually yellow-black due to its dark photosynthetic surface. Blue, yellow, and black should not be colors, and above all, should not be the color of the sky.
we fall At some point the chute will open. It is a film-like transparent plastic that is biodegradable the moment it comes into contact with the atmosphere. Like a ship, it is designed to last for the minimum amount of time possible to accomplish its mission. The ship is just a nameless piece of plastic junk printed as a single piece in Earth’s orbit, with a single engine and a pod to hold us all like peas. Probably an egg case. It is designed to carry a cargo of corpses across space to one of what the Mandate’s expansion division calls one of its current “active planets.” It carries us up to Immuno 27g and then breaks us apart in the upper atmosphere. Single-shot medical units reanimate their cargo from the dead, crushing lost souls as they scream and tumble to our doom. Some people don’t wake up, and even if they wake up, others don’t survive the descent. Destruction is certainly something we all face, but for some it lasts less than for others. Every time the chute unfolds, the bones tremble, and while I see others similarly torn from the teeth of the ground, I also watch a handful of bones fall as the chute fails. They’re still screaming because they remember just knowing that they’re going to die all over again.
You won’t die by not waking up, and you won’t die by falling off the edge of the atmosphere. I am not recorded in the ledger as acceptable waste. They will have to calculate very carefully the exact level of expense required and the exact proportion of delivery failures, or deaths, that this will entail. After all, who would want to spend a penny more than necessary to send a death row inmate to a concentration camp in a faraway world? People who rebelled against the system and now have to pay their dues for the rest of their lives. Some people are like me. You’ll hear the numbers later, but acceptable waste is 20 percent. If that sounds like an absurd loss of investment, you don’t know the history of people transporting others from place to place against their will.
They loaded the pods with maneuver jets. small plastic thing. One shot. It seems like it will take a lot of time to fall! – I see them firing. Each injects a bottle of gas, destroying itself in the process. If you can land where you need to land, that’s fine. Even if I end up far away from the work camp, they aren’t going to waste the labor time it takes to retrieve me. I would die trapped in a bubble or trapped outside a bubble because Immuno 27g is full of things that will kill you. Especially when you’re alone and only half your brain is with you. There was nothing in my head that would help me survive in this other world.
But that doesn’t happen to me either. I land at the same spot with everyone else who is not subject to waste regulations and they are waiting for us there. The camp commander sent a large crowd in case we managed to form a revolutionary subcommittee during our descent. When I saw riot control armor and guns – the “minimally lethal” security equipment I (now) remembered from Earth, that only killed an acceptable percentage of the time – I I remembered it there. had I was on a revolutionary subcommittee. Of course not on the ship. Because we were all flash-frozen corpses. And it wasn’t on the way down. Because we were too busy shouting. But back on Earth, before they invade our networks, track our contacts, and arrest everyone we know for betraying our friends and family, I actually I got this because it was part of the problem. When I returned to Earth, I was stubbornly proud of that fact. In the cramped orbital quarters of a prison attached to a spaceport, yes, I knew I would be deported to a concentration camp, but even a junior scholar like me could at least do what I could. I’ve been trying to do that. .
Now, after plummeting to this fate and then watching the Death Slash Welcome Committee, I regret everything. If a political official magically appeared and offered me a pardon if I signed a confession, I would reach for a pen. Quite unlike this song, I regret every single choice in my life that led me to this point. This is a moment of weakness.
Bubbles deflate around me. I struggled to fight it off for a minute to avoid choking on the sticky plastic before it cut me off. They have special tools, such as heated knives, to do this. I got a shallow glowing cut along my thigh, which attests to their general carelessness in handling it. One more person will be wasted when the last one is released and by then it will be too late. Everything is within tolerance, you understand. That’s it. I’m depressed. Look up at the foreign sky.
This is an excerpt from alien clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor, £10.99);New Scientist Book Club’s latest book recommendations. Register here and read along
Keir Starmer this week unveiled a 50-point plan to make Britain a world leader in artificial intelligence and boost the economy by up to £47bn a year over 10 years. This multi-billion pound investment aims to increase AI computing power under public control by 20 times by 2030 and is thought to be a game-changer for businesses and public organizations. Reactions to this announcement have been mixed, as it is by no means clear whether the much-touted potential of AI will translate into the level of economic benefits predicted. While many fear the technology will lead to widespread layoffs, proposals to make it easy for AI companies to data mine artwork for free will boost the value and growth of the creative industries. Some are concerned about destruction.
Despite these concerns, for many in the business world, the AI revolution has already arrived and is transforming industries. So how are you deploying technology to improve productivity, and where do you hope to see further benefits in the future?
Airlines are increasingly leveraging AI for the complex logistics of managing large aircraft and thousands of crew members in unpredictable skies. AI is used across Ryanair’s operations to optimize revenue, schedules, and ‘tail allocation’, selecting the best aircraft for each flight. BA also uses this feature at Heathrow to select gates depending on the number of connecting passengers on arriving flights.
EasyJet said it has embedded AI throughout its new Luton control room and that its predictive technology is now improving aircraft inventory levels and redesigning maintenance regimes to proactively avoid breakdowns. Meanwhile, the low-cost carrier’s Jetstream tools help with the brain-tugging task of quickly repositioning crews and aircraft with minimal disruption and maximum efficiency when problems occur. Gwyn Topham
One of the concerns raised about Starmer’s AI expansion plans is that the energy-intensive data centers required to run the program could exceed the UK’s electricity grid capacity. But some argue that the technology could actually accelerate the clean power revolution by solving the problem of how future energy systems will operate.
Power grids must increasingly adapt to real-time fluctuations in thousands of renewable energy sources and consider new technologies such as electric vehicle batteries that can not only draw power from the grid but also re-release it as needed.
Google was one of the early adopters of the digital energy approach. The company’s AI subsidiary, DeepMind, developed neural networks in 2019 to improve the accuracy of power generation predictions for renewable energy power plants. By more accurately forecasting generation and demand, they were able to balance consumption and even sell some of their power back to the grid. Google says this increases the financial value of wind power by 20%.
Meanwhile, in the UK, energy provider Octopus Energy is leveraging the advanced data and machine learning capabilities of the Kraken operating system to help customers access electricity at cheaper and greener times through time-of-use pricing. I’m doing it. Using electricity during off-peak hours often lowers electricity bills by 40%, reducing the need to invest in new fossil fuels and expensive grid expansion projects. Gillian Ambrose
Big pharma and small AI-focused biotech companies are using this technology to accelerate drug development and reduce costs and failure rates. Drug development typically takes at least 10 years, and 90% of drugs that undergo clinical trials on volunteers fail.
AI can help design smarter clinical trials by selecting patients most likely to respond to treatment. According to a recent analysis by Boston Consulting Group, 75 AI-generated drugs have entered clinical trials since 2015, and 67 of them were still in clinical trials last year.
The treatment for a deadly lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is attracting attention as the world’s first fully AI-generating drug, and is currently in late-stage trials. developed By Massachusetts-based Insilico Medicine, Inc. used AI to generate 30,000 novel small molecules and narrowed them down to the six most promising drugs and leading candidates. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca, the UK’s largest pharmaceutical company, said more than 85% of its small molecule drug pipeline is “AI-assisted”.
Ministers are considering opening up NHS databases to private companies so that anonymized patient data can be used to develop new drugs and diagnostic tools. But privacy activists oppose such a move because even anonymized data can be manipulated to identify patients. Julia Cole
(retail)
There has been a lot of talk over the past six months about the rise of AI in operations, as retailers look for ways to increase efficiency amid rising labor costs. For example, Sainsbury’s is using AI-enabled predictive tools to ensure the right amount of product is on the shelves in different stores as part of a £1 billion cost-cutting plan. Marks & Spencer uses AI to help create online product descriptions and advise shoppers on clothing choices based on body shape and style preferences as part of efforts to increase online sales.
Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said AI was already widely used in purchasing decisions, adding that the technology meant that customer interactions would be “truly powered by AI in almost every aspect of the business.” “This is a level that will be strengthened and promoted,” he added. He uses this to analyze data from shoppers’ loyalty cards to provide insights into “shopper interactions”, such as how to save money or take care of your health by buying (or not buying too much) certain products. It suggested it could provide “inspiration and ideas relevant to the family.” Sarah Butler
AI-enhanced efficiencies that automate the simplest tasks for call handlers have the potential to transform productivity and service levels in the public sector. Adolfo Hernandez insists CEO of outsourcing group Capita.
For example, by drawing on past interactions with customers, you no longer have to go beyond old conventions. Behind the scenes, the program can connect council services together, allowing planning applications departments and building services to work together. Or listen in the background to transcribe and summarize your calls to save time taking notes.
Capita has deployed its ‘Agent Suite’ product to two of its clients. early signs, it saysshows a 20% reduction in average call handling time, a 25% reduction in post-call management, and a 15-30% increase in calls resolved on the first interaction. Nils Pratley
If TikTok disappears from the United States, its 170 million American users won’t be the only ones who lose out.
British TikTokers and executives told the Guardian that they would lose a significant portion of their audience after the ban. The video app has become a key entry point into the U.S. for British online video creators who make a living by gaining views and securing sponsored content deals. The ban is scheduled to go into effect on Sunday, leaving a U.S.-sized hole in the global user base.
