Tesla issues a recall for 120,000 vehicles over concerns of doors unlocking in the event of a crash

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Tesla is recalling 120,423 vehicles in the United States due to the risk of doors unlocking in the event of a crash, according to a report on Friday.

According to Reuters, the country’s traffic safety regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on Friday announced a recall affecting 2021-2023 model year Model S and Model It said it did not meet federal safety standards. .

Tesla has released an over-the-air software update to address this issue.

Tesla last week carried out the largest recall ever in the Elon Musk-led company’s 20-year history, recalling more than 2 million vehicles in the U.S. and nearly all vehicles on U.S. roads. Vehicles were targeted.

Federal regulators say Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance system, Autopilot, has “inadequate” safeguards against misuse, and the company is warning drivers to remain on the road even when Autopilot is engaged. A voluntary recall has been launched to carry out “additional inspections” to remind people to be careful.

According to the Washington Post, NHTSA wrote last week that activating the driver-assistance system Autopilot “may increase the risk of a collision,” adding, “The driver is not responsible for operating the vehicle and is at risk of an accident.” “I’m not ready to intervene.” need. “

Other major automakers also announced recalls this week.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it is recalling 1 million vehicles due to a defect that could prevent airbags from deploying if a sensor in the passenger seat shorts out. According to the Associated Press, the recall applies to Toyota Avalon, Camry, Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, Corolla, and some hybrid versions of these models, as well as some Lexus models such as the ES250 sedan and RX350 SUV. It is said that she is a model.

Honda on Monday said it was shutting down more than 2.5 million vehicles due to fuel pump problems that could cause the engines to not start or stall while driving, increasing the risk of crashes and injuries, NHTSA said. announced that it had been recalled.

General Motors is discontinuing sales of some 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks due to concerns about cracking metal in the passenger-side roof, according to a document released Wednesday by NHTSA. As a result, approximately 3,067 vehicles will be inspected.

Last month, Toyota recalled 1.9 million RAV4 SUVs due to battery deterioration that could cause a fire.

Source: nypost.com

The process of how ancient stars produced elements unattainable by Earth

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Researchers have discovered that ancient stars can produce elements with atomic masses of more than 260, heavier than those found naturally on Earth. This discovery improves our understanding of element formation in stars, particularly through the rapid neutron capture processes (r-processes) that occur in neutron stars. . Credit: SciTechDaily.com

A new study reveals that ancient stars can produce elements heavier than Earth, with atomic masses of more than 260, advancing our understanding of cosmic element formation.

How much do elements weigh? An international team of researchers has found that ancient stars had the ability to produce elements with an atomic mass of more than 260, heavier than any element on the periodic table that occurs naturally on Earth. I discovered that. This discovery deepens our understanding of element formation in stars.

space element factory

We are literally made of star stuff. Stars are elemental factories, where elements are constantly merging or breaking down to create other lighter or heavier elements. When we refer to light or heavy elements, we are talking about their atomic mass. Roughly speaking, atomic mass is based on the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. atom of its elements.

The heaviest elements are only known to be produced in neutron stars by rapid neutron capture processes, or r processes. Imagine a single atomic nucleus floating in a soup of neutrons. Suddenly, a bunch of these neutrons attach themselves to the nucleus in a very short time (usually less than a second), causing a change from neutrons to protons inside, and voila! Heavy elements such as gold, platinum, and uranium are formed.

Instability of heavy elements

The heaviest elements are unstable or radioactive and decay over time. One way to do this is through a split called fission.

“If you want to make heavier elements, such as lead or bismuth, you need the R process,” says Ian Roederer, associate professor of physics. north carolina state university and lead author of the study. Mr. Roederer previously attended the University of Michigan.

“We need to add a lot of neutrons very quickly, and the problem is that we need a lot of energy and a lot of neutrons to do that,” Roederer says. “And the best place to find both is at the moment of a person’s birth or death. neutron staror when neutron stars collide and the raw materials for the process are produced.

“We have a general understanding of how the r process works, but the conditions of the process are very extreme,” Roederer says. “We don’t really know how many different sites in the universe generate r-processes, and we don’t know how r-processes end. We also don’t know how many neutrons there are Can you add more? Or how heavy can the elements be? So we looked at the elements produced by nuclear fission in well-studied old stars to find out how heavy these elements are. We decided to see if we could answer some of the questions.”

Identify previously unrecognized patterns

The research team newly investigated the abundance of heavy elements in 42 well-studied stars. milky way. These stars were known to contain heavy elements formed by the r process in earlier generations of stars. By looking more broadly at the amounts of each heavy element found in these stars, rather than individually, as is more common, they identified previously unrecognized patterns.

These patterns indicated that some elements listed near the middle of the periodic table, such as silver and rhodium, were likely remnants of nuclear fission of heavy elements. The research team was able to confirm that the r process can produce atoms with an atomic mass of at least 260 before fission.

“That 260 is interesting because, even in nuclear weapons tests, nothing that heavy has ever been detected in space or in nature on Earth,” Roederer said. “But observing them in space gives us guidance on how to think about models and fission. It also gives us insight into how the rich diversity of elements came about.” may be given.”

For more information on this research, see ‘Incredibly profound’ evidence for nuclear fission throughout the universe.’

Reference: “Elemental abundance patterns in stars show splitting of nuclei heavier than uranium” Ian U. Roederer, Nicole Vassh, Erika M. Holmbeck, Matthew R. Mumpower, Rebecca Surman, John J. Cowan, Timothy C. Beers, Rana Ezzeddine, Anna Froebel, Therese T. Hansen, Vinicius M. Placko, Charlie M. Sakari, December 7, 2023. science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adf1341

The research was published in the journal Science and was supported in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Adobe drops support for Figma, Apple Watch sales paused, millions of accounts breached by hackers

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Welcome everyone to Week in Review (WiR). This is TechCrunch’s regular newsletter that recaps the top tech and tech-related stories from the past few days. With the holidays approaching, reporters expected a quiet week. But the opposite happened. I have no shortage of stories to write.

In this WiR, we learn that Comcast and Mr. Cooper’s customer data was stolen, electric scooter company Bird files for bankruptcy, Adobe ends its plan to acquire Figma, and Apple The report deals with the fact that the company is being forced to suspend sales by the International Trade Commission (ITC). apple watch. Also: Nikola founder Trevor Milton’s securities fraud conviction, Microsoft’s chatbot CoPilot now adding music-generating capabilities, and Consumer Reports’ impressions of Tesla’s Autopilot recall fix (spoiler: good news) We also highlight the

There are many things we need to overcome, so let’s do our best. But before that, if you haven’t already, here’s a reminder to subscribe here so you can receive his WiR in your inbox every Saturday.

well read

Hackers target Comcast: Comcast has confirmed that hackers who exploited a security vulnerability rated critical gained access to sensitive information of approximately 36 million Xfinity customers. The vulnerability, known as “CitrixBleed,” was discovered in Citrix networking devices commonly used by large enterprises and has been heavily exploited by malicious actors since August, Carly reports.

Mr. Cooper under fire: In related news, hackers stole sensitive personal information of more than 14.6 million of Cooper’s customers, Zack wrote. The mortgage and loan giant admitted that criminals stole customers’ names, addresses, dates of birth, and phone numbers, as well as social security numbers and bank account numbers.

Adobe gives up: Adobe finally makes a huge $20 billion bid to acquire rival Figma officially dead This comes after the companies announced this week that their acquisition plans had been scrapped due to regulatory resistance in Europe. The deal, first announced last September, has always attracted regulatory scrutiny due to its size and the fact that it removed one of Adobe’s major rivals from the shadows. Paul points out.

Apple stops selling Apple Watch: Apple has stopped selling its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches following an October ruling by the ITC over a patent dispute with California-based medical technology company Masimo. The controversy revolves around the blood sensor monitor in the latest flagship Apple Watch. Apple is appealing the ITC’s ruling.

Nikola’s founder declared: Trevor Milton, the disgraced founder and former CEO of electric truck startup Nikola, was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for securities fraud. Rebecca wrote that the ruling ended a years-long saga in which Nikola’s stock soared as much as 83% at one point, only to plummet months later amid fraud charges and contract cancellations.

The co-pilot learns the composition skill. Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft’s AI-powered chatbot, can now compose songs through integration with generative AI (GenAI) music app Suno. Users can enter prompts into Copilot, such as “Create a pop song about my adventures with my family,” and have her Suno bring their musical ideas to life through the plugin.

Tesla fixes ‘inadequate’: After the test, consumer report He said Tesla’s fixes for the Autopilot recall of more than 2 million vehicles were “insufficient.” Sean noted that while the test is not comprehensive, it shows that questions remain about Tesla’s approach to driver monitoring, the technology at the heart of the recall.

Bird files for bankruptcy: bird Submitted Under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Code, capping off a turbulent year for the electric scooter company.in press releaseBird confirmed it had entered a “financial restructuring process aimed at strengthening its balance sheet” and said the company was continuing business as usual with the aim of “long-term, sustainable growth.”

audio

Want a listening ear as you prepare your holiday dishes? You’re in luck — TechCrunch’s podcasts are just the ticket.

this week’s capitalthe second in a two-part series looking back at 2023, in which our staff recapped the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the long and tedious trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman Fried, and the wild office politics of OpenAI .

meanwhile, found We focused on Charlie Hernandez and his journey building My Pocket Lawyer, an online platform aimed at giving people who can’t afford a lawyer democratic access to legal advice and guidance . Hernandez talked about why he decided to use his law degree to tackle this issue.

and Chain reaction Featuring Staci Warden, CEO of the Algorand Foundation, the organization behind the layer 1 blockchain Algorand. Algorand is a Singapore-based blockchain that aims to be fast, secure, decentralized, and “the greenest” with a carbon negative network.

TechCrunch+

TC+ subscribers have access to in-depth commentary, analysis, and surveys. You probably know these if you’re already a subscriber. If not, please consider signing up. Here are some highlights from this week.

Etsy headcount reductions: Etsy recently announced it would lay off 11% of its workforce, which comes as no surprise to those who follow the e-commerce space closely, Anna writes. She predicts that “junkification” and fierce competition will chart a difficult future.

DEI backlash: Dom writes about the dispiriting backlash against DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), a framework for creating more conscious workplace efforts to support marginalized communities in the tech sector. I am.

Figma’s rosy outlook: Anna writes that things don’t seem too bad for Figma even without Adobe. CB Insights estimates that the startup’s value is still between $8.3 billion and $9 billion.

Source: techcrunch.com

Unlocking the Efficiency of Carbon Capture

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

In the proposed carbon capture method, above-ground magnesium oxide crystals combine with carbon dioxide molecules from the surrounding air, causing the formation of magnesium carbonate. The magnesium carbonate is then heated back to magnesium oxide, releasing carbon dioxide and burying it underground or sequestering it.Credit: Adam Malin/ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy

A study of magnesium oxide for carbon capture by Oak Ridge National Laboratory revealed that the rate of absorption slowed over time due to the formation of a surface layer, posing challenges to economic viability and future This will guide research focused on solutions.

Magnesium oxide is a promising material for capturing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and injecting it deep underground to limit the effects of climate change. However, for this method to be economical, we need to discover how quickly carbon dioxide is absorbed and how environmental conditions affect the chemical reactions involved.

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) used samples of magnesium oxide crystals that had been exposed to the atmosphere for decades and those exposed for days to months to measure reaction rates. A set of magnesium oxide crystal samples were analyzed. They found that because a reactive layer forms on the surface of the magnesium oxide crystals, carbon dioxide is taken up more slowly over a longer period of time.