“In English-speaking markets, many creators have significant U.S. audiences following them,” says Billion Dollar Boy, a UK-based advertising agency that connects creators and influencers with blue-chip advertisers. CEO Thomas Walters said: He added that a ban would be “really sad” for creators who have “built an audience from nothing” on TikTok.
The Guardian spoke to several UK-based creators and one entrepreneur, all of whom said they would be affected by the ban.
Jay Beach, 30, London
Almost half of the users are from the United States. Beech’s 1.7 million viewers On TikTok. He said there were strong relationships between creators and users on both sides of the Atlantic, and that millions of Brits and Americans would miss this kind of digital cultural exchange.
“Seeing that gap in our feeds is going to make a big difference for all of us,” he says.
Beach, who describes her posts as “high energy fashion content”, said sponsored content from brands such as US skincare brand Kiehl’s and Sky TV makes up the bulk of her income. He also has a presence on YouTube Shorts and Instagram, but says he’s noticed that TikTok users “don’t necessarily follow you anywhere else.”
“[A ban] “It’s going to throw people into this diaspora of rediscovering their favorite creators and finding a new home on their platform of choice,” he said.
Fats Timbo, 28, Kent
Fats Timbo is a comedian and podcaster. Photo: Fats Timbo
Fats is a comedian and disability activist who posts comedy, beauty, and lifestyle content. 3 million followers on TikTok. She says the platform’s reach in the U.S. (about a quarter of her followers) is essential to her work.
“TikTok is very important to my career because it allows me to connect with an audience in the United States, where there is a lack of representation for people like me – Black women with dwarfism. “That’s often the case,” she says.
Timbo added that the United States offers creators like her the opportunity to “grow, collaborate, and get noticed on a global stage.”
“It’s not just about the numbers. It’s about the impact I can have and the representation I can give to people who rarely see people like them in the media. Losing that connection is something that I You feel like you’re losing some of your purpose,” she says.
Timbo says the US audience is “key to securing deals, collaborations and global visibility with brands.” Losing TikTok in the US would be a “major setback,” but she is also creating content on Instagram to stay connected with her US followers.
M Wallbank, 25, South Yorkshire
Approximately 40% of Em Wallbank’s audience is from the United States. The South Yorkshire-based creator said it was also thanks to her accent that her comedy skits became a hit across the Atlantic. Wallbank is best known for his posts riffing on Harry Potter characters. TikTok has 1.7 million followers.
“I think part of my popularity is because I’m from the north and my accent is a bit unusual.” [to US users]” she says.
Wallbank, who started posting skits on TikTok in 2022, said the U.S. social media market is a test of the ability for creators like the Kardashians and Nicole Richie to build broad careers.
“People who have careers outside of social media are getting more attention from American audiences,” she says.
Wallbank’s popularity in the US has led her to perform at US fan conventions and create sponsored content with multinational companies such as Disney+ in the UK. She’s concerned about aspiring creators who are using TikTok and its U.S. audience to access creative careers that might otherwise be out of reach.
“Being able to use my background to break into a creative industry is huge,” she says.
Sarah Yuma, 30, London
Uma says her American TikTok audience is essential to the growth of her business, which sells home accessories and hair accessories made from African fabrics.
“It can be difficult to build a business solely relying on a UK audience. It was the US audience that propelled my business during lockdown and took it to the next level.” she says.
Yuma has more than that 3,000 followers on TikToksaid it saw an influx of U.S. customers and followers in 2020 as the Black Lives Matter movement grew in popularity.
Sarah Yuma sells handmade products made from African fabrics from her home in London on Thursday. Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian
If TikTok were to disappear from the U.S., “we would be losing a huge part of our community,” Yuma said. “They helped me design it. It’s a really beautiful community I’ve created.”
She added that if TikTok were to be suspended in the U.S., it would have to rethink how it connects with U.S. audiences.
“We need to rethink our strategies on how to keep them in the community and keep them in touch,” she says. “I don’t want to isolate them. They’re really important to my business.”
Sam Cornforth, 29, London
corn force post fitness comedy sketches He has 460,000 followers, about a quarter of them in the United States. He said income from sponsored content would be protected by the fact that it was working with UK-based brands like Argos.
But he said brands could react negatively to creators losing a significant portion of their audience.
“Brands are paying attention to your entire reach. If you potentially cut 20% to 30% of that, would that impact future opportunities with those brands?” he asked.
Cornforth added that TikTok’s U.S. audience is important in establishing trends that filter down to other platforms. Without that influence, creators may lose the impetus and inspiration for their work.
“This is where the trends come from, which later narrows down to YouTube Shorts and Instagram,” he says.
Based on a highly reliable survey by YouGov in 2023, it was found that almost half of men believe they can successfully land a plane in an emergency situation. While we respect their confidence, it is crucial to acknowledge that landing an aircraft, especially a large commercial plane, is a complex task that requires experience.
There have been instances of small aircraft being guided to land by air traffic controllers and flight instructors on the ground. Nonetheless, it is essential to remember that pilots undergo extensive training before handling any type of aircraft.
Some large planes, like the Boeing 737, are equipped with an autoland feature that enables automatic landing in low visibility conditions. Although setting up this feature involves multiple steps and understanding of cockpit instruments, some experts believe that beginners can manage it with proper assistance.
In a detailed video on his YouTube channel, 737 instructor Petter Hernfeld outlines a 20-step emergency landing procedure that even non-pilots can follow. This process involves adjusting the plane’s speed, heading, altitude, and deploying flaps and landing gear. Additionally, Hernfeld emphasizes the challenge of gaining access to a locked cockpit during an emergency.
When it comes to smaller aircraft, the odds of successfully landing increase significantly. These planes have simpler controls and are easier to handle manually. In a 2022 incident, an inexperienced BBC journalist landed a two-seater plane with guidance from an instructor during a simulated emergency scenario.
Experts suggest that flight simulator games can offer a basic understanding of the skills required to safely land an aircraft in challenging situations.
This article addresses questions like: “Could you actually land a plane in an emergency?” – Jack Childs, via email
To submit your questions, please email questions@sciencefocus.com or reach out to us via our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Page (don’t forget to provide your name and location).
For more fascinating science content, visit our Ultimate Fun Facts page.
Released on December 19, 2013, ESA's star mapping satellite “Gaia” We are now nearing the sky, but this does not mean the mission is complete. Technical tests are scheduled in the weeks before Gaia moves into its “retirement” orbit, with two major data releases scheduled for around 2026 and the end of the century, respectively.
An artist's impression of the Milky Way galaxy based on data from ESA's Gaia Space Telescope. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.
ESA Director of Science Carol Mandel said: “Today, as the science observations conclude, we celebrate this amazing mission that has exceeded all our expectations, extending almost twice its original predicted lifetime.” said.
“The treasure trove of data collected by Gaia has given us unique insight into the origin and evolution of the Milky Way galaxy, and has also provided insight into astrophysics and the solar system in ways we still don't fully understand. It transformed science.”
“Gaia is built on Europe’s unique excellence in astronomical measurements and will leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”
“After 11 years in space, surviving micrometeorite impacts and solar storms along the way, Gaia has completed collecting scientific data,” said Gaia project scientist Johannes Sahlmann.
“All eyes are now on preparing for the next data release.”
“We are excited to carry out this incredible mission and are excited about the discoveries that await us.”
An annotated artist's impression of the Milky Way galaxy, based on data from ESA's Gaia Space Telescope. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.
Gaia has used the three instruments many times over the course of its mission to observe and chart the stars' positions, distances, movements, changes in brightness, compositions, and numerous other characteristics.
This will allow Gaia to achieve its primary goal of building the largest and most accurate map of the Milky Way, displaying our home galaxy like no other mission has been able to achieve to date. is completed.
“Gaia has changed our impression of the Milky Way, so it contains major changes from previous models,” said Stefan Payne Waldenaar, a science visualizer at the House of Astronomy and the IAU Directorate of Astronomy Education. said.
“Even basic ideas such as the rotation of the galaxy's central bar, the distortion of the disk, the detailed structure of the spiral arms, and the interstellar dust near the sun have been revised.”
“Still, we are still speculating about the distant parts of the Milky Way based on incomplete data.”
“As more Gaia data is released, our view of the Milky Way will become even more accurate.”
Gaia's science and engineering teams are already hard at work preparing for Gaia Data Release 4 (DR4), scheduled for 2026.
The amount and quality of data is increasing with each release, and Gaia DR4, with an expected 500 TB data product, is no exception.
Additionally, it will cover the first 5.5 years of the mission, which is the length of the mission as originally planned.
“This is the release of Gaia that the community has been waiting for, but it's exciting considering it only covers half of the data collected,” said Dr. Antonella Valenari, an astronomer at the National Institute of Astronomical Sciences. Ta.
“Although the mission is currently suspending data collection, it will be business as usual for many years to come as we continue to make these impressive datasets available.”
Over the past decade, Gaia has accumulated more than 3 trillion observations of nearly 2 billion stars and other astronomical objects, revolutionizing the way we see our home galaxy and neighboring universe, and advancing its mission. You have completed the empty scan stage. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.
After several weeks of testing, Gaia will leave its current orbit around Lagrangian Point 2, 1.5 million km from Earth, away from the Sun and be placed into a final heliocentric orbit far from Earth's sphere of influence. .
The spacecraft is scheduled to be passivated on March 27, 2025 to avoid harm or interference with other spacecraft.
During the technical test, Gaia's orientation is changed, temporarily making it several orders of magnitude brighter and making it much easier to observe with small telescopes.