“This reaction layer is a complex mixture of different solids, limiting the ability of the carbon dioxide molecules to find fresh magnesium oxide to react with. To make this technology economical, we are currently , we are looking at ways to overcome this armor effect,” said ORNL’s Julian Weber, principal investigator on the project. Andrew Stack, an ORNL scientist and project team member, said: “If we can do that, this process could meet Earthshot’s carbon-negative energy goal of capturing gigaton levels of carbon dioxide from the air for less than $100 per metric ton of carbon dioxide.” ”

Most previous research aimed at understanding how quickly the chemical reaction between magnesium oxide and carbon dioxide occurs, relying on rough calculations rather than materials testing. The ORNL study marks the first time a decades-old test has been conducted to measure reaction rates over long periods of time. The researchers discovered the formation of a reactive layer using transmission electron microscopy at ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Science (CNMS). This layer is composed of various complex crystalline and amorphous hydrate and carbonate phases.

“Additionally, by running computer simulations of reactive transport modeling, we found that as the reactive layer builds up, it becomes better able to block carbon dioxide from finding new magnesium oxide to react with,” ORNL researcher Vitaliy・Mr. Starchenko stated. “So in the future we’re looking at ways to circumvent this process and allow carbon dioxide to find new surfaces to react on.”

Computer simulations help scientists and engineers understand how reactive layers evolve and change the way materials move through them over time. Computer models enable predictions about how materials will react and move in natural and man-made systems, including materials science and geochemistry.

Reference: “Protection of MgO by a passivation layer prevents direct air capture of CO2” Juliane Weber, Vitalii Starchenko, Ke Yuan, Lawrence M. Anovitz, Anton V. Ievlev, Raymond R. Unocic, Albina Y. Borisevich, Matthew G. Bobinger and Andrew G. Stack, September 22, 2023 environmental science and technology.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04690

The DOE Office of Science primarily supported this research. ORNL’s laboratory-directed research and development program supported time-of-flight (TOF), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and preliminary transmission electron microscopy (TEM). His TOF-SIMS and TEM characterization using atomic force microscopy was conducted as part of a user project at CNMS, a user facility of the DOE Science Office of Science at ORNL.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Hyperloop One to shut down operations amidst setbacks and sexual harassment accusations

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Hyperloop One, the high-speed rail startup backed by Elon Musk whose plans were derailed by project delays and bizarre sexual harassment allegations against some executives and backers, plans to shut down.

The company has ordered its remaining employees, about 100, down from 200 at the beginning of this year, to oversee the sale of assets before their employment ends on Dec. 31, according to reports. bloomberg.

Hyperloop, which has raised more than $450 million since its founding in 2014, has gained public attention with its promise to modernize transportation technology with trains that travel at airplane-like speeds through major U.S. cities, according to Pitchbook. Collected.

The company is based in Las Vegas, where it has a small test track to develop a “vacuum tube” transportation system in which pods travel at 1,260 miles per hour.

In 2019, the company announced that Hyperloop technology could transport passengers from New York City to Washington, D.C., in just 30 minutes. By contrast, Acela trains typically take three and a half hours to travel between the two hubs.

At the time, the company touted a deal in the works to install a hyperloop system between Mumbai and Pune in India, but that ambitious plan was abandoned last year.

The startup’s remaining intellectual property will now be transferred to DP World, which will also serve as title partner for the DP World Tour, part of a new golf entity between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf.

It’s unclear whether the shell company deal was an attempt to take Hyperloop public, with the futuristic company having acquired the backing of a Shaquille O’Neal-backed special purpose acquisition company just a few months ago. I was trying that.

Hyperloop has struggled to make any progress for years, despite backing from Richard Branson (who briefly led the company to adopt the name Virgin Hyperloop One) and Elon Musk. Not yet.

According to Bloomberg, in the early days of Hyperloop, co-founder Brogan Bambrogan would arrive at work to find a rope tied to a chair.

And in 2017, co-executive chairman Shervin Pishevar came under fire after at least six allegations of sexual harassment and assault by women, including rape at a luxury London hotel, all of which he claimed I’m denying it.

Pishevar’s brother, Afshin Pishevar, was the one who left the rope that Bambrogan found on his office chair. Mr. Bambrogan was visiting from his home in Washington to join the company as general counsel, and he overstayed his welcome as a guest. bloomberg report.

Branson took the job in 2017 after Shervin Pishevar resigned from the company to recuse himself from the charges, shortly after his own sexual misconduct allegations became questionable.

Singer Antonia Ienae claims the British millionaire stuck his face between her breasts and “motorboated” her while she was attending a party on Necker Island in the Caribbean in 2010. did.

“We were by the bar and he was saying goodbye to everyone. He came up to me and shoved his face into my chest,” she told the London Sun at the time. Ta. “He said, ‘Brrrrrrrr,’ and walked away. It was surreal and completely out of the blue.”

Jenna also claimed that her shaggy-haired boss at Virgin begged her to go topless at a party, according to The Sun, which is owned by the Post’s parent company News Corp.

A year after allegations of sexual misconduct, Russian billionaire Ziyavudin Magomedov, one of Hyperloop’s directors, has been arrested in Moscow on charges of fraud and embezzlement unrelated to his work with Hyperloop, according to Bloomberg. was arrested.

At the time, Magomedov’s lawyer said he was appealing his arrest.

Dubai-based logistics company DP World has been backing Hyperloop since 2016 and orchestrated Hyperloop’s merger with a shell company in April, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg.

At the time, the value of most types of stock was valued at zero, making the shell company’s shareholders the sole owners of Hyperloop, the media reported.

The Post has reached out to Hyperloop and DP World for comment.

O’Neal’s deal with Forest Road Acquisition Corp. II would have listed Hyperloop on the New York Stock Exchange at a valuation of $600 million, but the deal fell through and tied it to Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Serious doubts arose as to whether a 300-mile freight system would become a reality. It was a realistic goal.

Source: nypost.com

Unusual Yet Delicious: Creating a Memorable Christmas Dinner with Unique Flavors

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Guests enjoy turkey, peanut and chocolate main courses and test ‘flavor bridging’ theory

david stock

Some foods are made for each other. From the comforting combination of mozzarella, tomato, and marjoram on pizza to the enchanting trinity of ginger, garlic, and soy sauce that makes East Asian cuisine so natural, some combinations are so natural that you could live without them. It’s so hard to imagine. But for centuries, gourmets and scholars have been puzzled as to why some foods go together so well.

In 1992, with chef Heston Blumenthal. Francois Benge Let’s go to the laboratory to solve the mystery of this dish. They came up with the idea that foods that taste good together also share many volatile flavor compounds, chemicals that carry aromas that rise to the back of the nose and create flavor perception on the tongue. Their findings were validated in 2011 with the following study: Analyzed 56,498 recipes from various world cuisines.

Yongyeol Ang and his colleagues at Indiana University used that data to build a network model, a complex map that shows the relationships between all the ingredients in a recipe and the flavor compounds they share. This confirms that North American and Western European recipes tend to combine ingredients that share flavor components.

The “Flavor Pairing Theory” has revolutionized the world of cooking. food manufacturer Investing resources to apply that idea to a product, startup companies Leverage open source data on flavor compounds to predict the next big…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Amazon’s New Echo Frames Don’t Measure Up to Ray-Ban Meta

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

This April marked: Tenth One year since Google released the first generation of Glass. It may be hard to believe in retrospect 10 years later, but the limited release Explorer’s Edition was a coveted item. They felt like the future, at least for a while. But the past decade for smart glasses has been a very mixed bag. There have been more misses than hits, and it seems like it will be years before we can reach any kind of agreement on form or function. Google Glass has never reached the critical mass needed to launch a commercial product, but the company seems content to try again every few years.

Meanwhile, AR’s success has been largely confined to smartphone screens, but it’s not for lack of trying. Magic Leap, Microsoft, and Meta have all introduced their AR products to varying degrees of success, but next year’s Apple Vision Pro release is sure to shake things up. However, technical limitations limit these solutions to significantly larger form factors. Shrinking this kind of technology down to the size of regular glasses is a great goal, but it’s still a long way off.

It’s telling that at Meta’s recent hardware event he released two head-mounted devices. The first was the Quest 3, a VR headset that offers an AR experience thanks to pass-through technology. The other Ray-Ban Meta makes no pretense of offering augmented reality, but fits nicely into a standard glasses form factor. Image credits: brian heater Like Snapchat Spectacles before it, Ray-Ban Meta is all about capturing content. A camera built into the frame allows wearers to shoot quick videos for social media or livestream. When it comes to content consumption, there are speakers built into the temples that direct music and podcast audio into the wearer’s ears.

However, unlike the Ray-Ban, Amazon’s Echo Frames 3 don’t do video capture (you can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from privacy advocates around the world). However, it offers similar audio settings. The speaker is located just in front of the tip of the temple. The company didn’t opt for bone conduction here, which is probably for the best (though neat, the technology is generally a passing grade at best). Unlike most headphones and earbuds, they do not cover the entrance to your ear canal. This is great for situational awareness, but not so great for immersive sound.

This is not a bad option if you want to focus on the world around you while walking down the street or riding a bike while listening to music. Image credits: brian heater They’re pretty loud when held close to your ear, and their directional nature means they’re hard to hear when you’re not wearing them (though they’re not completely silent to others). On the other hand, the actual audio quality still leaves a lot of room for improvement. They can help in a pinch for music, but I’d rather not rely on them as a daily driver of any kind.

However, as the name suggests, the real highlight here is the Echo feature. Frames are yet another form factor for invoking Alexa. This makes a lot of sense at first glance, being a hands-free voice assistant that you can take with you anywhere as long as your phone is properly connected. First, you can play/pause, make calls, and set reminders. All of these things can be done in your earbuds using a connected voice assistant. Image credits: brian heater There are five styles: black square, black rectangle, blue circle, brown cat’s eye, and gray rectangle. The first ones Amazon sent were similar to your typical Buddy Holly/Elvis Costello glasses, but with electronics inside, a plastic-like design, and large temples.

They fit me well enough, and while they’re not something I would choose over, say, a Warby Parker, I don’t feel embarrassed wearing them in public. You can further customize your frames with prescription lenses, blue light filtering, or sunglasses. Sure, there are all great options. Battery life is listed at 14 hours with “moderate” usage. One charge should get him through the day if he listens to a standard amount of music. This is especially great considering that the charging dock is larger and more unwieldy than the glasses themselves. Charging instructions are included in the package (along with some short Braille instructions, a nice accessibility consideration). This is necessary because the design is not intuitive.

When the glasses are folded and the lenses are facing up, the charging points on the temples make contact with the charger. It’s very different from the Ray-Ban Meta’s extremely convenient and well-designed charging case. Amazon’s case, on the other hand, is collapsible. It’s not great, but it does have the convenience of being able to fold it flat while wearing your glasses. If I hadn’t recently tested the Ray-Ban Meta, my thoughts on the latest Echo Frame might have been different. The price is $270, which is $30 cheaper than Metagras. If you’re having trouble deciding between the two, I think you should take the plunge and spend the extra $30. Of course, it’s also worth considering that as of this writing, Amazon is currently offering new Echo Frames for a heavily discounted $200.

Source: techcrunch.com

2023’s Most Captivating Robot Images: From Runways to Film Sets

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

See robot dogs perform alongside models at Paris Fashion Week

François Durand/Getty Images

While the majority of robots have remained in labs, there were indications that robots will be more commonplace in 2023. These images display some of the most attention-grabbing machines from the past year, illustrating the growing presence of technology in our daily lives.

Spot, the robotic dog, makes its appearance on the runway. Originally unveiled in 2016, Boston Dynamics’ Spot has become more prevalent in real-world settings since its commercial release in 2019. The New York City Police Department has even acquired two Spot robots to use in various scenarios. Additionally, Spot was witnessed removing jackets from models during a Paris Fashion Week show.

Joining actors and writers at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, the robot dog Gato partook in a demonstration against artificial intelligence. The SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strike highlighted concerns about the potential threat of advanced AI, ultimately leading to an agreement between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Adam, the robotic barista and bartender, was showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, exhibiting the growing automation in the food and beverage industry. While the prospect of automated food and beverage service looms, the closure of a San Francisco-based automated pizza truck company indicates that this shift is not inevitable.

At the World Robotics Conference in Beijing, humanoid robots displayed their emotional range, showcasing the advancements in technology that are narrowing the gap between humans and robots. Despite the existence of the “uncanny valley,” in which minor differences between humans and human-like robots can evoke uneasiness, there has been progress in refining details such as skin, facial expressions, and eyes.

The humanoid robot Amy, created as a visual artwork by Dutch artist Dries Verhoeven, represents the increasing prevalence of humanoid robots aimed at assisting individuals in coping with challenging realities. Though pharmacists may not have much to fear at the moment, the emergence of robots like Amy indicates a growing trend of humanoid robots being utilized to support those facing difficult circumstances.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Could ChatGPT Replace Legislators? AI Generates Complex Bills in 15 Seconds

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

“`html

ChatGPT may soon become ChatGOV.

Lawmakers from Porto Alegre, Brazil, used an artificial intelligence program to draft a bill that was unanimously approved by their fellow lawmakers last month.

The computer-drafted bill, introduced by 37-year-old city councilor Ramiro Rosario, says there is still a bias against incorporating AI tools into the political process.

“They are [government colleagues] If they had known, they would never have signed it,” said Rosario. told the Wall Street Journal It’s part of a “deliberately boring” bill aimed at stopping local water companies from charging residents for new meters.

Normally, drafting such a painstaking bill would take Rosario and his large staff several days, but ChatGPT produced the lengthy text in just 15 seconds.

Rosario believes this bill is the first in the world to be created entirely by an AI program.

He also predicts that ChatGPT could spell disaster for his public relations team. Case in point: The program also drafted a press release about the law.

“There should be 20 or 30 people.” [employees] In the future it will probably not be necessary,” declared the politician. “To be honest, I don’t need it anymore.”

ChatGPT also came up with legal provisions for the bill that the tech-loving Rosario wouldn’t have thought of on his own.

But other politicians are less enamored with AI.

When some of Mr. Rosario’s government colleagues learned that the bill was authored by ChatGPT, it drew scorn.

City Councilor João Bosco Bas is currently calling for the law to be repealed.

“That’s a dangerous precedent!” the detractors declared. That’s not what you do! He should have talked to other members of Congress first. ”

But Rosario is undaunted.

“They didn’t understand it,” he told Barron’s candidly.

Brazilian lawmakers aren’t the first to use ChatGPT professionally.

british judge I made a headline in September after admitting to using a “very handy” cyber tool to summarize the law.

In March, Indian judges also adopted ChatGPT. decide the fate of the criminal trial.

But experts may be overlooking potential problems with AI tools.

In a recent departmental AI instruction manual, New York City government explains Such technology has the potential for “misuse, flawed design,” as well as “serious bias” and “active harm.”

Experts in the field are deeply concerned about the “fundamental flaw” in the programmed left-leaning bias that ChatGPT uses to derive its answers. Researchers have previously found that they are also more tolerant of hate speech against Republicans and men.

This tool has been used to censor press freedom before. Last February, the show refused to write a New York Post-style article because it was “inflammatory.”

ChatGPT was not held to the same standards when asked to do the same in the style of CNN.

Using ChatGPT involves legal risks. MT.Photostock – Stock.adobe.com Political plans aside, ChatGPT also faces long-term technical issues that will become very clear in legislative matters.

Language learning models (LLMs) have a very hard time creating quotes and often create fake quotes. This can and has already caused problems in court when referring to previous legal cases.

In June, a New York City lawyer profusely apologized to a federal judge after ChatGPT “deceived” him by creating a false precedent for his lawsuit. This is because there is no live feed of updates coming into the program, so the program is basing its responses solely on training data for the day.

Experts warn of built-in bias within ChatGPT. AP

In other words, ChatGPT is not connected to the Internet. that Method.

It’s also worth noting that, similar to Brazil’s controversial Rosario bill, a prominent AI program also believed the US Constitution was drafted by a computer.

“`

Source: nypost.com

Enhanced Energy Storage Capacity of Hybrid Supercapacitor Electrodes

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

A breakthrough in hybrid supercapacitors was achieved by increasing the active material in the electrodes by a new method involving β-Ni(OH)2 and NH4F. This innovation leads to more efficient energy storage and opens new possibilities for advanced energy systems. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

New research enhances hybrid supercapacitors by creating more efficient electrodes, marking a major advance in energy storage technology.

Like batteries, supercapacitors are a type of energy storage device. However, whereas batteries store energy electrochemically, supercapacitors store energy electrostatically by storing charge on the electrode surface.

Hybrid supercapacitors (HSCs) combine the advantages of both systems by incorporating battery-type electrodes and capacitor-type electrodes. Despite synthetic techniques that allow the active components of HSC electrodes to be grown directly on conductive substrates without the addition of binders (“self-supporting” electrodes), the proportion of active material in these electrodes remains subject to commercial requirements. remains too low.

Now, researchers have discovered a clever way to increase activity ratios and achieve dramatic improvements in key measures.

Schematic diagram of the device. Credit: Vinod Panwar and Pankaj Singh Chauhan

A breakthrough in supercapacitor electrode efficiency

“Hybrid supercapacitors integrate the advantages of high energy and power density, long cycle life, and safety, and are emerging as a promising frontier in electrochemical energy storage,” said the study’s lead author, a Chinese said Wei Guo, a scientist at Northwestern University of Science and Technology.

“In our paper, we propose a new mechanism to create a versatile two-dimensional superstructure family that overcomes the low active mass ratio of conventional free-standing electrodes.”

New methodology and findings

Here, the researchers studied β-Ni(OH)₂, a type of nickel hydroxide. Addition of NH₄F into the reaction solution replaces one hydroxide ion with a fluoride ion. The resulting Ni-F-OH plates were grown to a thickness of 700 nm and had a high mass loading (active mass per cm²) 29.8 mg cm^-2– Up to 72% of electrode mass.

Advanced Light Source (ALS) Many theoretical and An experimental analysis was performed. It is used to understand the mechanisms underlying the new morphology.

As a result, adding F gives us^– Ions tune the surface energy of the plates (a key factor in nanocrystal growth), while NH₄⁺ Ions consume excess local OH^–suppressing undesired β-Ni(OH)₂ reformation. Additionally, based on the same methodology, researchers can produce other bimetallic superstructures and their derivatives, emerging a versatile new family of metal-based hydroxides for new energy storage systems to meet future demands. showed signs of.

Reference: “New layered hydroxide plates of record thickness to enhance high mass-load energy storage” Wei Guo, Chaochao Dun, Matthew A. Marcus, Victor Venturi, Zack Gainsforth, Feipen Yang, Xuefei Feng, Venkatasubramanian Viswanathan, Jeffrey J. Urban, Chang Yu, Qiuyu Zhang, Jinghua Guo, Jieshan Qiu, February 18, 2023. advanced materials.
DOI: 10.1002/adma.202211603

Source: scitechdaily.com

Apple is reportedly exploring AI partnerships with news publishers and is prepared to offer substantial financial incentives.

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

In recent weeks, Apple has begun negotiations with major news and publishing organizations seeking permission to use their material in the development of its generative artificial intelligence systems, as reported by The New York Times on Friday. The iPhone maker is offering a multi-year deal worth at least $50 million to license its news article archives, the report said, citing people familiar with the discussions. Media outlets contacted by Apple include Condé Nast, publisher of Vogue and The New Yorker, NBC News, and IAC, which owns People, The Daily Beast, and Better Homes and Gardens, according to the New York Times. Tim Cook’s Apple is reportedly offering a multi-year deal worth at least $50 million to license its archives of news articles. According to reports, some publishers contacted by Apple were tepid about the proposal. Apple did not respond to Reuters‘ request for comment. Leading technology companies are actively investing in integrating generative AI. Apple, on the other hand, used this technology to improve the basic functionality of its new gadgets. Media outlets contacted by Apple include Condé Nast, Vogue, and The New Yorker. Apple also announced new MacBook Pro and iMac computers and three new chips to power them in October, making chatbots and other creations constrained by the amount of data they can hold in a computer’s memory. It was emphasized that these can be used by many artificial intelligence researchers.

Source: nypost.com

Hubble’s Holiday Globe Reveals 1 Billion Stars, Says NASA

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

In this festive Hubble Space Telescope image from NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), the galaxy UGC 8091 resembles a sparkling snow globe filled with a billion stars. Credits: ESA/Hubble, NASA, ESA, Yumi Choi (NSF’s NOIRLab), Karoline Gilbert (STScI), Julianne Dalcanton (Center for Computational Astrophysics/Flatiron Institute, Washington)

Dwarf irregular galaxies are born and dazzling stars are born

Hubble’s colorful snapshots show that the universe always seems to be in the holiday spirit. The dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 8091 is a rich example. A dizzying interplay of matter and energy bubbles up to create a dazzling blue, newborn star that looks like a celebratory string of lights. They are encased in a glowing cocoon of hot pink hydrogen gas. A galaxy is a collection of about 1 billion stars. That sounds like a lot, but it’s one-hundredth of the number of stars in our adult bodies. milky way Galaxy.

This little galaxy came late to the party. The early universe was filled with dwarf galaxies, which eventually merged to form the magnificent spiral galaxies that surround us today. Seven million light-years away, UGC 8091 has only recently begun to display its glittering tapestry.

The Hubble Space Telescope is an iconic symbol of space exploration, launched into orbit in 1990. Hubble revolutionized astronomy by providing unprecedented clarity and deep views of the universe, far beyond the distortions of Earth’s atmosphere. Credit: NASA

Hubble Space Telescope presents a starry sky for Christmas

The billion stars of galaxy UGC 8091 resemble sparkling snow globes during this festival. hubble space telescope Images from NASA and ESA (European Space Agency).

The dwarf galaxy is located in the constellation Virgo, about 7 million light-years from Earth. It is considered an “irregular galaxy” because it does not have a regular spiral or elliptical appearance. Rather, the stars that make up this cluster look more like a tangle of bright string lights than a galaxy.

Some irregular galaxies are entangled due to tumultuous internal activity, while others are formed by interactions with neighboring galaxies. The result is a class of galaxies of varying size and shape, including those whose stars are diffuse and scattered.

A combination of 12 camera filters produced this image using light from the mid-ultraviolet to the red end of the visible spectrum. The red spots are likely interstellar hydrogen molecules, excited by the light from the hot, energetic star and glowing. The other sparkles you see in this image are old star combinations. A diverse array of distant galaxies appears in the background, captured by Hubble’s sharp field of view.

The data used in this image was taken by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Survey Camera from 2006 to 2021.

Among other things, the observing program involved in this image sought to investigate the role that dwarf galaxies billions of years ago played in reheating hydrogen that had cooled after the universe expanded. big bang.

Astronomers are also studying the composition of dwarf galaxies and their stars to uncover evolutionary connections between these ancient galaxies and more modern galaxies like ours.

The Hubble Space Telescope is an international cooperation project between the two countries. NASA And ESA. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts science operations for Hubble and Webb. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Astronomical Research in Washington, DC.

Source: scitechdaily.com

More than 100 genes that set humans apart

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered more than 100 uniquely evolved genes in the human brain, providing insight into human cognitive abilities. This study, using single-cell analysis, contributes to the Human Cell Atlas and provides new perspectives on brain evolution and associated diseases.

The researchers discovered 139 genes that are common across primate groups, but whose expression differs greatly in the human brain.

An international team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has discovered more than 100 genes that are common in primate brains but whose evolutionary divergence only occurred in humans. These genes may be the source of our unique cognitive abilities.