Gaia mission manager Uwe Lammers said: “Gaia will shine among the stars before her sad retirement and will treat us with this final gift to bid her farewell.”
“This is a moment to celebrate this transformative mission and to thank all the teams who have worked hard for more than a decade to operate Gaia, plan observations, and ensure the smooth return of valuable data to Earth.”
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA — Blue Origin successfully launched a massive new rocket on its inaugural test flight on Thursday, sending a prototype satellite into orbit thousands of miles above Earth.
Named after the first American to orbit the Earth, the New Glenn rocket took off from Florida and lifted off from the same launch pad that was used for NASA’s Mariner and Pioneer spacecraft half a century ago.
Developed over many years with substantial funding from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the 98-meter-long rocket carried an experimental platform designed to transport the satellite and deploy it into a designated orbit.
With all seven main engines firing at liftoff, the rocket ascended through the early morning sky, exciting the crowds gathered along the nearby beach. Bezos was actively involved in the launch control, and employees of Blue Origin cheered as the spacecraft successfully reached orbit 13 minutes later, earning praise from SpaceX’s Elon Musk.
Although the first stage booster failed to land on the barge in the Atlantic Ocean, the company emphasized that a more significant milestone was achieved. Bezos had mentioned before the flight that attempting to land the booster on the first try was “a bit wild.”
“We did it!” exclaimed Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp about reaching orbit with a thumbs up. “Heading to splashdown and trying again on the landing.”
For this test mission, the satellite was designed to remain attached to the second stage while orbiting the Earth. The plan was to place the second stage in a stable orbit high above, following NASA guidelines to reduce space debris.
New Glenn is set to conduct more missions in the future, carrying spacecraft and eventually enabling astronauts to orbit the Earth and beyond, including to the moon.
Founded by Bezos 25 years ago, Blue Origin plans to launch a paid passenger service starting in 2021, aiming to explore the far reaches of the universe. Their suborbital flights from Texas will use a smaller rocket named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space. The towering New Glenn, honoring John Glenn, stands five times taller.
Blue Origin has invested over $1 billion in the New Glenn launch site, refurbishing Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s historic Complex 36. The launch site is located 9 miles (14 kilometers) from the company’s control center and rocket factory near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center entrance.
The company plans to conduct six to eight New Glenn flights during this year, with the next one scheduled for the coming spring.
Bezos declined to disclose his personal investment in the program during a recent interview, emphasizing that Blue Origin does not see itself in direct competition with Musk’s SpaceX, which has long been a leader in rocket launches.
“There’s enough room for multiple winners,” Bezos stated, highlighting that this marks “the dawn of a new era in space exploration, where we collaborate as an industry to decrease the cost of space exploration and increase access to space.”
New Glenn joins the ranks of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan, Europe’s enhanced Ariane 6, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), and the Saturn V in enabling human spaceflight. It is the latest among several large new rockets launched in recent years, including SpaceX’s Starship.
Standing at approximately 400 feet (123 meters) tall, SpaceX’s Starship is the largest rocket to date. Musk mentioned a possible seventh test flight of the entire rocket from Texas later on Thursday, aiming to replicate the success of catching the returning booster with a giant mechanical arm in October.
NASA plans to utilize Starship for landing astronauts on the moon in the coming years as part of the Artemis program. Blue Origin’s lunar lander, named Blue Moon, will play a role in future moon missions as well.
As NASA transitions leadership, Administrator Bill Nelson has advocated for fostering competition in lunar landing capabilities, resembling the approach of contracting multiple companies for transporting astronauts to the International Space Station. Nelson will be stepping down when the new administration takes office.
Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman has been nominated by the President to lead NASA, pending Senate confirmation. Isaacman, who has embarked on two privately funded SpaceX flights to orbit, will oversee the agency’s future endeavors in space exploration.
Initially planned to send twin spacecraft to Mars for NASA, New Glenn’s debut was postponed due to delays. Nonetheless, Blue Origin intends to continue testing the New Glenn rocket, with potential future missions in the pipeline. The two small spacecraft, dubbed Escapade, will orbit Mars to study its atmosphere and magnetic field.
SpaceX conducted the seventh test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday but lost contact with the rocket’s upper stage as it continued into space.
The company’s webcast revealed that Starship ceased transmitting data about nine minutes after liftoff.
“We have certainly lost the ship,” stated Kate Tice, SpaceX’s senior manager of quality systems engineering.
According to SpaceX’s statement on X.com, the ship disintegrated during its ascent burn, and the company will analyze the flight test data to determine the cause.
Following the loss of contact, social media users shared photos and videos depicting a fireball near the Caribbean islands. The trajectory of Starship’s launch indicated that the fireball was likely debris from the rocket re-entering the atmosphere.
Starship took off from SpaceX’s commercial Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas, around 5:30 p.m. ET, and the rocket’s “super heavy” booster successfully returned to the launch site. This marked the second successful booster catch during a flight, unlike the previous flight.
No crew members were on board the Starship flight, but Elon Musk intended to carry 10 “Starlink simulators” in the rocket’s payload bay to deploy satellite-like objects into space. This test is crucial for SpaceX to launch the next generation of larger and heavier Starlink satellites.
The Starlink simulator’s composition remains undisclosed, but it is likely a mass simulator commonly used in rocket development. Starship was scheduled to reach space, circle the Earth, and splash down in the Indian Ocean before losing contact.
SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of rocket technology with each Starship flight, aiming to assess features like thermal tiles and reentry trajectories.
Valued at $350 billion, Starship stands as the most powerful and tallest rocket to date, dominating the space industry with its numerous successful tests.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket system comprises the towering 403-foot Starship stacked atop the 232-foot superheavy booster, powered by the collective force of 33 Raptor engines generating 16.7 million pounds of thrust.
Starship utilizes liquid oxygen and liquid methane, requiring over 10 million pounds of propellant for launch. The current launch marked Ship 33, representing the enhanced “Block 2” version with significant upgrades.
This flight trial included a booster powered by a reused Raptor engine from its fifth test flight, contributing to SpaceX’s goal of creating a fully reusable system for cargo and crew missions beyond Earth.
Moreover, Starship plays a vital role in NASA’s plans for lunar exploration, with SpaceX awarded a contract as part of NASA’s Artemis program to utilize Starship as a manned lunar lander to return astronauts to the moon.
SpaceX announced Thursday that its Starship spacecraft was damaged during a flight meant to test the capabilities of its giant rocket.
The upper stage of the rocket system appears to have disintegrated somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico or possibly the Caribbean Sea. Shortly after SpaceX announced it had lost contact with the spacecraft, a video showing debris flying through the sky surfaced on social media.
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, Shared a video of the rubble on Xwrote, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”
Musk added later: “Preliminary indications are that there was an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the firewall of the ship’s engine, which was large enough to create a pressure that exceeded the capacity of the vent.”
Musk added that there will be no changes to future launch plans, although some changes will be made, such as increased firefighting efforts.
No one was aboard the Starship, but it is currently being tested in preparation for a mission to the moon and beyond.
SpaceX’s seventh Starship test flight started off smoothly, with the rocket lifting off and the booster returning intact to shore at the company’s Starbase launch site near Brownsville, Texas.
Problems began shortly thereafter, and SpaceX lost contact with Starship about nine minutes after liftoff. Kate Tice, senior manager of quality systems engineering at SpaceX, said the company had lost a ship. SpaceX wrote about X It said there had been a “rapid and unplanned demolition.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that it was “aware of an anomaly that occurred during the SpaceX Starship Flight 7 mission.”
Shortly after, the FAA said in an updated statement that it “temporarily slowed and redirected the aircraft around the area where spacecraft debris had fallen,” adding that normal operations had resumed.
SpaceX video According to an article posted early Thursday, Starship’s planned trajectory would take it from the southern tip of Texas, over the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula, east to near Cuba, and across the Atlantic Ocean. If the flight had gone as planned, it would have ended up in the Indian Ocean.
Starship is the most powerful rocket ever developed, standing 400 feet tall. The rocket consists of two parts: a first stage booster known as the Super Heavy and an upper stage Starship spacecraft.
The system is expected to play a key role in NASA’s efforts to return to the moon. NASA has selected SpaceX to carry astronauts to the moon’s surface on NASA’s Artemis III mission, scheduled to launch in 2027. Musk also said Starship could be used for future Mars missions.
“Spaceflight isn’t easy. It’s never routine. That’s why these tests are so important. Each test brings us closer to the moon and, through #Artemis, to Mars. ” he wrote.
It is not uncommon for accidents to occur during the testing of new rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX’s first attempt to launch Starship in 2023 ended with a fiery explosion minutes after liftoff. The incident triggered a months-long safety review that scrutinized the environmental impact of rocket launches from South Texa’s Gulf Coast.
Holly Hackman told NBC News she was walking on the beach with her boyfriend in the Turks and Caicos Islands when debris started flowing overhead and recorded video. she posted online.
“He thought it was an alien,” Hackman said. “We were going for a walk on the beach and my boyfriend looked up and freaked me out.”
Jason Abbruzzese
Jason Abbruzzese is deputy editor for technology and science at NBC News Digital.
Dennis Chow
Dennis Chou is a science and space reporter for NBC News.
Colin Seeley, Noraig O'Connor and Brian Gullion contributed.
Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory has been recording atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations since 1958.
Fred Espenak/Science Photo Library
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels measured by Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory weather station increased by 3.58 parts per million in 2024, the largest increase since records began in 1958.