Researchers led by Associate Professor Jesse Gillis from the Donnelly Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Research and the Department of Physiology at Temerty University School of Medicine found that genes are expressed differently in the human brain compared to four of our relatives, including the chimpanzee, gorilla, macaque, and marmoset.

The survey results are natural ecology and evolution, suggesting that reduced selective pressure, or resistance to loss-of-function mutations, may have enabled the gene to acquire higher levels of cognitive ability. This research is part of the Human Cell Atlas, a global effort to map every human cell to better understand health and disease.

Comparative study of primate brains

“This study not only contributes to our understanding of brain differences between humans and other primates at a cellular level, but also creates a database that can be used to further characterize genetic similarities and differences between primates. I did,” Gillis said.

A team including researchers from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the Allen Institute for Brain Science in the US created brain maps for each primate. seed It is based on single-cell analysis, a relatively new technology that allows for more specific gene sequencing than standard methods. They used the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) dataset, which was created from samples taken from the middle temporal gyrus of the brain.

Insights into cognitive evolution

In total, the researchers discovered 139 genes that are common across primate groups but are expressed very differently in the human brain. These genes exhibit a strong ability to tolerate mutations without affecting function, suggesting that they may have evolved under more relaxed selective pressures.

“Genes that diverge within humans must endure change,” says Hamsini Suresh, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Donnelly Center. “This appears to be a resistance to loss-of-function mutations, enabling rapid evolutionary changes in the human brain.”

Our advanced cognitive functions may be the result of human brain cells adaptively evolving into a number of less threatening mutations over time. It is also noteworthy that about a quarter of the human divergent genes identified in this study are associated with various brain diseases.

Brain cell types and gene expression

The diverse genes the researchers identified are present in 57 types of brain cells, grouped by inhibitory neurons, excitatory neurons, and non-neurons. A quarter of the genes were differentially expressed only within nerve cells, also known as gray matter, and half were differentially expressed only within glial cells, which are white matter.

The gray matter of the brain is made up of neurons, while the white matter is made up of other types of cells, such as those responsible for blood vessel structures and immune function.

Expanding the human cell atlas

This research is part of BICCN’s efforts to identify and catalog the diverse cell types in the brains of humans and other species. In 2021, the consortium published in Nature a comprehensive survey of cell types in the primary motor cortex of mice, monkeys, and humans. This effort is to shed light on the evolution of the brain by studying neurotransmission and communication at the highest resolution.

Evolution and disease research

“There are approximately 570,000 cells in the Interprimate Single Cell Atlas of the Middle Temporal Gyrus,” Suresh said. “Defining a catalog of shared cell types in this region of the brain provides a framework for investigating the conservation and divergence of cellular architecture across primate evolution.” , we can study evolution and disease in a more targeted way.”

Reference: “Comparative analysis of single-cell transcriptomes in primate brains reveals human-specific regulatory evolution” Hamsini Suresh, Megan Crow, Nikolas Jorstad, Rebecca Hodge, Ed Lein, Alexander Dobin, Trygve Bakken , by Jesse Gillis, September 4, 2023, natural ecology and evolution.
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02186-7

This research was supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health U.S. National Research Alliance on Schizophrenia and Depression.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Defy the odds, create your own path, and achieve unprecedented success

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

art kreiskorn
Contributor

Tatchapong “Art” Climbing Cone Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Amity. Art earned her MBA from Cambridge University, where she worked for five years at IBM.

have something in common A story that repeats itself in the tech industry. A fast-growing startup emerges with a breakthrough concept, succeeds in raising incredible VC funding, and rockets to unicorn status. The company then fails to achieve sustainable profits and falls from glory within a few years (or even months). Despite a relative slowdown in VC activity, that story has continued over the last year, and usually reaches the same conclusion.
90% of startups fail 10% of them die within a year.

The numbers paint a grim picture, but one thing we know as innovators is that every challenge has a unique solution. Often, what holds entrepreneurs back is not money, but rather rapid growth and an over-obsession with flashy technology. This leads to neglecting to solve core business challenges and ultimately leads to a lack of stability and long-term profitability. Before investing in an attractive technology product, it is important to change this approach and prioritize providing reproducible solutions to relevant problems.

Suppose your objective is to introduce an innovative solution to a new niche problem in a way never seen before in the market. In that case, you don’t have to be bold. You need to be bold enough to believe in the company’s clairvoyance, and know enough about your field to maintain that level of confidence even to your face. A strong headwind.

Here’s how to start your own category to solve a niche problem

Identify your unique value proposition

When faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges or unexpected investments, the most important thing is to remain true to the company’s mission.

The most loved and valued companies have built categories that didn’t exist because they offer solutions that other companies can’t even imagine. There’s a reason Apple remains the most valuable company on the planet. The advent of iPhone happened when the user had to carry her iPod, mobile phone, laptop and planner separately. For the first time, a device has appeared that allows him to achieve all these items in one device.

Compare this to products like Threads. Threads is a simple modification of existing products. Unable to retain users. A sales pitch that says, “We’re offering the same product that’s already on the market, but with a few changes,” is much weaker than, “This is a solution that didn’t exist before.” In my career helping brands connect with their communities on platforms, I’ve seen this strategy yield greater benefits than copying existing solutions.

In 2018-2019, I began a journey to take on traditional social giants and provide an alternative way for brands to develop brand-centric communities online. At the time, Facebook had some notorious scandals regarding the misuse of personal data. Amity has set out on a mission to improve and democratize social networks, with the goal of building better social networks that foster active user interaction while respecting the privacy of user data.

Source: techcrunch.com

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Asteroids Found to Predate the Solar System, New Study Shows

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Astronomical observations have shown that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are abundant and widespread in the interstellar medium. A PAH molecule consists of several adjacent aromatic rings terminated with hydrogen. In the new study, scientists conducted laboratory isotope analysis of PAHs in samples of the asteroid Ryugu and meteorite Murchison collected by JAXA’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft. They argue that at least some of the Ryugu PAHs formed in cold interstellar clouds and therefore must be older than our solar system.

This image of asteroid Ryugu was taken on June 26, 2018 by the Telescopic Optical Navigation Camera (ONC-T) aboard JAXA’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft from a distance of 13.7 miles (22 km).Image provided by: JAXA / University of Tokyo / Kochi University / Rikkyo University / Nagoya University / Chiba Institute of Technology / Meiji University / University of Aizu / AIST

PAHs contain about 20% of the carbon in the interstellar medium.

These can be produced in the circumstellar environment (temperatures above 1000 K), in cold interstellar clouds (temperatures around 10 K), or by the processing of carbon-rich dust particles.

“PAHs are organic compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen that are common on Earth but also occur in celestial bodies such as asteroids and meteorites,” said study co-author and director of the Western Australian Center for Organic Isotope Geochemistry. said researcher Professor Kriti Grice. Curtin University.

“We conducted controlled combustion experiments on plants in Australia and found that PAHs found in debris from the asteroid Ryugu returned to Earth by a Japanese spacecraft in 2020, and comparable to the Murchison meteorite that landed in Australia in 1969. I compared them physically.”

“We analyzed the bonds between light and heavy carbon isotopes in PAHs to reveal the temperatures at which they form.”

“Selected PAHs from Ryugu and Murchison were found to have different characteristics, with smaller ones probably forming in cold outer space and larger ones probably forming in warmer regions such as near stars or inside celestial bodies. It is thought to have been formed in the environment.”

A model of the molecular structure of ribose and an image of the Murchison meteorite. Image credit: Yoshihiro Furukawa.

“Understanding the isotopic composition of PAHs can help elucidate the conditions and environments in which these molecules were formed, providing insight into the history and chemistry of astronomical objects such as asteroids and meteorites,” says the study. said Dr. Alex Holman, co-author and fellow Westerner. Australian Center for Organic and Isotopic Geochemistry at Curtin University.

“This research gives us valuable insight into how organic compounds form extraterrestrially and where in the universe they come from.”

“Through the use of high-tech methods and creative experiments, we show that select PAHs on asteroids can form even in cold space.”

of result Published in this week’s magazine science.

_____

Sarah S. Zeichner other. 2023. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Ryugu samples formed in the interstellar medium. science 382 (6677): 1411-1416; doi: 10.1126/science.adg6304

Source: www.sci.news

Research shows that individuals who are unable to burp may experience feelings of anxiety and depression | Latest Science and Technology Updates

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

A new study has found that people who are unable to burp due to a rare health condition feel more anxious, depressed and embarrassed.

Published on December 20th, the study was conducted by experts from around the world to investigate the social impact of retrograde cricopharyngeal muscle dysfunction (R-CPD), also known as “inability to burp syndrome.”

R-CPD involves dysfunction of the cricopharyngeus muscle, which prevents the patient from relaxing enough to expel gas. It was first reported in 1987, but it wasn’t given an official name until 2019.

Out of the 199 people who participated in the study, 98% reported feeling bloated, 93% reported a “socially unpleasant rumbling sound,” 89% reported excessive flatulence, and 55% reported difficulty vomiting.

R-CPD patients often have to lie down or force themselves to vomit to relieve painful symptoms.

Although the condition can be treated by injecting Botox into the affected muscles, the treatment is not available on the NHS in the UK and must be carried out in private.

Researchers found that participants reported high levels of embarrassment, anxiety, and depression, which also negatively impacted their relationships and work lives.

Read more from Sky News:
There’s a risk of painful injuries in the bedroom this Christmas
Christmas vegetables that may help fight cancer

“R-CPD is a disease that is unfamiliar to many healthcare providers and leaves patients underserved. It affects not only their daily lives but also their personal and professional relationships. It will affect you.”

“Understanding and raising awareness of the basic characteristics of the disease has the potential to improve diagnosis and treatment rates and improve quality of life.”

A spokesperson for NHS England said: “Clinical evidence for this condition is very limited due to the small number of people coming forward with the condition, but NHS staff have been advised by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) to Establishing clinical advice, providing care and services appropriate to patients with specific conditions and needs.”

Source: news.sky.com

Innovative Solar-Powered Device Converts Contaminated Water into Clean Hydrogen Fuel and Purified Water

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Cambridge researchers have developed a solar power device that converts contaminated water into clean hydrogen fuel and potable water, providing a sustainable solution to the global energy and water crisis. Credit: Chanon Pornrungroj/Ariffin Mohamad Annuar

A research team from the University of Cambridge has developed an innovative floating device that uses solar energy to convert contaminated or seawater into clean hydrogen fuel and purified water.

The device can operate on any open water source and does not rely on external power sources, making it particularly beneficial for regions with limited resources or without access to the electrical grid.

Innovation inspired by nature

Inspired by photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into food. But unlike previous versions of “artificial leaves” that could produce green hydrogen fuel from clean water sources, this new device can work from polluted or seawater sources and produce clean drinking water at the same time.

Tests of the device have shown that it can produce clean water from highly polluted water, seawater and even the River Cam in central Cambridge.of result reported in a magazine natural water.

Technical challenges and breakthroughs

“It’s difficult to combine solar fuel production and water purification into a single device,” said study co-lead author Dr Chanon Pornunglozi from the Yusuf Hameed Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. “Solar-powered water splitting, where water molecules are split into hydrogen and oxygen, requires starting with completely pure water, as contaminants can poison the catalyst or cause unwanted chemical side reactions. .”

“Water splitting is extremely difficult in remote and developing regions, where clean water is relatively scarce and the infrastructure needed to purify water is not readily available,” said co-lead author Arifin. Mohammad Annua said. “If we have a device that works with contaminated water, we could potentially solve two problems at once: we could split water to make clean fuel and we could make clean drinking water.”

Researchers have developed a solar-powered floating device that can turn contaminated or seawater into clean hydrogen fuel or purified water anywhere in the world. Credit: Chanon Pornrungroj/Ariffin Mohamad Annuar

Pornunglozi and Mohammad Annua, members of Professor Irwin Reisner’s research group, have devised a design that does just that. They deposited a photocatalyst on a nanostructured carbon mesh that easily absorbs both light and heat, producing water vapor that the photocatalyst uses to produce hydrogen. The porous carbon mesh treated to repel water facilitated the levitation of the photocatalyst and served to keep it away from the water below so that pollutants would not interfere with the photocatalyst’s function.

Additionally, new devices use more solar energy. “The process of using light to produce solar fuels uses only a small portion of the solar spectrum; much of the spectrum remains unused,” said Mohammad Anuar.

The research team used a white UV-absorbing layer on top of the floating device for hydrogen production through water splitting. The rest of the solar spectrum travels to the bottom of the device, where the water evaporates.

“This way, we are making better use of light. We get steam for hydrogen production, and the rest is water vapor,” Pornunglozi said. “This way we can now incorporate the process of transpiration, so we can really mimic real leaves.”

Potential global impact

A device that can create clean fuel and clean water all at once using only solar power could help address the energy and water crisis facing many parts of the world. For example, according to the World Health Organization, indoor air pollution caused by cooking with “dirty” fuels such as kerosene is responsible for more than 3 million deaths a year. Cooking with green hydrogen instead could potentially reduce that number significantly. And around the world, he said, 1.8 billion people still don’t have safe drinking water at home.

“The design is also very simple. In just a few steps, you can build a device that works well with water from a variety of sources,” said Mohammad Anuar.

“It is very resistant to contaminants, and the floating design allows the substrate to work in very murky or muddy water,” Pornungloj said. “It’s a very versatile system.”

“While our device is still a proof of principle, these solutions will be needed to develop a truly circular economy and sustainable future,” said Reisner, who led the research. Stated. “The climate crisis and issues around pollution and health are closely linked, and developing approaches that help address both could be a game-changer for many people.”

References: “Hybrid photothermal-photocatalytic sheets for solar-powered whole water splitting coupled with water purification” by Chanon Pornrungroj, Ariffin Bin Mohamad Annuar, Qian Wang, Motiar Rahaman, Subhajit Bhattacharjee, Virgil Andrei, Erwin Reisner; November 13, 2023 natural water.
DOI: 10.1038/s44221-023-00139-9

This research was partially supported by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, the European Research Council, the Cambridge Trust, the Petronas Educational Sponsorship Program and the Winton Program for the Physics of Sustainability. Erwin Reisner is a fellow at St. John’s College. Chanon Pornrungroj is a member of the University of Darwin and Ariffin Mohamad Annuar is a member of Clare University.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Millions at Risk Following ‘Super Saturday’ Scam: Science & Technology News Provides Tips

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Millions of mobile phone users have been warned about possible text scams in the run-up to Christmas, reaching a peak today on what has been dubbed “Super Saturday.”

The BT-owned EE network says cybercriminals are trying to take advantage of the busy last-minute shopping season to carry out delivery-style scams that suggest packages are waiting to be dropped off or have been delayed. He said there is a possibility.

This technique tricks recipients into clicking a link that unknowingly installs malware (malicious software) or leads them to a phishing page designed to collect personal or financial data. There is likely to be.

EE said it had successfully blocked around 3 million SMS scams sent to customers’ mobile phones on this day last year.

The company expects to stop up to 5 million such scams this month. It also announced that it has blocked more than 45 million fraudulent texts so far in 2023.

EE said in a statement: “December’s most common SMS scams were delivery-related, as shoppers scrambled to organize their packages at the last minute in time for the holidays.”

“These include missed delivery or tracking text scams that prompt customers to click on a link that gives criminals the opening they need to steal consumer data and money.”

The company is urging consumers to be wary of scams, especially in the coming weeks, as the stress of preparing for the holidays can “impair your judgment and make you less alert.”

read more:
Booking.com customers warned of ‘well-designed scam’
Scammers’ tactics are becoming increasingly complex – here’s what to watch out for
UK launches charter to fight fraud, false advertising and romance scams

Johnny Bunt, director of regulation at BT Group’s consumer arm EE, said: “Super Saturday is set to be the busiest day of the year for mass retailers.”

“With deliveries piling up on doorsteps, scammers will be looking for ways to capitalize on the festive enthusiasm.

“As one of the UK’s front lines against SMS scam texts, we have a clear picture of the threat level here at BT and EE, and we have already seen an alarming spike in delivery fraud in particular.”

We’re sharing some tips to help you stay safe from scams.

• Never click on links in text from unknown sources.
• Trust your intuition. If something is questionable, there is probably a catch.
• Keep your device software up to date
• Never give out your bank account details, passwords, or security codes on linked websites.
• If you receive a call from your bank, consider calling back on the published number or using the 159 service.
• If someone calls you as scheduled, if in doubt, hang up and call back to a trusted number.
• If you receive a suspicious text, please forward the number and incident to 7726 toll-free for investigation by your mobile phone provider.
• Once reported, block the number and notify others about the scam to avoid falling victim to it.

Source: news.sky.com

Newly Discovered Resting Behavior of Gray Reef Sharks Will Surprise You

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Considered to be a perpetually mobile predator, gray reef sharks have only ever been observed in motion, leading many to believe that they need to swim to breathe. Credit: © Christopher Leon

The first report of a gray shark resting under a reef shelf in the Seychelles changes our knowledge of how they breathe (they don’t need to keep swimming to stay alive), and the science of sleeping sharks. The basis for this has been clarified again.

A predator in perpetual motion. I can’t sleep in our ocean. If you have this impression of sharks, you’re not alone. There’s a good reason for that. Sharks have to swim to breathe (that’s what we were told). The science of shark sleep and breathing is related, and all sharks use gills for breathing, but he has two ways to move oxygen-rich seawater over the gills.

Some sharks, called obligatory rams, “ram” oxygen-rich seawater over their gills, which requires them to keep moving.other seedThey actively pump seawater over their gills while at rest, called buccal pumps.

Evidence of shark rest: A new perspective

Today’s science shows that sharks may be stationary, and there are also suggestions that sharks are asleep. However, there is no solid evidence regarding the sleep behavior of Ram ventilators. Scientists hypothesize that they may not be sleeping at all, sleeping using half their brains (like sperm whales and bottlenose dolphins), or sleeping against ocean currents. There is.

New paper “Just keep swimming? Observation of resting behavior of gray reef sharks Medicaginus Ambryrrhinchus (Bleeker, 1856),” published this month. Fish Biology Journal This overturns our knowledge of one mandatory ram ventilator. The gray shark is an endangered reef-dwelling shark of the family Ceridae, and was a typical representative of sharks that move for breathing.

First evidence of a gray reef shark resting under a reef shelf in the Seychelles. Credit: Photography by Craig Foster | © Save Our Seeds Foundation

“During a routine research dive around Daros, we discovered a gray shark resting under a reef shelf,” said the head of research at the Save Our Seas Daros Research Center (SOSF-DRC) in the Seychelles. Dr. Robert Block begins speaking. “This is not something we believed they were capable of. Gray sharks have been thought of as a ram-breathing species that cannot rest, so when we find these sharks resting, It turns our basic understanding of them upside down.”

Stationary sharks: a surprising discovery

Researchers encountered gray sharks resting alone or in groups at various locations around the Seychelles. And all the while, the sharks seemed oblivious to the observer’s presence. This is an important observation. Scientists believe that increased arousal threshold is a characteristic of sleep, not just rest.

The sharks remained stationary except for mandibular movements, suggesting that these ram-ventilating sharks switch to buccal pumping behavior. Since there is little current at the site and the shark rests facing on all sides, the idea that resting facing the current is the only way to do so is because there is little water for gray reef sharks.

Craig Foster, founder of the SeaChange project, is one of the divers and an author of the paper. “There’s something special about tiptoeing around 25 meters underwater, staring into the open eyes of a sleeping shark, and moving carefully so as not to wake the peaceful, beautiful shark.” he says.

Implications and future research

“I love anything that challenges our current thinking, and I’ve always thought the gray reef shark is a clear example of a species that needs to swim to breathe. Obviously with this discovery. Dr James Lea, CEO of the Save Our Seas Foundation, is enthusiastic about the implications of this paper. “This raises all sorts of other questions,” he says. “How are they coping? For how long? How often? We still have a lot to learn, and that’s very exciting to me.”

If gray reef sharks can switch up their breathing and rest, we may be able to learn more about similar sharks. “It’s important to understand how they use their environment and how it changes in response to changing environmental conditions,” explains Dr. Lee. “How important is this rest, or even the possibility of sleep, for sharks? And how will they be affected if they are unable to rest if conditions change, such as rising or falling oxygen levels due to climate change? Will I receive it?”

remind us of our connection to nature

The authors all agree that this discovery also tells us a lot about ourselves and our relationship with the natural world. “I hope these discoveries remind us how much we still don’t know and how interesting that is. Science can get quite a lot wrong. That’s a lot, and that’s okay,” Dr. Block recalled. Foster believes what we know about the wild is critical to conservation. “Knowing how our shark family sleeps brings us closer to their fascinating world, and awakens us from our own slumber to remind us that we cannot live without these amazing marine creatures.” ,” he said.

Reference: “Just keep swimming? Observation of resting behavior of gray reef sharks Medicaginus Ambryrrhinchus (Bleeker, 1856)” by Robert W. Block, Craig Foster, and James S.E. Lee, November 20, 2023, Fish Biology Journal.
DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15623

Source: scitechdaily.com

Israeli-Palestinian conflict may spill over to TikTok | World news

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

In a TikTok video, a small girl in Gaza covered in ash asks for her mother. This is one of her millions of videos about the Israeli-Hamas conflict that have captivated users on her social platform.Heartbreaking stories and harrowing images pouring out of the conflict zone have boiled emotions thousands of miles away on the streets of London and turned social media into a battlefield.Millions of TikToks are uploaded every day, offering a variety of perspectives. israel-hamas war, as new generations join in the latest iteration of the long-running conflict. For many people, it is now their main source of news.The platform is known for short, snappy video clips that can gain huge reach by being shared and re-shared.”When anger is stirred up, things tend to spread faster,” said Dr. Christine Chen, senior lecturer in war studies at King’s College London.In the US, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley even claimed that TikTok makes people “17% more anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas” every 30 minutes, but there is no clear evidence to support that claim. do not have.Prominent British TikTok creators on both sides of the conflict say the platform provides an opportunity to foster conversations across the divide and highlight stories missed by mainstream media.
TikTok itself said it was responding “quickly and forcefully” to the Israel-Hamas war, accelerating efforts to remove fake accounts and involvement.Looking at the numbers alone, TikTok’s content appears to have a pro-Palestinian slant, but the platform argues that this reflects broader trends on social media and among younger viewers in general. There is.

src=”Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of London in support of Palestine”

“Anytime you have a strong emotional reaction, you’re much more likely to engage,” says Dr. Chen. “Social media platforms like it, so naturally we tend to spread it and stir it up even more.”The result, she says, is increased polarization and difficulty in having calm conversations.Short video clips about specific events during the conflict struggle to summarize all the relevant context, she added. “It’s very easy to bring up that particular incident and it goes viral and then the conversation dies down.”Dr Martin Farr, senior lecturer in modern British history at Newcastle University, said people had seen things on their phones in recent months that they would never forget and may shape their views on the conflict.”The scale of the violence, the scale of the loss of life, and people’s sense that one or the other was responsible, rather than a more complex and necessarily nuanced perception of the situation, was very extraordinary.” he says.”There’s an urge in all of these things to be more provocative.”Dr. Farr also pointed to what he called “atrophy.” Hamas The attacks on Israel began as the death toll in the Gaza Strip soared.Asked whether social media has exacerbated divisions over Israel and Palestine, he said: “I don’t think it’s necessarily made it worse. I think it’s hurt understanding.”