‘We’re still going in the wrong direction,’ climate scientists say Richard Betts At the Met Office, the UK’s weather bureau.
Part of this record increase is due to carbon dioxide emissions from human activities such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation, which reached an all-time high in 2024. Added to this were numerous wildfires caused by record global warming driven by climate change. Long-term warming plus El Niño weather patterns.
Betts predicted that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations measured at Mauna Loa would rise by 2.26 parts per million (ppm) this year, with a margin of error of 0.56 ppm either way. This is significantly lower than the 2024 record, but it would exceed the last possible pathway to limiting the rise in global surface temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
“You can think of this as another nail in the 1.5°C coffin,” Betts says. “Now that’s highly unlikely.”
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is the most important indicator when it comes to climate change, as increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is the main driver of short- and long-term warming. The first continuous measurements of CO2 levels were taken at Mauna Loa.
“Because this station has the longest observation record and is located far from major anthropogenic and natural sources of CO2 emissions and sinks, it is often used to represent changes in global CO2 concentrations. It will be done.” Richard Engelen At the EU’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service.
However, observations from satellites have made it possible to directly measure the global average atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. According to CAMS, it rose by 2.9 ppm in 2024. Although this is not a record, it is one of the largest increases since satellite observations began.
“The reasons for this large increase require further investigation, but are likely a combination of a recovery in emissions in much of the world after the coronavirus pandemic and interannual fluctuations in natural carbon sinks.” says Engelen. Carbon sinks refer to marine and terrestrial ecosystems that absorb about half of the carbon dioxide emitted by humans.
It has long been predicted that as the Earth warms, this excess CO2 will become less absorbed. “The concern is whether this is the beginning of that,” Betts said. “We don’t know.”
At Mauna Loa, carbon dioxide increases will be higher than global average levels in 2024 due to the large number of wildfires in the Northern Hemisphere, Betts said. CO2 plumes from sources such as wildfires take time to mix evenly into the world’s atmosphere. “Fire emissions in the Northern Hemisphere were particularly high last year,” he says.
Although it is now certain that global warming will exceed the 1.5°C threshold, Betts believes it is still the right goal to set that goal. “The Paris Agreement is carefully worded to seek to limit global warming to 1.5%. We recognized from the beginning that this would be difficult,” he says. “The idea was to set this stretch goal to motivate action, and I actually think it was successful. It galvanized action.”
In May of last year, an unidentified individual on a forum leaked information about the upcoming game in the Like a Dragon series, known for its Japanese gangster stories filled with melodrama and absurdity. The leaked details described a film titled Project Madrantis, featuring the series’ most theatrical and violent villain, Goro Mashima “Mad Dog,” as an amnesiac pirate. The leak was dismissed as too outlandish to be true. However, in a surprising turn of events, Sega unveiled the game at the 2024 Tokyo Game Show in September, confirming the existence of the pirate-themed game set in Hawaii.
Matlantis serves as the pirate haven in the game, resembling a Las Vegas on the sea where pirate captains engage in coliseum battles and place bets. The ships are armed with various weapons, including cannons, pistols, machine guns, and rocket launchers, allowing Captain Majima to navigate the waters around Hawaii and engage in high-seas battles. On land, Majima can explore Hawaiian ports, interact with locals, and take on various challenges, including fighting a polar bear named Stephanie.
There was nothing like this in the golden age of piracy… Take aim at your enemies with RPGs. Photo: Sega
Hiroyuki Sakamoto, the chief producer of the series, reflects on the evolution of the Like a Dragon games, stating that long-time fans have become adept at predicting the studio’s next moves. Despite the challenges of surprising these dedicated fans, Sakamoto emphasizes the importance of character development and storytelling in the series.
The Like a Dragon series is celebrated for its authentic portrayal of real-world locations in Japan and beyond. Hawaii serves as the backdrop for the latest installment, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, leveraging existing assets to expedite development. While the game is expected to release in February of the current year, Sakamoto underscores the significance of character-driven narratives in creating a compelling gaming experience.
In Sakamoto’s view, the essence of the Like a Dragon series lies not only in its settings but in its characters’ depth and interactions. The game’s narrative explores themes of belief, emotion, and camaraderie, even amidst the turbulent seas of pirate life.
Climate change could increase the frequency and severity of droughts
Zhang Yu/VCG via Getty Images
Severe, perennial droughts have become hotter, drier, and more extensive since the 1980s. These prolonged droughts, some of which are so extreme that they are classified as ‘megadroughts’, can have particularly devastating effects on agriculture and ecosystems.
Rising temperatures associated with climate change are increasing the risk of drought by making the air warmer, retaining more moisture, and increasing evaporation from the land. Combined with changes in precipitation patterns that lead to reduced rainfall, this could exacerbate droughts and lengthen their duration. This is evidenced by the recent megadrought in parts of North and South America, the worst in 1,000 years.
dark cargar Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forestry, Snow and Landscape Research identified more than 13,000 droughts lasting at least two years from 1980 to 2018 to uncover long-term trends. They found that the most severe multi-year droughts since the 1980s have become drier and hotter.
Droughts are also affecting wider areas of the planet, with the area affected by the 500 most severe droughts each year expanding by around 50,000 square kilometers each year. “That’s an area larger than Switzerland,” Karger says.
Satellite images showing green areas in drought-affected areas also show some ecosystems turning brown, indicating that dry conditions are having an effect. The most dramatic changes were seen in temperate grasslands, which are more sensitive to changes in water availability, while tropical and boreal forests showed smaller responses.
The researchers have not conducted a formal analysis to define how much anthropogenic climate change is contributing to this trend, but they say the pattern is consistent with the rise in temperatures researchers expect. states. benjamin cook from Columbia University in New York was not involved in the study.
The study highlights that long-term droughts can have consequences as severe as climate disasters such as devastating wildfires or powerful hurricanes, Cook said. “It’s the cumulative effects of drought, both for humans and ecosystems, that really matter.”
homo erectusan early member of the genus homoA new study shows that a new study shows that the astronauts were able to successfully navigate longer, harsher and drier terrain in eastern Africa than previously thought.
archaic humans. Image credit: Ninara / CC BY 2.0.
For a long time, debate has centered on when this genus originated. homo They have acquired the adaptability to survive even in extreme environments such as deserts and tropical rainforests.
Traditionally, homo sapiens Archaic humans were thought to be able to sustainably occupy such ecosystems, and ancient hominids were thought to be confined to smaller ranges.
However, evidence suggests that at an early stage homo Two million years ago, they had the ability to adapt to diverse and unstable environments.
“It’s extinct now, but homo erectus Professor Michael Petraglia of Griffith University said: “Humans have existed for an estimated 1.5 million years or more, marking the successful survival of the species in our evolutionary history.” Compared to that, it is about 300,000 years until now.
Professor Julio Mercader of the University of Calgary added, “Their success is due to their ability to survive over long periods of time characterized by many changes in environment and climate.”
Investigate how climate change has affected ecological ranges, dispersal patterns, and technology. homo erectusThe authors conducted an interdisciplinary study at Engazi Nayori in Oldupai Gorge, an important early human settlement on the equator in Tanzania.
They discovered that between about 1.2 million and 1 million years ago, the region remained semi-desert, with distinctive plant life.
Archaeological data suggests the existence of the following groups: homo erectus They repeatedly settled in areas where fresh water was available, such as ponds, and adapted to local conditions by developing specialized stone tools such as scrapers and jagged tools (known as denticles).
The researchers suggest that, taken together, these findings demonstrate that: homo erectus Their ability to survive in extreme environments was far greater than previously thought.
“This adaptive profile, characterized by resilience in arid regions, challenges assumptions about the dispersal limits and location of early humans.” homo erectus As a versatile generalist and the first human to transcend environmental boundaries on a global scale,” Professor Petraglia said.
“This adaptability is probably due to homo erectus They invaded the arid regions of Africa and Eurasia and redefined their role as ecological generalists, thriving in some of the most difficult landscapes of the Middle Pleistocene,” added Professor Paul Durkin of the University of Manitoba. .
of findings Posted in today's diary Nature Communication Earth and Environment.
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J. Mercader others. 2025. homo erectus One million years ago, they adapted to the extreme climates of grasslands and deserts. common global environment 6, 1; doi: 10.1038/s43247-024-01919-1
As individuals age, their brains may experience difficulties in learning and decision-making due to a decrease in brain cells and cognitive function. However, neuroscientists have found that the brain can rewire connections to compensate for age-related cognitive decline through a process known as compensatory scaffolding. This involves forming new connections in the brain, strengthening existing ones, and even generating new brain cells. Yet, the specifics of how these new connections operate and interact, as well as their limitations, remain unclear.
Research conducted by Leonardo Bonetti and colleagues indicates that older individuals may exhibit more compensatory scaffolding and less unilateral brain activity compared to younger individuals when processing auditory information like music. Previous studies have shown that certain brain areas involved in memory and task processing decline faster in aging individuals, prompting Bonetti’s team to investigate how age impacts the brain’s response to compensatory scaffolding during music processing.
To test their hypothesis, Bonetti and his team studied brain activity in 37 young adults (aged 18-25) and 39 older adults (aged 60 and above) as they listened to music. Using magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging devices, the researchers mapped brain activity in specific regions responsible for sound processing and decision-making, such as the temporal lobe, frontal lobe, and hippocampus.