src=”Benny Greenstein asks people about Israel and Palestine. Photo: bennyjeeee”

Some of Benny’s TikToks clearly support one side or the other, while others are unsure or argue that a humane approach is needed.The comments are filled with posts supporting Israel and Palestine and users calling for “genocide.”Benny said he is inspired by his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, and is determined to use his position to promote peace and love.Isobel Dye, 22, is currently studying for a master’s degree at LSE and has been posting on TikTok for several years, amassing more than 164,000 followers.Her interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in particular the plight of Palestinians, began in 2021 when she attended a pro-Palestinian rally.

src=”Isabelle Dye says she reached 1 million users on TikTok in one week”

“I try to talk about things that the mainstream media doesn’t cover,” she says. ‘The British are deeply complicit’ [in the conflict], we can’t help but have an opinion on this. ”Her TikToks typically feature news clips or stories of her speaking to the camera overlaid at the top. She says she reached about 1 million people in the last week.Isobel’s audience at the time was predominantly female (80%), 66% of whom were between the ages of 18 and 24. This is a great example of how TikTok is reaching a younger demographic. Only 28% of people aged 16 to 24 read newspapers in print or online. According to Ofcom.When asked if TikTok is a good place for people involved in conflict, she said yes, with the right voices. “I try to center Palestinian voices,” she added.

src=”Pro-Israel demonstration in London”

read more:British destroyer joins task force to protect Red SeaFamily pleads for new hostage dealDebra Burns, 59, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, attends schools in England and speaks about anti-Semitism. Seeking her new audience, she also started posting about her family’s stories on her TikTok.”I’m not necessarily a prime TikTok viewer,” she says. “My mission is to spread the story of the Holocaust in hopes that it will enlighten people and that something like it will never happen again.”In the terrifying aftermath of Hamas’ attacks on Israel, she began using TikTok to amplify calls for the safe return of hostages.“I feel like a small voice, like David and Goliath, in the midst of massive anti-Israel and anti-Semitism on social media,” she says.”I don’t post about conflicts because there are a lot of people who are more knowledgeable than me and who work on conflicts better. I just try to do what I can to help them. ”

src=”TikTok tried to explain how its algorithm works”

Amid the debate over how it decides what content to show users, TikTok published a lengthy blog post saying its recommendation algorithm doesn’t take sides.”The content people see on TikTok is generated by our community, and recommendations are based on content people have previously engaged with.”TikTok does not ‘promote’ one side of an issue over another,” the company said.Videos are ranked using a predictive score based on what TikToks users have previously watched.Specifically regarding the Israel-Hamas war, TikTok said it has responded “swiftly and forcefully” and has removed more than 925,000 videos for violating policies such as violence and hate speech.It added: “TikTok does not allow inaccurate, misleading, or false content that, whether intended or not, may cause serious harm to individuals or society.”The platform said it removed more than 50,000 videos between October 7 and October 31 for containing “harmful misinformation.”While it may not be a popular app for politicians (in fact, it’s banned from UK government devices), it’s clear that TikTok is a big part of the debate about Israel and Palestine.The October 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent invasion of Gaza galvanized a new generation to join the struggle for peace in the Middle East. And places like TikTok are where that conversation takes place.Watch ‘Crossing the Divide’, a Sky News documentary about how the Israel-Hamas war has divided the people of Britain, on Saturday 23 December at 9pm.

Source: news.sky.com

Insights from AI: How Oxygen is Produced on Mars

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Recent breakthroughs in using robotic AI chemists to synthesize oxygen on Mars and create OER catalysts from Martian meteorites mark an important step towards realizing the dream of colonizing Mars. This technology promises to establish oxygen factories on Mars and bring human habitation on Earth closer to reality.Credit: AI Chemistry Group, University of Science and Technology of China

AI chemists have successfully created a catalyst that produces oxygen from a Martian meteorite.

continue to live with immigration to Mars It has often been used as a theme in science fiction. Before these dreams become a reality, humanity faces significant challenges, including a lack of critical resources such as oxygen needed for long-term survival on Mars. However, recent discoveries about water activity on Mars offer new hope for overcoming these obstacles.

Scientists are currently investigating the possibility of splitting water to produce oxygen through electrochemical water oxidation driven by solar energy with the help of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts. . The challenge is to find a way to synthesize these catalysts in situ using Martian materials, rather than having to transport them from Earth, which is costly.

Advances in AI and Mars chemistry

To address this problem, a team led by Professor Luo Yi, Professor Jiang Jun, and Professor Shang Weiwei from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) recently made it possible to: Use a robotic artificial intelligence (AI) chemist to automatically synthesize and optimize his OER catalyst from Martian meteorites.

Their research, in collaboration with the Deep Space Exploration Institute, was recently published in the journal. Natural synthesis.

“AI chemists will innovatively synthesize OER catalysts using Martian materials based on interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Professor Luo Yi, the team’s lead scientist.

In each experimental cycle, AI chemists first use laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as an eye to analyze the elemental composition of Martian ores. The ore is then subjected to a series of pretreatments, including weighing in a solids distribution workstation, preparing a feed solution in a liquid distribution workstation, separating it from the liquid in a centrifugation workstation, and solidifying it in a drying workstation. Masu.

A robotic AI chemist uses a Martian meteorite to create a useful oxygen-producing catalyst.Credit: AI Chemistry Group, University of Science and Technology of China

The resulting metal hydroxide is treated with Nafion adhesive to prepare a working electrode for OER testing in an electrochemical workstation. Test data is sent in real time to the AI chemist’s computational “brain”, machine learning (ML) Processing.

The AI chemist’s “brain” employs quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics simulations on 30,000 high-entropy hydroxides with different elemental ratios and calculates their OER catalytic activity via density functional theory. The simulation data is used to train a neural network model to rapidly predict the activity of catalysts at different elemental compositions.

Finally, through Bayesian optimization, the “brain” predicts the combination of available Martian ores needed to synthesize the optimal OER catalyst.

Achieving breakthrough advances in oxygen production

So far, AI chemists have used five types of Martian meteorites to create successful catalysts under unmanned conditions. This catalyst operates stably for more than 550,000 s at a current density of 10 mA cm.^-2 Overvoltage is 445.1 mV. Further tests at -37 degrees Celsius, the temperature of Mars, confirmed that the catalyst could stably produce oxygen without any obvious degradation.

In less than two months, AI chemists completed a complex optimization of a catalyst that would have taken a human chemist 2000 years.

The team is working on turning AI chemist into a common experimental platform for performing various chemical syntheses without human intervention. The paper’s reviewers praised the paper, saying, “This type of research is of widespread interest and is rapidly progressing in the synthesis and discovery of organic/inorganic materials.”

“In the future, humans will be able to establish oxygen factories on Mars with the help of AI chemists,” Zhang said. It takes just 15 hours of sunlight to produce sufficient oxygen concentrations for human survival. “This breakthrough technology brings us one step closer to realizing our dream of living on Mars,” he said.

Reference: “Automatic synthesis of oxygen production catalyst from Martian meteorite by robot AI chemist” Qing Zhu, Yan Huang, Donglai Zhou, Lyuan Zhao, Lulu Guo, Ruyu Yang, Zixu Sun, Man Luo, Fei Zhang, Hengyu Xiao , Xinsheng Tang, Xchun Zhang, Tao Song, Xiang Li, Baochen Chong, Junyi Zhang, Yihan Zhang, Baicheng Zhang, Jiaqi Cao, Guozhen Zhang, Song Wang, Guilin Ye, Wanjun Zhang, Haitao Zhao, Shuang Cong, Huiron Li, Li – Li Ling, Zhe Zhang, Weiwei Shang, Jun Jiang, Yi Luo, November 13, 2023, natural synthesis.
DOI: 10.1038/s44160-023-00424-1

Source: scitechdaily.com

British Teenager, Arion Courtaj, Sentenced for Hacking ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

The teenager behind the infamous hacking incident in which footage of the unreleased Grand Theft Auto VI game was leaked online has been detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act.

Arion Kurtaj, 18, a “principal figure” in the Lapsus$ group, has hacked into major technology companies, including Rockstar Games, the developer of the highly successful video game series.

He stole code and footage from the unreleased Grand Theft Auto VI. The long-awaited sequel It will be in stores next year, more than 10 years after it was last released.

Kurtaj Some of the stolen footage has been released In an online forum, he blackmailed developer Rockstar, threatening to release its source code if it did not contact him last September.

Judge Patricia Rees said the hack “cost Rockstar a significant loss of incalculable marketing opportunities,” adding that in addition to thousands of hours of employee labor, the company lost more than $1.5 million in outside help alone. It said it cost about $1.2 million (approximately £1.2 million).

Kurtaj also said that over a 14-month period from July 2021 to September last year, when he was 16 and 17 years old, he had access to broadband provider BT, mobile phone operator EE, software companies NVIDIA and Uber. targeted and demanded millions of dollars.

Psychiatrists had ruled that Kurtaj, who is autistic, was unfit to face charges or stand trial.

However, the jury found he had committed 12 criminal acts. The charges included six counts of committing a fraudulent act to interfere with the operation of a computer, three counts of extortion, two counts of fraud, and failure to comply. After a two-month incident, he served a Section 49 notice to disclose the keys after failing to hand over his mobile phone password when asked by police.

read more:
GTA VI trailer: What we learned from the first look at the next Grand Theft Auto game

The judge ordered him to remain in hospital indefinitely, with restrictions under Section 41 of the Mental Health Act, meaning he could only be discharged if the Attorney-General gives permission.

Courtaj, who cannot be named because of his age, pleaded guilty to one count of computer fraud and one count of fraud and was sentenced along with a 17-year-old boy who was also convicted of one count of fraud. received. He committed extortion and fraudulent activities that interfered with the operation of computers.

“You two were at the center of a series of cyber crimes carried out by a group of hackers calling themselves Lapsus$,” the judge said.

“The group targeted major technology companies, subjecting them to hacking, blackmail, and fraud.”

The court heard that the young man was a member of the group from July 2021, when he was 15, to February last year, and was involved in crimes against EE/BT and Nvidia, with the hack costing the company $5 million (approx. The court found that the remediation costs amounted to $1. .

The judge said the boy, who has been diagnosed with autism, also carried out a “brazen hack” into the City of London Police system to access CCTV footage.

This teenager used an international government official’s email address to send emergency disclosure requests to companies including Discord, Google and Uber, obtaining personal information about the people he targeted before scamming youth courts. He was also found guilty of stalking, the court heard.

He was given a Youth Rehabilitation Order including an 18-month supervision requirement and a six-month prohibited behavior requirement to stop using VPNs.

Source: news.sky.com

Scientists identify five previously unknown soft-furred hedgehog species in Southeast Asia

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Five new species of hedgehogs have been discovered by scientists in Southeast Asia.

These are all types of hedgehogs that have soft, spineless fur, and are more hairy than spiny.

Two of the species discovered by researchers are completely new, and the remaining three are subspecies that have been upgraded to species level.

Researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History used DNA to identify different genetic lineages, which were later confirmed as different species by comparison with museum specimens.

One completely new species, Hylomys vorax, is found in the rainforest on the slopes of Mount Leuser in northern Sumatra.

It is approximately 12 cm (4.7 inches) long, has dark brown fur, a very thin snout, and a completely black tail.

Another completely new species, the H. macaron hedgehog, also has dark brown fur, but is larger than the Hylomys vorax hedgehog, at about 14 cm (5.5 inches) long.

Found in southern rainforests. Vietnam Males of this species have long fang-like incisors, hence their name from the Vietnamese word for vampire (Ma cà rồng).

The researchers said further research would be needed to determine what purpose the tusks serve.

Lead author Dr. Arlo Hinckley said the findings “highlight that even in well-studied animal groups like mammals, there are discoveries still waiting to be discovered.”

The other three new species were previously considered subspecies of Hylomys suillus but have now been elevated to species in their own right and have been named H. dorsalis, H. Maxi, and H. peguensis. Masu.

The H. dorsalis hedgehog is found in the mountains of northern Borneo, and the H. maxi hedgehog is found in the mountains of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula.

Both are about 14 cm long, but H. dorsalis has a prominent black strike that starts at the head and reaches the middle of the body.

The H. pegwensis species is small, usually about 13 cm (5 inches) long, and has slightly more yellow fur than other species.

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It is found in many countries in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar.

Each of the five species are active during the day and night and, like all other hedgehog species, are omnivorous. They probably eat a mixture of insects and other invertebrates, and fruit whenever possible.

Dr Hinckley said: “Based on field observations and the lifestyle habits of their relatives, these hedgehogs tend to forage in hollow areas, foraging among tree roots, fallen logs, rocks, grassy areas, undergrowth and leaf litter. It is highly likely that they build nests and hide.

“But they are so poorly studied that we are limited in speculating about the details of their natural history.”

Source: news.sky.com

Unexpected star formation driven by dwarf galaxies discovered

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

A University of Michigan astronomer, Sally Ooi, led a study on the star-forming regions of the host galaxy NGC 2366, a typical dwarf irregular galaxy. This study was credited to the Observatorio de Calar Alto, J. van Eymeren (AIRUB, ATNF), and Á.R. López Sánchez. As it turns out, dwarf galaxies such as NGC 2366 experience a delay in expelling gas, which allows for the star-forming regions to hold onto gas and dust longer, promoting the formation and development of more stars. This delays the onset of strong superwinds by 10 million years, resulting in more active star formation. This discovery was published in the Astrophysical Journal.

This delay offers astronomers a unique opportunity to study a scenario similar to the dawn of the universe, when ultraviolet light begins to ionize hydrogen, changing the universe from opaque to transparent. By observing low-metallicity dwarf galaxies with large amounts of ultraviolet radiation, scientists can gain insight into these early stages of the universe. The use of new technology from the Hubble Space Telescope allows researchers to observe the light of triple ionized carbon in these galaxies. This observational evidence supports the delayed onset of strong superwinds and a greater amount of ultraviolet radiation in these galaxies.

Thanks to these discoveries, scientists may gain a better understanding of the nature of galaxies seen at the dawn of the universe. This information could be important for the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. The study was published in the Astrophysical Journal and the Astrophysics Journal Letter. The research team involved in these studies included Michelle C. Jecmen, MS Oey, Amit N. Sawant, Ashkviz Danekar, Sergiy Silic, Linda J. Smith, Jens Melinder, Klaus Reiter, Matthew Hayes, Anne E. Jascott, Daniela Calzetti, Yu-Hua Chu, and Bethan L. James. Ultimately, these findings provide valuable insight into the formation and development of stars in low-metallicity dwarf galaxies.

Source: scitechdaily.com

African American Congressional members express concerns about how tech sector layoffs may affect minority workers

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter to Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su expressing concerns about the disproportionate impact high-tech layoffs could have on Black workers, according to a letter obtained by TechCrunch. expressed.

It was first reported The GrioThe letter includes steps the Department of Labor has taken to monitor the impact of technology layoffs on African Americans, regulations regarding business practices, and recent Supreme Court precedents to ensure that they are not treated unfairly. Contains a list of questions regarding Used to undermine a company’s DEI practices and budgets.

The technology industry has cut more than 240,000 jobs this year due to layoffs. The concern here is that the “last-in, first-out” approach to layoffs commonly adopted by companies may not be effective for new employees and less senior “non-essentials”, who are most likely to be in the minority. This could potentially affect employees in an emergency.

“Laying off the most recent hires directly impacts a group of people who have benefited from new diversity policies introduced in response to heightened race-based conversations in 2020,” the letter said. “have a significant impact.”

“While corporations reap billions in profits, Black, brown, and women tech workers bear the brunt of layoffs,” said Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, co-chair of the CBC. We’ve seen it happen,” Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, co-chair of the CBC, told TechCrunch. “Member of Parliament [Barbara] Lee and I as co-chairs CBC TECH2025is calling on governments to take steps to address this harmful and troubling trend. ”

The Ministry of Labor has not yet responded to the letter dated December 15th. A Ministry of Labor representative said, “We can confirm that we have received the letter and are considering it.”

The technology and venture industries have been facing a recession in recent years. In response to the 2020 killing of George Floyd, many companies pledged to support the Black community.But as the market slumps, the diversity pledge lack of fundsDEI jobs are being cut, and venture capital funding to Black founders continues to decline every quarter.

CBC is also being strengthened.Last week, it was I have written It called on Sam Altman and the OpenAI board to “quickly diversify the board to include subject matter expertise with perspectives from the African American community.” OpenAI Board of Directors I don’t have it at the moment Whether it’s women or people of color.

Updated to add comment from DoL. The headline has been updated to reflect that they are representatives, not senators.

Source: techcrunch.com

Uncovering the Astonishing Facts about Ancient Bead-Like Fossils

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists have determined that a mysterious fruit first discovered in the 1970s is the oldest known frankincense fossil. Scale bar = 2 mm.
Credit: Stephen Manchester

Mysterious fossils discovered in India in the 1970s have been identified as part of the Frankincense family, suggesting a Southern Hemisphere origin and reshaping our understanding of plant evolution. In the early 1970s, paleontologists working on the outskirts of an Indian village discovered tiny bead-like fossils embedded in the gray chert that dotted the surrounding fields. The site was notorious for the discovery of hard-to-identify plant fossils, including the fruits of extinct creatures. The fossils have been named “Enigmocarpon”.

The new fossils proved to be similarly frustratingly unwieldy. More plants were discovered in India in subsequent decades, but scientists were unable to determine which type of plant they belonged to.

A breakthrough in fossil identification: Now, researchers say they have solved the mystery. Stephen Manchester, curator of paleobotany at the Florida Museum of Natural History, used CT scanning technology to create his 3D reconstructions of the original fossil specimens and other specimens collected since then. He showed this to his colleagues and noticed something strange about his five triangular seeds inside.

Before the widespread use of CT scans in paleontology, these small fossils, less than 10 mm in diameter, were particularly difficult to study and identify. “When I showed him the 3-D images, he said, ‘Those aren’t seeds. They’re pyrenes,'” Manchester said with Walter Judd, curator of botany at the Florida Museum. I remembered the conversation. Pyrene is a woody dispersal pod that provides an additional layer of protection to the seeds. Distinguishing between seeds and pyrenes requires close scrutiny, especially when they are the size of a snowflake.

“If we had a specimen that broke in just the right plane, we would have been able to identify it, but we couldn’t identify it with the material we had,” Manchester said. Although they may look like seeds, these woody structures are actually pyrenes, similar to the stones found in peaches and date palms.

Frankincense family connection: Only a few plant groups produce pyrene, and even fewer have fruits containing five seeds arranged in a pentagram. Through a process of elimination, Manchester and Judd determined that the fossils belonged to the frankincense family, an extinct member of the Kansas family. Fossilized trees, leaves, fruits, and flowers of this family have been found elsewhere in India, often sandwiched between thick basalt slabs created by the largest volcanic eruptions in Earth’s history.

Geological background and importance: At that time, India was an island off the southeast coast of Africa. India’s continental plate slowly moved toward Europe and Asia, breaking the seal of a thin layer of Earth’s crust as it passed through Madagascar. The fossils were preserved during a quiet period between eruptions, which makes it the oldest fossil of the Kansidae family ever discovered, and has important implications for the origin of the family. Scientists have a good idea of when this group of plants first evolved, but it’s still unclear where they came from.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Bluesky now allows users to view posts without logging in

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Decentralized social networks and Twitter rivals blue sky finally allows users to view posts on the platform without logging in. You still need an invitation to create an account and start posting, but you can read posts through a link.

The move will allow publishers to link to Bluesky’s posts and embed them in their blogs. Additionally, users can share them individually or in group chats.

Bluesky users can toggle their settings in the following ways: [設定]>[モデレーション]>[ログアウト時の公開設定] Prevent social networks from displaying posts to users who are logged out. However, this restriction only applies to his Bluesky’s website and its own app. The company said other third-party clients may not honor this switch and not display your posts. Therefore, if you don’t want to share your posts with more users, you should make your profile private.

Bluesky's logout display settings apply to its own apps and websites

Bluesky’s logout visibility settings apply to its own apps and websites Image credits: blue sky

In a blog post, the company’s CEO Jay Graeber also announced a new butterfly emoji logo, replacing the more common “clouds and blue sky” logo.

“We noticed early on that people were naturally using the butterfly emoji 🦋 to indicate their Bluesky handle,” Graber said. “We liked it and adopted it as it spread. This butterfly speaks to our mission to reinvent social media.”

This year, Bluesky released iOS and Android apps and reached 2 million users. The social network also rolled out various moderation tools after facing criticism over the type of content allowed on its platform. Bluesky is currently the only instance of the AT protocol, but aims to enable federation “early next year.” This means that there may be more servers and instances compatible with his Bluesky with their own rules.

Bluesky’s announcement comes at a time when Meta’s Threads has begun experimenting with ActivityPub integration. Following Meta’s announcement earlier this month, Instagram head Adam Mosseri and other everyone from thread team has started making your accounts and posts visible in Mastodon and other compatible apps.

Source: techcrunch.com

Excessive Cannabis Use Associated with Numerous Health Problems According to New Study

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

A Yale University study that analyzed the genomes of more than 1 million people revealed genetic factors associated with cannabis use disorder and potential links to psychiatric problems, substance abuse, and lung cancer risk. The importance of understanding the health effects is emphasized.Credit: Illustration by Michael S. Helfenbein

A comprehensive study conducted by researchers at Yale University and involving the analysis of the genomes of more than 1 million people has provided new insights into the biology of cannabis use disorder. The study also investigated links to various mental illnesses, the propensity to abuse other substances such as tobacco, and the potential increased risk of lung cancer associated with cannabis use.

For this study, researchers analyzed genome-wide genetic variation in individuals from multiple ancestry groups enrolled in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Million Veterans Program, one of the world’s largest genetic databases. set and incorporated additional information from several other genomic databases. . They were able to identify dozens of genetic variants associated with cannabis use disorder, as well as a variety of behavioral and health problems associated with cannabis use disorder.

Understand the risks of marijuana use

The study was led by Daniel Levey, assistant professor of psychiatry, and Joel Gelernter, Foundation Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience, and was published Nov. 20 in the journal Psychiatry. natural genetics.

“Understanding the biology of cannabis use disorder can help us better understand associated disorders and inform the public about the risks associated with cannabis use,” said Levy, lead author of the study. .

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marijuana is the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the United States, with more than 48 million people (18% of Americans) using marijuana at least once in 2019. There is. Previous research has shown that approximately one-third of marijuana users develop cannabis use disorder, a pattern of problematic cannabis use that results in clinically significant impairment and distress. Defined.

Genetic factors and health risks associated with cannabis use

The new findings provide insight into the genetic factors underlying this phenomenon and other health risks that may be associated.

For example, researchers found that variants in genes encoding three different types of receptors on neurons are associated with an increased risk of developing cannabis use disorder.

They found that these mutations associated with cannabis use disorder were also associated with the development of lung cancer. However, the authors added that more research is needed to distinguish the effects of marijuana use from the effects of tobacco use and other environmental factors on cancer diagnosis.

“This is the largest genome-wide study of cannabis use disorder ever conducted, and as more states legalize or decriminalize marijuana use, studies like this one will “This could help us understand the public health risks associated with this increase,” said Gelernter.