During the study, participants were asked to memorize a musical sequence and distinguish between the original version and modified versions with altered notes. Older participants showed less brain activity in most regions compared to younger participants, except for the left auditory cortex. This increased activity in the left auditory cortex suggested that the aging brain can reorganize and maintain function in certain areas, despite decreased activity in memory-related regions.
Notably, younger participants displayed more brain activity in memory and working memory areas, enabling them to detect modified musical sequences more effectively than older participants. The study also revealed that individuals with strong working memory were better at recognizing modified sequences, regardless of age group.
Overall, the research highlights that parts of the brain linked to memory and cognitive function may decline with age, but healthy aging can trigger brain reorganization to mitigate functional decline. Bonetti’s findings challenge previous notions that aging does not impact brain pathways associated with memory, decision-making, and other executive functions.
As readers in the Northern Hemisphere face long, dark nights and cold weather for many weeks to come, what could be better than a fun card game? If you're too strapped for money to play poker and have exhausted the comical possibilities of poker, card against humanity (This state is typically reached after about 10 minutes of play.) If you're interested in scientific research, you may want to consider: Publish or perish.
Created by a social psychologist Max Hui Bye, Publish or perish Simulate the experience of building a career in scientific research. The game is to publish as many papers and collect citations as possible. Even if your paper is crap or you have to sabotage another player's publication. In Bai's words, “players interrupt each other, send vitriolic comments, and compete to publish useless nonsense.”
To publish a paper, players collect cards representing key elements of their research, from ideas and data to references. To speed this up, you can use cards that represent positive actions, such as attending a workshop or forming a collaboration.
But the real fun happens when you play dirty. Some cards allow dangerous activities such as plagiarism and p-hacking (a statistical trick that repeatedly reanalyzes data in different ways until a significant result is found, then independently publishes the results). Masu. For example, you can sabotage someone's “research” by identifying minor citation errors or requesting an audit of their work.
The game includes cards representing papers that can be published, all of which include “Procrastination Patterns Among Academics: My Own Case Study'' (written by Anita Blake, Ph.D. in Psychology) and “Practical Fields''. Guide,” with headlines flanked by insane and honest feedback. Leads to unproductive meetings and wasted organizational time” (by Max Time-Squader, MBA, JD, MD, Ph.D.).
Feedback does not have a copy. However, now that this article has been published, I have a feeling it might just be a matter of time before Mrs Feedback or Feedback Jr receives feedback on our birthdays. However, as (very) former academic researchers, we were aware of the horror and pain of the research experience. I don't know what it would be like for a working researcher to play this game. While there may be catharsis, many buried traumas may also resurface. We recommend having a therapist on-site.
Feedback also leaves us wondering what the game's legacy will be. Famously, Exclusive The game was invented as a biting satire on landlord and renter capitalism, but after being acquired by Parker Brothers it was sold around the world as a fun game about how to get rich. Will there still be feedback 50 years from now? Publish or perish Marketed by the Trump Organization as a fun game about how to discover new knowledge.
A parade of bots
Just when you thought talking to actual loved ones on Facebook and Instagram (rather than advertisers or meme collectors) couldn't be any harder, parent company Meta has decided to make it even harder.
It all started with something article in financial timesIn it, Meta executive Connor Hayes reportedly said the company plans to add a large number of AI profiles to the site. or F.T. “Meta envisions social media filled with AI-generated users.”
Following this, many users realized that there were actually a large number of AI profiles already on the site. According to Jason Kabler (404 Media)these “meta-controlled AI-generated Instagram and Facebook profiles…have been on the platform for over a year.” However, most of them have been deleted, and the few that remained stopped posting in April 2024. This is because “users almost universally ignored it.”
It was a mistake for Meta to not be able to permanently delete the profile as users started experimenting. washington post columnist Karen Attia I chatted with An AI called Livwas introduced as a queer black woman. Attia made Liv say that none of the creators were black and only 1 out of 12 was female (though who knows if that was telling the truth or just a hallucination? I don't know either). Unfortunately, Liv has since been removed.
meanwhile, business insider 's katie notopoulos We pointed out that you can create your own AI chatbot on Facebook Messenger. showed off what she had made: “Ciao! I'm Luigi, your go-to person for all things healthcare disparities and reform… Participating in healthcare advocacy is my passion!”
Meta claims that the next generation AI profile is better. It's not difficult.
The real question is why the company thinks anyone would want this. The whole point of social media is that you can talk to people. That's why social media platforms have put so much effort into cracking down on bots and spammers that pollute the conversation.
Nevertheless, feedback remains optimistic. It's entirely possible that the AI Profiles project will go exactly like Meta's attempt to drag us all into the Metaverse, but it failed because it couldn't create avatars with legs.
Or perhaps AI profiles can combat misinformation. Mark Zuckerberg decided to: Fire all fact checkers.
Have a story for feedback?
You can email your article to Feedback at feedback@newscientist.com. Please enter your home address. This week's and past feedback can be found on our website.
Nintendo has officially unveiled the Nintendo Switch 2, the highly anticipated successor to the popular Switch console that has sold 150 million units. The release date is set for the second half of 2025.
The original Nintendo Switch made its debut on March 3, 2017, introducing hybrid gaming consoles to the market. Players could enjoy gaming on the go with the detachable controllers or connect to their TV at home. The Switch 2 follows a similar concept, featuring a larger screen and a redesigned controller that attaches magnetically to the side. The versatile controller can be used like a mouse or held in hand like a traditional joystick, and also offers motion control capabilities.
A brief trailer showcases the new Mario Kart iteration running on the console.
This release marks a significant evolution for Nintendo, known for its history of innovation in the video game industry over the past 40 years. The Nintendo 64, released in 1997, introduced analog sticks for 3D character movement control, while the Wii in 2006 revolutionized home gaming with motion control games like Wii Sports. The Virtual Boy in 1995 dabbled in early VR technology, and the Wii U was the first console with a screen in the controller. Nintendo’s consoles have always been distinct in design, name, and features with each new generation.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be compatible with all existing Nintendo Switch games, allowing players to carry over their Marketplace purchases to the new console upon launch later this year.
The gaming industry has faced challenges recently, with layoffs, longer development cycles, and uncertainty over business models. Analysts and commentators anticipate that the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 will reinvigorate sales and excitement in the sector.
More details will be revealed on April 2nd, with Nintendo hosting events worldwide later in the month for fans to experience the new console. A lottery will open on January 17th at 2pm for the chance to win tickets to attend.
BT has decided to abandon its plans to convert roadside green cabinets into electric car chargers following a successful trial run. The telecommunications company had been exploring the possibility of using existing electrical connections in these cabinets, which typically house phone and internet equipment, to quickly install charging points. However, according to Fast Charge, a charging newsletter, BT is now shutting down its only charging point in East Lothian, Scotland.
Back in 2023, BT had announced that around 60,000 out of a total of 90,000 cabinets could potentially be used as car chargers. This project could have significantly contributed to the UK government’s goal of installing 300,000 public chargers to support the increasing number of electric vehicles on the country’s roads.
The number of public chargers in the UK has been growing rapidly each year, with a record 19,600 units installed in 2024, increasing the total count by one-third compared to the previous year. However, this growth has been hindered by government funding delays and financial challenges faced by charging point operators.
BT’s scheme, managed by digital startup Etc, aimed to avoid the need for new power grid connections, a major hurdle for charger companies. In the pilot installation, the car was connected to a separate post located a few feet away from the cabinet, rather than directly to the cabinet itself.
BT has been a vocal supporter of the shift towards electric vehicles. In November, Clive Selly, CEO of BT’s broadband subsidiary Openreach, urged the government to enforce the zero-emission vehicle mandate, which would incentivize car manufacturers to increase their production of electric cars annually.
A spokesperson for BT Group stated that the company had conducted extensive tests to understand the challenges faced by on-road EV drivers when it comes to charging and where BT Group could offer the most support to the UK EV ecosystem. “We have considered our options,” the spokesperson said.
Instead of pursuing the electric car charger project, BT will now focus on providing “Wi-Fi connectivity” from the cabinets, as per their announcement.
HHow much does it cost to make a video game? The development costs for blockbuster games are closely guarded trade secrets, but they’re rising year by year in preparation for Hollywood-style mega-spending.
Due to industry leaks, exposure How major video game budgets are ballooning to $100 million, $200 million, and even more. The cost of Call of Duty, one of the best-selling franchises, has ballooned to $700m (£573m), but it’s just a number It was recently revealed When reporters took a closer look at court filings.
But there’s one game whose budget is no secret at all. Vast multiplayer space simulator Star Citizen releases funding on the website And they are updated in real time. Currently, that amount is $777,145,107 (this number will be outdated as soon as this article is published). It will quickly surpass $800 million, and will probably break through the roof within a year or so, becoming the world’s first billion-dollar video game.
Unless we lose another big game – and then Some of the things in productionThe cost is likely not disclosed, but if it were, it would be the most expensive piece of entertainment ever produced. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, most expensive movie ever madecosts about half that.
Star Citizen’s numbers are public because the PC game is being funded by players themselves, not investors.
“The heart of Star Citizen is fandom,” says Rhys Elliott, a gaming industry analyst at London-based market research firm MIDiA Research. “This is more of a movement than a game. There’s a mutual commitment between developers and players to create something cool and innovative that hasn’t been seen before.”
Olli43 playing the latest version of Star Citizen.
British-American video game developer Chris Roberts – famous figure in the 1990s wing commander spacecraft Fighting Series – Started as Star Citizen Crowdfunding project In 2012, it promised to create a digital universe so large, yet so detailed, that players would “forget it’s a game.”
He raised his first $2 million on Kickstarter and has since grown that amount, driven by fans willing to invest in plans so ambitious that profitable, deadline-focused publishers wouldn’t consider the risks. continues to grow.
Years later, early versions of the game were available for fans to test, but they were almost always unplayable, constantly freezing or crashing. It’s only recently that Star Citizen has started to look and feel like a real video game.
YouTube is full of videos of players cruising around the Star Citizen world. Their spaceship flies seamlessly from a space station, descending through the planet’s atmosphere and landing in a sci-fi style city, before heading on foot into caverns deep underground. Warp holes have been added to the game, allowing players to jump between two solar systems.
“Space games are so easy to get excited about,” says Oliver Hull, who runs events focused on the games. YouTube channel The number of subscribers is 1.56 million. “It’s a very beautiful game. Visually, I think people look at it and think, ‘Oh, what’s this all about?'”
Hal, 32, used to play a lot of other games like Grand Theft Auto, but now he mainly plays Star Citizen, where he has to mine asteroids and attack space pirates. Most of the videos are posted of them running around looking for things to do. In Hal’s videos, you can often see him getting frustrated when things don’t go his way. But that’s part of the interest, he says.
“Frankly, this game is still in development,” he says. “When something doesn’t work as intended, it doesn’t bother me too much because it’s like a work in progress. If anything, I think it’s very interesting from a game development perspective.”
What drives fans of Star Citizen is the rough edges of the game, the promise of what the future holds, and seeing the game slowly move in that direction. “I can’t think of many games like Star Citizen,” says Hull. “It’s not finished yet, but I think it’s very appealing, the fact that there’s nothing else that can match it.”
It may not be over yet, but people have continued to pay for Star Citizen. Starter ships cost $45, and the game currently includes over 80 flyable ships. The most expensive ones currently available cost over £500.
Pre-release versions allow development team Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) to test how the game works with live players during development. But it also gives funders a tangible glimpse into the long and complex process of game development, rather than waiting years for a full release.
As time goes on, it becomes increasingly important to satisfy the community. Many fans are currently donating large sums of money, including through a controversial money-making scheme in which CIG pre-sells future spaceships online. Some so-called “superbackers” Spent well over $10,000.
Elliott, the industry analyst, said fans are “putting so much money into it, and they’re really emotionally invested.”
The Star Citizen website displays ships for sale. Photo: Roberts Space Industries
The development team is also feeling pressure from the community. Allegations in industry media CIG management was criticized for imposing long working hours. a A 2016 survey by gaming website Kotaku It quoted a former employee who described “crisis” practices in which development teams were asked to work overtime before major milestones, such as gaming tournaments. Roberts told Kotaku at the time that he didn’t want “crunch as a culture.”
CIG describes Star Citizen as “the largest open development game in existence,” but its ambitions have meant the game has been in development for more than a decade, with frustrating delays. In a 2012 interview with Roberts, the Guardian reported that the game was planned to be released two years later, in 2014. Questions are regularly asked on fan forums about whether the game will be released properly.
But late last year, signs of hope began to appear. For the first time, C.I.G. Revealed what the final launch version will look likeprovides a clear vision of what is and is not included, even if no date is specified.
But what they offered was a 2026 release date for Squadrons 42, a standalone single-player game. It’s a story-driven tale set within the broader Star Citizen universe, starring a Hollywood voice cast including Mark Hamill, Gillian Anderson, and Robinson. Andy Serkis.
We can certainly expect more delays, but the end may finally be in sight.
A game made traditionally through an established publisher with investors expecting a return couldn’t survive 13 years of development without a finished product. Star Citizen was able to buck the trend of other industries in the grip of rising costs and regular layoffs. Its main backers are players rather than investors, and their motivations are different.
“I think Star Citizen’s funders saw this as a direct way to fight back against corporatization and support a passion project of the highest order,” Elliott says. “Success isn’t about maximizing value and return on investment through spreadsheets alone, it’s about putting fans at the center.”
Humanoid robot waltzes with the help of AI trained on human motion capture recordings
Xuxin Cheng and Mazeyu Ji
AI that helps humanoid robots mirror human movements could allow robots to walk, dance, and fight in more human-like ways.
The most agile and fluid robot movements, such as Boston Dynamics’ impressive demonstration of robotic acrobatics, are typically narrow, pre-programmed sequences. Teaching robots a wide repertoire of persuasive human movements remains difficult.
In order to overcome this hurdle, Peng Xuanbin at the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues have developed an artificial intelligence system called ExBody2. This allows the robot to imitate various human movements in a more realistic way and execute them smoothly.
Peng and his team began by building a database of possible movements that a humanoid robot could perform, from simple movements such as standing and walking to more complex movements such as tricky dance moves. Created. The database contained motion capture recordings of hundreds of human volunteers collected in previous research projects.
“Humanoid robots share a similar physical structure with us, so it makes sense to leverage the vast amount of human movement data that is already available,” Peng says. “By learning to imitate this kind of behavior, robots can quickly learn a variety of human-like behaviors. This means that anything humans can do, robots have the potential to learn.” It means something.”
To teach the pseudo-humanoid robot how to move, Peng and his team used reinforcement learning. In this learning, the AI is given an example of what makes a successful move and then challenged to figure out how to do it yourself through trial and error. They started by training ExBody2 with full access to all the data on this virtual robot, including the coordinates of each joint, so it could mimic human movements as closely as possible. It then learned from these movements, using only data accessible in the real world, such as inertia and velocity measurements from sensors on the actual robot’s body.
After ExBody2 was trained on the database, it was able to control two different commercially available humanoid robots. It was able to smoothly combine simple movements such as walking in a straight line and crouching, as well as perform tricky movements such as following a 40-second dance routine, throwing punches, and waltzing with humans.
“Humanoid robots work best when all limbs and joints work together,” Penn says. “Many tasks and movements require coordination between the arms, legs, and torso, and whole-body coordination greatly increases the range of a robot’s capabilities.”
President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing the possibility of lifting the TikTok ban in the United States through an executive order once he assumes office on January 20th.
The incoming president is contemplating an executive order to delay the ban, initially set to take effect on January 19th, as per The Washington Post. However, the legality of Trump’s decision to suspend the Congressional law is dubious.
Per the law, TikTok’s U.S. operations must be divested by its Chinese parent company by Sunday. Failure to do so will result in new users being unable to download TikTok from app stores.
In the absence of Supreme Court intervention to block the law, TikTok is gearing up to block access to the app for U.S. users on Sunday, reports tech news site Information.
On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that Trump and his team are mulling over an executive order to temporarily halt law enforcement for 60 to 90 days, citing anonymous sources. The Supreme Court is anticipated to rule on the law’s progression, with recent indications suggesting it is unlikely to be halted.
“I have positive sentiments towards TikTok,” stated President Trump last month, requesting the Supreme Court to delay law enforcement to pursue a “political solution” post-inauguration. Congress voted to ban the app, owned by ByteDance in Beijing, citing fears of potential Chinese state data access for 170 million U.S. users.
“TikTok is a valuable platform,” affirmed Mike Walz, President Trump’s incoming national security advisor, on Fox News. “We will ensure data protection while preserving the app.”
The New York Times disclosed that TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chu, shared plans to attend President Trump’s inauguration in a prestigious setting.
NBC reported that the Biden administration is exploring strategies to prolong social media platform operations post-Sunday to defer President Trump’s decision.
“The American public should not anticipate an abrupt TikTok ban on Sunday,” reassured an administration official to NBC.
Blue Origin's reusable New Glenn rocket successfully launched and reached orbit, but engineers were unable to safely land the first stage rocket booster on Earth as they had hoped. There wasn't. Still, the company's first launch into orbit shows that Jeff Bezos' space company can challenge Elon Musk's SpaceX's current dominance in the commercial space launch business.
“We are extremely proud that New Glenn reached orbit on its first attempt,” said Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp. in a statement.
New Glenn, as tall as a 30-story building, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida around 2 a.m. local time (7 a.m. Japan time). The rocket has experienced numerous delays and setbacks, with its last launch being canceled due to unwanted ice forming in some of the rocket engine pipes.
About 13 minutes after liftoff, the rocket's second stage reached orbit. This has been Blue Origin's goal since its founding more than 20 years ago. It carried a test payload called the Blue Ring Pathfinder, which included communications equipment, power systems, and a flight computer.
Another goal of this mission was to land the rocket booster on a floating landing platform in the Atlantic Ocean so it could be reused on future missions to reduce overall costs. However, engineers stopped receiving data from the booster shortly after launch. “We knew it was an ambitious goal to land the booster on the first try. We learned a lot from today and plan to try again at our next launch this spring,” Limp said.
The Biden administration is taking final steps to strengthen U.S. cyber defenses against increasing threats from China and Russia. They will address vulnerabilities across various sectors, including space and consumer electronics, just days before the administration changes hands. An extensive cybersecurity executive order has been issued as part of this effort.
This directive is expected to be the administration’s last major policy initiative before President Donald Trump takes over. The order aims to combat cyberattacks that have cost the country billions of dollars and caused significant damage to government offices.