Reference: “Multi-ancestral genome-wide association study of cannabis use disorder provides insight into disease biology and public health implications” Daniel F. Levey, Marco Galimberti, Joseph D. Dieck, Frank R. Wendt, Arjun Bhattacharya, Dora Koller, Kelly M. Harrington, Rachel Quaden, Emma C. Johnson, Priya Gupta, Mahantesh Birader, Max Lamb, Megan Cook, Veera M. Rajagopal, Stephanie LL Empke, Han Zhou, Yaira Z. Nunez, Henry R. Kranzler, Howard J. Edenberg, Alpana Agrawal, Jordan W. Smaller, Todd Lentz, David M. Hougaard, Anders D. Borglum, Ditte Demotis, Veterans Affairs Million – Veterans Program, J. Michael Gaziano, Michael J. Gandal, Renato Polimanti, Murray B. Stein, Joel Gelernter, November 20, 2023, natural genetics.
DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01563-z

Source: scitechdaily.com

Labrys Technologies Cultivates Versatile Seeds for Humanitarian and Military Applications

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

When Hellsing raised $223 million in a Series B round, the tech industry saw it as continued confirmation that defense is definitely back on the investment agenda.

Further confirmation came today in the form of a $5.5 million seed round for the British defense technology startup, in news shared exclusively with TechCrunch. Labris Technologies, led by Germany’s Project A Ventures. MD One Ventures, Marque VC, Offset Ventures and Expeditions Fund also participated. The funding will be used to expand the development and research and development team, as well as strengthen the commercial sales team.

Labrys is perhaps best described as a service that blends Slack, location, and payments for both military and humanitarian scenarios. This may seem a bit tedious, but it starts to make more sense when you look at the problem the product is intended to solve.

WhatsApp is commonly used in fast-moving situations like humanitarian crises. And although I declare some interest in this subject, I have personal experience with this. Since 2015, when I founded the nonprofit Techfugees, we found that refugees and humanitarian workers almost always use WhatsApp to coordinate their responses. It was simple, worked even on bad networks, was fast, and could reveal my location. However, its limitations are all too obvious. How do you know you’re dealing with a legitimate humanitarian worker? What if they don’t reveal their location? How can we provide them with resources and money? These are important questions to solve.

Co-founder and CEO August Larsten said in an interview: In some cases, it can be very difficult to actually verify and see who the person on the other end of the phone is actually talking to. And you can’t integrate all these different chats into something called a network coordination tree. If he wants to talk to 133 people in Indonesia, he doesn’t necessarily want 133 individual communications. ”

Therefore, the Labrys client displays on-screen dashboards that allow users of apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams to send messages to entire teams or individuals, and see where they are. And you can (fashionably) pay for it.

Labrys Technologies mobile platform. Image credits: Labris Technologies

The veteran-owned startup’s platform effectively “scratched an itch” that the founders discovered through their own work “on the ground.” Mr Larsten is a former Royal Marine Special Forces officer who led teams across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Luke Wattam (Co-Founder and COO) has worked across the UK Ministry of Defence, the FCDO and the UK’s Allies.

The Labrys platform, Axiom C2 and Axiom Communicator, enables KYC/E verification, encrypted communications, task management, and geographic location of individual users. Finally, it also encompasses digital payments via crypto stablecoins. In other words, you know who you’re dealing with, where they are located, and how you can pay them. This is especially important when dealing with humanitarian disasters.

Larsten said to me: “I see people through a geospatial interface. Having that interface differentiates me from communication channels like WhatsApp or Slack. The second element is that no matter where they are in Afghanistan, for example, those And we want to pay our employees, all through the same interface in USD stablecoins.”

Labrys claims the platform has already proven its value in the field.

It was used in Afghanistan to help evacuate 5,000 persecuted Afghan minorities, as well as by the Ukrainian National Emergency Service during the Kakhovka Dam collapse.

Mykola Taranenko, commander of the Kherson regional emergency response team of the Ukrainian Red Cross (also a Labrys customer), told TechCrunch in an email: High-risk environments like Ukraine. With the help of Axiom, you can securely monitor your team’s location and status, manage donations, quickly translate digital payments into real-world impact, and purchase equipment locally. [and] Donors can see where their money went. ”

Labrys operates in a unique environment where many civilian and military solutions overlap. for example, everbridge is an enterprise software solution that provides users (often military or NGOs) with an understanding of global flashpoints. However, unlike Labrys, it does not have the equipment to connect with humans “on the ground” so to speak. Another of his TAKs is known as the “Blue Force” tracking system. meanwhile, Premises datahas raised $146 million and has a software platform for humanitarian organizations that provides analytics on assets on the ground.

This latest funding is one of the largest seed rounds ever for a European defense tech startup and symbolizes that defense is no longer off-limits for investors, as we saw this year at TechCrunch Disrupt. ing.

Additionally, “dual-use” products that coordinate either civilian or military teams are a growing market. As of 2022, the global command and control systems market will be Estimation Its size is $22 billion and is expected to reach $28 billion by 2028.

Meanwhile, Improbable, EclecticIQ, Living Optics, and Preligens are all European companies that have raised tens of millions of dollars, and in some cases more, in the past year or so.

The news reflects an established trend from last year, when venture capital-backed companies injected $7 billion into U.S. aerospace and defense companies.

Source: techcrunch.com

Ancient migration revealed in Balkan genome

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

An international research team has unraveled the complex genomic history of the Balkans since Roman times, revealing a mix of Anatolian and Slavic influences. The study combines ancient DNA analysis with historical and archaeological data to show how migration and Roman imperial policies have shaped the genetic makeup of the modern-day Balkan population.

Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Interdisciplinary research reveals the genomic history of the Balkans, highlighting the significant impact of Anatolian and Slavic migrations during and after the Roman Empire. This study highlights a shared demographic history across the Balkans.

An interdisciplinary study led by Spain’s Institute of Evolutionary Biology (a joint center between Spain’s National Research Council and Pompeu Fabra University), the University of Belgrade in Serbia, the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and Harvard University in the United States. We reconstruct the genomic history of the Balkans during the first millennium of the Common Era, a time and place of major demographic, cultural, and linguistic changes.

The research team recovered and analyzed whole-genome data from 146 ancient humans excavated primarily in Serbia and Croatia. More than a third of these came from the Roman border area at the huge ruins of Viminacium in Serbia. The data were jointly analyzed. the rest of the Balkans and neighboring areas.

Works published in magazines cellhighlights the cosmopolitanism of the Roman frontier and the long-term effects of migration that accompanied the collapse of Roman rule, including the arrival of Slavic-speaking peoples.archaeological DNA It has become clear that, despite being divided by nation-state boundaries, the populations of the Balkans have been shaped by common demographic processes.

Reconstruction of the amphitheater at the ruins of Viminacium. Credit: Boris Hammer

During the Roman Empire, there was a large influx of people from the east into the Balkans, much of it from the Eastern Mediterranean and even from East Africa.

After Rome occupied the Balkans, this border area became a crossroads that would eventually lead to 26 Roman emperors. Among them was Constantine the Great, who founded the city of Constantinople and moved the capital of his empire to the eastern Balkans.

The researchers’ analysis of ancient DNA shows that people of Anatolian descent made a significant demographic contribution during Roman rule, leaving a long-term genetic imprint on the Balkans. This ancestral migration is very similar to what happened in the megacity of Rome itself, the original core of the empire, in previous studies, but it is noteworthy that this also happened on the periphery of the Roman Empire. .

and so on…

Source: scitechdaily.com

Spotify initiates ‘divestment’ in France in response to new music streaming tax

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Spotify is withdrawing support from two music festivals in protest of a controversial new tax on the French-operated music streaming platform, with further action expected in the coming months. is threatening.

Antoine MoninManaging Director of Spotify in France and Benelux, took me to X This week we will criticize new tax All music streaming services will be subject to a levy of 1.5% to 1.75%, the proceeds of which will be donated to the National Music Center (CNM). Founded in 2020 To support the French music sector.

All major music streaming platforms have joined together to oppose the new law, including Apple, Google’s YouTube, and local company Deezer, but Spotify has been the most vocal.Following last week’s announcement, Spotify the movement said said it was a “real blow to innovation” and was assessing its next move.

The company has now given a first look at what these moves will look like, with Monin saying it will withdraw its support: Francofolie de la Rochelle And that Printemps de Bourges We are supporting the festival starting in 2024 through financial and other on-site resources. “Other announcements will follow in 2024,” Monin added, but did not elaborate on what those measures would be.

Tete a Tetes

It’s worth noting that Spotify has recently gotten into trouble. Tete a tete Negotiations are underway with the Uruguayan government over a new law that promises “fair and equitable” remuneration for all artists involved in recordings. Spotify would have to pay rights holders twice for the same track under this law, Therefore, stop operating in that country. The company then made a 180-degree turn after receiving assurances from the government that music streaming platforms would not be expected to incur any additional costs resulting from the law.

France is different in that it is probably a much larger market for Spotify and an exit is not a viable course of action. And, as Monin hinted last week, that action plan is likely to focus on reallocating resources to other markets.

“Spotify will have the means to absorb this tax, but Spotify will stop investing in France and invest in other markets,” Monnin said. in an interview Last week on France Info. “France does not encourage innovation or investment.”

Source: techcrunch.com

Analyzing HomeCooks’ $3.2 million seed deck: Understanding the pitch deck

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Originally Facebook The group was started by people during the 2020 coronavirus lockdown to make healthy meals for those close to them. home cook has evolved into a comprehensive marketplace for chefs. We facilitate the entire process from chef preparation to delivery, offering over 200 meal options. The company recently raised $3.2 million in crowdfunding on Seedrs.

HomeCooks positions itself as the “Etsy of food” and has grown rapidly and now serves approximately 7,000 customers. Take a look at how the company told its story with its crowdfunding campaign.

Quick spoiler alert here: This deck is way too long at 25 slides, but it’s also one of the best pitch decks I’ve seen in this heat of the moment.

This deck slide

The company shared 25 slides in their entirety without any edits or edits. The situation is as follows.

cover slide
mission slide
“Food Etsy” slide
How Eater Slide works

…

social impact slides
end slide

3 things to love

This is not a perfect pitch deck, but it has to be an incredibly good one. Below are some highlights.

threading the market needle

There is So There are many reasons why marketplaces are so difficult to succeed…

[Slide 17] Homecooks argues that the audience will grow with supply. Normally he would call BS, but the numbers support their claims. image credits: Home Cook

sustainability perspective

…

[Slide 14] Yass! image credits: Home Cook

It’s an incredible team

…

[Slide 20] good . . . Fuck! That’s impressive! image credits: Home Cook

Bravo.

In the rest of this teardown, we’ll look at three things HomeCooks could have improved or done differently, along with its full pitch deck.

Source: techcrunch.com

space element factory

Instability of heavy elements

Identify previously unrecognized patterns

well read

audio

TechCrunch+

A breakthrough in supercapacitor electrode efficiency

New methodology and findings

Dwarf irregular galaxies are born and dazzling stars are born

Hubble Space Telescope presents a starry sky for Christmas

Comparative study of primate brains

Insights into cognitive evolution

Brain cell types and gene expression

Expanding the human cell atlas

Evolution and disease research

Here’s how to start your own category to solve a niche problem

Identify your unique value proposition

Innovation inspired by nature

Technical challenges and breakthroughs

Potential global impact

Evidence of shark rest: A new perspective

Stationary sharks: a surprising discovery

Implications and future research

remind us of our connection to nature

AI chemists have successfully created a catalyst that produces oxygen from a Martian meteorite.

Advances in AI and Mars chemistry

Achieving breakthrough advances in oxygen production

Understand the risks of marijuana use

Genetic factors and health risks associated with cannabis use

Tete a Tetes

This deck slide

3 things to love

threading the market needle

sustainability perspective

It’s an incredible team

As 2023 draws to a close, we’re here to look back at the year’s biggest fintech stories.

Evolution of galaxies in dense star clusters

Innovative simulations and important discoveries

Contribution and significance of research