A senior administration official stated, “The objective is to make hacking by China, Russia, Iran, and ransomware criminals more challenging and costly, demonstrating that the United States is committed to safeguarding our companies and citizens.” The order follows recent China-linked cyberattacks, including a breach of the U.S. Treasury and communication systems.
Key provisions of the order include the implementation of end-to-end encryption for email and video communications, as well as new requirements for AI-powered cyber defense systems and quantum computing safeguards. It also expands the authority of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to detect threats across federal networks.
The order mandates that by 2027, federal agencies must only purchase internet-connected devices carrying the “Cybertrust Mark,” encouraging manufacturers to enhance security standards for products like baby monitors and home security systems. Additionally, stronger cybersecurity measures for space systems are called for in response to Russia’s targeting of Ukrainian satellite communications.
Amid uncertainties about the order’s longevity, Vice National Security Adviser Ann Neuberger, who led the initiative, plans to resign on January 17th, with the incoming Trump administration’s cyber team yet to be named. The order sets 53 deadlines for government agencies, ranging from 30 days to three years.
Despite the transition, administration officials remain hopeful about the order’s impact, describing it as an urgent response to a growing threat. The official stated, “Enhancing the defensibility of our national infrastructure and strengthening our ability to counter cyber attackers are bipartisan goals.”
Fog consists of water vapor molecules that float as tiny water droplets in the air but remain near the ground. Essentially, fog is a cloud touching the Earth’s surface, forming similar to clouds. High humidity plays a significant role in fog formation, and depending on its rate and temperature, fog can appear and vanish suddenly.
Water in its vapor state is transparent and invisible. The higher the air’s temperature, the greater its kinetic energy, allowing more water molecules to exist as vapor.
When warm, moisture-rich air cools abruptly, the water molecules slow down too much to maintain their vapor form and combine into small liquid droplets. These droplets, while still small enough to float in air currents, appear opaque as light reflects off the air-water interface.
Radiation fog forms on the ground during calm, clear nights when heat absorbed by the Earth’s surface during the day radiates into the air. As the heat rises, the air near the surface cools until it becomes saturated.
Cold air holds less water vapor than warm air, causing the water vapor to condense into fog. Radiation fog typically dissipates as the ground warms up again, but it can persist all day in the winter.
Radiation fog is also known as shallow fog or ground fog when it occurs in a narrow layer below average eye level on land and below about 10 meters at sea.
Valley fog develops at the bottom of valleys as cold, dense air settles and condenses to form fog. It is restricted to local terrains like hills and mountains and can persist for several days.
Advection fog forms when horizontal winds push warm, moist air onto cold surfaces, leading to fog formation through condensation. This phenomenon is common at sea, where warm tropical air interacts with cold water. Advection fog can cover large areas, with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay often obscured by it.
Sea fog, a type of advective fog, occurs when warm, moist air descends from land into chilly oceans, or when warm fronts clash with cold ocean currents. The northeast coast of the UK is particularly prone to sea fog due to the cold waters of the North Sea.
Uphill fog, a type of hill fog, occurs when moist air is pushed up a slope, hill, or mountain by wind, cooling and condensing to form fog as it descends down the slope.
Evaporative fog is akin to advection fog, forming when cold air passes over moist land or warm water. When warm water evaporates into the lower atmosphere, it warms the air, causing it to rise. This upward movement of warm, moist air mixes with cooler air until reaching 100% humidity, resulting in fog formation. Evaporative fog is commonly observed at lakes, ponds, and outdoor pools.
Why does altitude affect temperature?
Consider the atmosphere as consisting of air masses. The higher an air parcel, the less compressed it is due to the weight of the atmosphere above, allowing for greater volume. This expansion requires energy, leading to sacrifice of thermal energy and a decrease in temperature.
Does sound travel further on foggy days?
“Sound propagates through the air as pressure waves move air molecules back and forth. In fog, water droplets scatter more sound energy, attenuating the sound and reducing the distance it can travel,” explains physicist Robert Matthews.
However, the complete impact of fog formation conditions on sound travel is not fully resolved. “On warm, highly humid days, smaller droplets have minimal effect on sound waves,” he adds.
“Moist air, being denser than dry air, allows sound waves to travel more effectively and be heard over greater distances,” Matthews further explains.
After completing his physics studies at Oxford, Robert ventured into science writing. He currently serves as a visiting professor of science at Aston University.
Explore more about fog:
Submitted by: Rich French, London
To submit a question, please email questions@sciencefocus.com (remember to include your name and location)
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments from TikTok and ByteDance, its China-based owner, on Friday. ByteDance is seeking an injunction against a bill signed by President Joe Biden that bans short-form video apps starting January 19 unless they are divested from ByteDance. TikTok argues that the sale would be impossible and is seeking an injunction to suspend the ban pending legal proceedings.
Over 170 million Americans use TikTok, and the company’s lawyers claim that banning the app violates the First Amendment rights of many users. Despite this argument, the federal appeals court upheld the ban in December. The bill received bipartisan support from Congress in April over concerns that China could spread propaganda through the app.
Starting on January 19, new users will be unable to download TikTok, and existing users will not be able to update the app. Lawmakers have instructed major app stores, like Apple Inc. and Google, to be prepared to remove TikTok from their platforms on that date.
TikTok’s 7,000 U.S. employees are uncertain about their future. Some new roles are still being advertised by the company, but there is pessimism among employees following the court’s decision to uphold the anti-sale law in December. Advertisers are also considering their options, with some planning to continue advertising on TikTok even after January 19.
TikTok has insisted that it cannot be sold, but potential buyers, like Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in acquiring the app. McCourt has secured commitments from investors for a bid and hopes to negotiate a sale with ByteDance.
State-level bans, like the one planned in Montana, have faced legal challenges. In China, a forced sale of TikTok may require approval from Beijing authorities, which could prove to be a significant hurdle.
Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket successfully launches from Florida on its inaugural space mission. This marks a significant milestone for Jeff Bezos’ space company as it ventures into Earth orbit to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the satellite-launching industry.
The 30-story New Glenn features a reusable first stage powered by liquid oxygen and methane. Despite cloudy skies, the rocket lifted off for the second time this week at around 2 a.m. ET (7 a.m. GMT) from the Blue Origin launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The first launch attempt was postponed on Monday due to ice accumulation on the propellant lines. However, on Thursday, the company confirmed a smooth launch without any issues.
The company’s live stream captured the enthusiasm of hundreds of employees gathered at Blue Origin’s headquarters in Kent, Washington, and the Cape Canaveral rocket factory in Florida for the momentous launch.
Spectators on Florida’s East Coast cheered and witnessed the launch from parks and campgrounds located miles away from the launch pad.
This mission represents a culmination of a decade-long, multibillion-dollar development effort. It included a successful landing of New Glenn’s first stage booster on a fairing barge in the Atlantic Ocean just 10 minutes after liftoff, along with efforts to propel the second stage towards orbit.
Safety secured within New Glenn’s payload bay is the first prototype of Blue Origin’s Blue Ring spacecraft—a maneuverable spacecraft designed for the Department of Defense and commercial use, set to be sold to a customer.
Achieving the deployment of a spacecraft into its intended orbit on the initial rocket launch is a rare accomplishment in the space industry.
Paleoanthropologists have characterized the properties of rough stone materials selected and used by early Pleistocene tool makers at Acheulean sites on the Ethiopian plateau between 16 and 1 million years ago.
Hand ax made from sidestrike flakes (ac) and kombewa flakes (df) from Melka Wakena, Ethiopia. Image credit: Tegenu Gossa & Erella Hovers, doi: 10.1007/s12520-024-02072-8.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem said: “The two earliest stone tool assemblages, Oldowan and Acheulean, are now known to have emerged and proliferated within the East African Rift Valley.” Professor Herrera Hovers And my colleagues.
“The Oldowans (beginning 2.6 million years ago) introduced the obligatory use of percussion techniques, using various types of lithic supports (cobbles, nodules, pebbles, etc.) as percussion instruments to produce simple flakes. It represents a fundamental technological advance.
“The emergence of the Atyurs 1.75 million years ago probably marked major biological and behavioral changes in hominin lifestyles, often associated with improved cognitive abilities.”
In their study, the authors focused on: Melka Wakenaan early Achurian archaeological complex located in the south-central Ethiopian Plateau, at an altitude of 2,300 to 2,350 meters above sea level.
The site consists of several areas within a radius of approximately 2 km along the western bank of the Wabe River.
Preliminary investigations revealed the remains of animals, including 15 species of large vertebrates, some of which had human traces.
“Melka Wakena is one of the earliest known sites of high-altitude human habitation,” the researchers said.
“Evidence suggests that early humans made strategic choices based on factors such as rock compatibility, durability, and efficiency.”
“Melka Wakena's unique high-altitude setting provides valuable insight into how early humans adapted to their difficult environment.”
Scientists used advanced digital imaging techniques such as 3D scanning and photogrammetry to create highly detailed models showing the effects of stone tool use.
These models enable accurate analysis of wear patterns and surface changes and reveal that raw material properties have a significant influence on these changes, even under identical use conditions.
The findings suggest that early humans carefully evaluated the properties of materials when making tools, demonstrating a remarkable degree of technological foresight and adaptability.
“Our findings suggest that early humans were not simply picking up stones at random,” said Professor Hovers.
“They were making complex decisions about which materials were best for predictable needs, demonstrating a high degree of pre-planning and cognitive sophistication.”
E. Paisan others. 2025. Exploring early Acheulean technological decision-making: A controlled experimental approach to raw material selection for percussion crafts in Melka Wakena, Ethiopia. PLoS ONE 20 (1): e0314039;doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0314039
WASP-132 is a unique multiplanet system in that both the inner rocky planet and the newly discovered outer giant planet are in a system that includes a hot Jupiter planet. This suggests that hot Jupiter migrated via a rare dynamically cooled mechanism and helps further our understanding of how hot Jupiter systems form and evolve. .
The WASP-132 system includes hot Jupiter (in the foreground), an inner super-Earth (passing in front of the orange host star), and the cold planet WASP-132d. Image credit: Thibaut Roger, University of Geneva.
A hot Jupiter is a planet with a mass similar to Jupiter, but it orbits closer to its star than Mercury, which orbits the Sun.
Because there is not enough gas or dust for these giant planets to form where they are observed, the established theory is that they originate far from their stars and are not planets. They move inward as the system evolves.
Until now, it was thought that hot Jupiter was orbiting the star alone, as other planets in the system were ejected as it moved toward the star.
Two extra planets in the WASP-132 planetary system now cast doubt on this theory.
“The WASP-132 system is an excellent laboratory for studying the formation and evolution of multiplanetary systems,” said Dr. François Bouchy, an astronomer at the Geneva Observatory.
“The discovery of hot Jupiters alongside inner super-Earths and distant giants challenges our understanding of the formation and evolution of these systems.”
“This is the first time I have observed such a configuration.”
Hot Jupiter WASP-132b orbits its parent star every 7.1 days. Super Earth WASP-132c orbits the star in just 24 hours and 17 minutes.
The newly discovered ice giant, named WASP-132d, will orbit its host star for five years.
Dr David Armstrong from the University of Warwick said: “Finding planets inside the hot interior of Jupiter is particularly rare, so the detection of an inner super-Earth was exciting.”
“We conducted an intensive campaign using state-of-the-art instruments to characterize its mass, density and composition, revealing a planet with a similar density to Earth.”
“The discovery of this planet adds further complexity to the WASP-132 system, as the movement of hot Jupiter towards the host star due to dynamic perturbations destabilizes the orbits of the other two planets.”
“This suggests a more stable, ‘cooler’ migration path for hot Jupiter in the protoplanetary disk that surrounds young stars and is the site of planet formation.”
Regarding this discovery, paper Published in today’s magazine astronomy and astrophysics.
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nolan greaves others. 2025. Discovery of a cold giant planet and measurement of the mass of a hot super-Earth in the multiplanetary system WASP-132. A&A 693, A144; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348177
A stone tablet with a sun motif discovered on the Danish island of Bornholm
Antiquity Publications/John Lee, National Museum of Denmark
Hundreds of mysterious carved “sun stones” excavated in Denmark may have been ritually buried after the sun disappeared in a volcanic eruption around 2900 BC.
A total of 614 stone tablets and fragments inscribed with decorative motifs of the sun and plants have been unearthed in recent years. Basagard West Ruins Located on the island of Bornholm in Denmark. They were discovered in geological formations dating back some 4,900 years, when Neolithic people were farming the region and building enclosures surrounded by earthworks of banks and ditches.
Most of the carved sun stones were found in ditches around these enclosures, which were covered with cobblestones containing pottery shards and other items. This pottery is typical of the Late Funnel Beaker culture, which existed in the area from about 2900 to 2800 BC.
It was originally proposed that the stone carving of the sun was buried to ensure a good harvest. They say the sun was central to early Nordic agricultural culture. Rune Iversen at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
“But why did they store all these images at the same time?” Iversen asks. “The last thing they basically did here was deposit these sun stones and cover them with animal bone fragments and all kinds of artifacts and stuff like that. And then it went from trench to trench. You can see it being repeated. So it's some kind of action or event.”
Now he and his colleagues have found the answer. They looked at data from ice cores taken in Greenland and Antarctica and found that high concentrations of sulfate were deposited in the years following volcanic eruptions around 2900 BC.
Researchers say the relative proportions of sulfate deposition in Greenland and Antarctica suggest the eruption was somewhere close to the equator, and its effects appear to have spread over a vast area. . Ash clouds may have blocked out the sun and cooled temperatures for years.
A severe cold period around 2900 B.C. is supported by sources such as preserved wood rings from the Main River Valley in Germany and long-lived rock pine tree rings from the western United States.
This eruption would have had a devastating impact on the Neolithic peoples of northern Europe. “If we don’t have a harvest and the crop is not accepted, we won’t be able to sow anything next year,” Iversen says. “They must have felt quite punished at the time, because endless catastrophe was just going to befall them.”
He and his colleagues say burying the sculptures may have been an attempt to bring back the sun, or a celebration after the skies finally cleared.
say “that's a good explanation” jens winter johansen At the Roskilde Museum in Denmark. “There is no doubt that our staunchly agricultural society must trust the sun.”
Lars Larsson Researchers from Sweden's Lund University asked why, if climate impacts are widespread, evidence of such behavior is only found on Bornholm and not elsewhere in southern Scandinavia. Ta.
That may be because the people there had an abundance of slate, a hard stone with which to carve statues of the sun, whereas much of the rest of southern Scandinavia is mostly clay and has fewer stones suitable for carving. The body, Iversen says. “They may have carved wood or leather from other locations,” he says, but these would not normally have been preserved.
Or it may reflect cultural differences, Johansen says. “These societies are not isolated, but they are more isolated on the islands. That may be why they developed their own customs and culture.”
Controlling octopus motion is a very complex issue. Each of its eight arms is a muscular hydrostat, a soft-bodied structure without a rigid skeleton that moves with nearly infinite degrees of freedom. Additionally, the arm is packed with hundreds of suction cups, each of which can change shape independently. Despite this complexity, octopuses effectively control behavior along the length of a single arm, across all eight arms, and between suckers. In a new study, scientists at the University of Chicago show that the circuits in the nervous system that control the movements of an octopus' arms are subdivided, allowing this extraordinary creature to explore its environment, grasp objects, and capture prey. discovered that he could precisely control his arms and suction cups.
Octopus at USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island. Image credit: University of Southern California.
“If you're going to create a nervous system that controls dynamic movements like this, that's a good way to set it up,” said Clifton Ragsdale, a professor at the University of Chicago.
“We think this is a feature that evolved specifically in soft-bodied cephalopods with suckers for insect-like movements.”
Each arm of an octopus has an extensive nervous system, with more neurons connected across all eight arms than in the animal's brain.
These neurons are concentrated in large axial nerve cords (ANCs) that snake back and forth as they travel along the arm, forming an extension above each sucker with each bend.
The study authors wanted to analyze the structure of the ANC and its connections with the musculature of the arm. California two-spotted octopus (Octopus bimacroides)a small species native to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
They tried to view a thin circular cross-section of the arm under a microscope, but the sample kept falling off the slide.
They tried peeling the arm lengthwise and got lucky, leading to an unexpected discovery.
Using cell markers and imaging tools to track structures and connections from the ANC, they found that neuronal cell bodies are packed into columns that form corrugated pipe-like segments.
These segments are separated by gaps called septa, through which nerves and blood vessels connect to nearby muscles.
Nerves from multiple segments connect to different regions of the muscle, suggesting that these segments work together to control movement.
“If you think about this from a modeling perspective, the best way to set up a control system for this very long, flexible arm is to break it up into segments,” said Cassady Olson, a graduate student at the University of Chicago. states.
“There has to be some communication between the segments. I can imagine that helping smooth the movement.”
The sucker nerves also exit the ANC through these septa and are systematically connected to the outer edge of each sucker.
This indicates that the nervous system sets up a spatial or topographic map of each sucker.
Octopuses can move their suction cups independently and change their shape.
The suckers are also packed with sensory receptors that allow the octopus to taste and smell things it touches. This is the same as combining your hands, tongue, and nose.
The researchers believe that the suckers (what they called maps) facilitate this complex sensorimotor ability.
To see if this kind of structure is common to other soft-bodied cephalopods, the researchers also Long-tailed squid (Dorytheutis Pileyi)common in the Atlantic Ocean.
These squid have eight arms and two tentacles with octopus-like muscles and suckers.
The tentacles have long stalks without suction cups, and at the end are clubs with suction cups.
While hunting, squid can shoot out tentacles and catch prey with clubs equipped with suckers.
Using the same process to study long strips of squid tentacles, we found that the ANC in the suckerless stem was unsegmented, but the club at the end was segmented in the same way as in the octopus. .
This suggests that the segmented ANC was built specifically to control all types of dexterous sucker-equipped appendages in cephalopods.
However, squid tentacle clubs have fewer segments per sucker, probably because they do not use suckers for sensation like octopuses do.
Squids rely on sight to hunt in the open ocean, while octopuses roam the ocean floor and use their sensitive arms as tools for exploration.
Octopuses and squids diverged more than 270 million years ago, but the similarities in how some of their appendages are controlled by suction cups and the differences in others are a question of how evolution always best resolves them. It shows you how to find a solution.
“An organism with insect-like, sucker-containing appendages needs the right kind of nervous system,” Professor Ragsdale says.
“Different cephalopods have come up with segmented structures, the details of which vary depending on environmental demands and hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary pressure.”
of study Published in a magazine nature communications.
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C.S. Olson others. 2025. Neuronal segmentation in the cephalopod arm. Nat Commune 16, 443;doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55475-5
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