Anticipating the Future: 8 AI Predictions for 2024

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

It was shocking for AI, as it moved from niche to mainstream technology faster than ever before. But 2024 will be the year when this hype really becomes reality as people consider the capabilities and limitations of AI as a whole. Here are some ways we think that could happen.

OpenAI becomes a product company

After a management shake-up in November, OpenAI will be a different company — it may not look like it on the outside, but the trickle-down effect of Sam Altman taking more full charge will make all the difference. You can feel it on the level. And one of the ways we expect that to manifest is through the idea of “shipping.” You can see that in the GPT store. Originally he was scheduled for release in December, but was understandably delayed due to executive turmoil. “AI app store” will continue to be strongly promoted as a platform to get AI toys and tools. Don’t worry about Hugging Face or any other open source model. They have a great model called Apple and they follow it all the way to the bank. Expect to see more similar moves from OpenAI in 2024, as the prudence and academic reserve exhibited by previous boards gives way to unseemly greed for markets and customers. Other big companies working on AI will likely follow this trend (e.g. we expect Gemini/Bard to get into a ton of Google products), but I suspect it will be more pronounced in this case.

Agents, generated videos, and generated music graduate from quaint to experimental

Some niche applications of AI models, such as agent-based models and generative multimedia, will grow beyond “meh” status by 2024. If AI is going to help you do more than summarize things or create lists, it will need access to spreadsheets, ticket-buying interfaces, transit apps, and more. In 2023, several attempts were made with this “agent” approach, but none really caught on. I don’t expect anything to really take off in 2024 either, but I think agent-based models will look a little more convincing than they did last year. We’ll also see some clutch use cases that are notorious for tedious processes such as submission. Insurance claims. Video and audio will also find a niche where their shortcomings are less obvious. In the hands of skilled creators, the lack of photorealism will not be an issue and AI video will be used in fun and interesting ways. Similarly, generative music models are likely to be adopted by some major productions, such as games, where professional musicians can also leverage the tools to create endless soundtracks.

The limitations of monolithic LLM become clearer

So far, there’s been a lot of optimism about the capabilities of large-scale language models, and they’ve actually proven to be better than anyone expected, and can be used to create more computing power. As more are added, its capabilities further increase accordingly. But 2024 will be the year that something will be given. There is a lot of research going on at the forefront of this field, so it is impossible to predict exactly where this will happen. The seemingly magical “new” features of the LLM will be further studied and understood in 2024. Also, things like LLM not being able to multiply large numbers would make more sense. At the same time, the returns on number of parameters also start to decrease, and while training a 500 billion parameter model might technically yield better results, the compute required to do so could probably be more effectively deployed. may be. A single monolithic model is unwieldy and expensive, whereas a combination of multiple experts (a collection of smaller, more specific and perhaps multimodal models) is much easier to update in parts. However, it may prove to be nearly as effective.

Marketing meets reality

The simple fact is that it will be very difficult for companies to live up to the hype built in 2023. Marketing claims about machine learning systems that companies deploy to keep up will be subject to quarterly and annual reviews…and there is a strong possibility that they will be found to be inadequate. It is high. We expect significant customer withdrawal from AI tools as the benefits do not justify the costs and risks. At the other end of the spectrum, we may see litigation and regulatory action with AI service providers who are unable to substantiate their claims. Capabilities will continue to grow and advance, but it is not far off that all 2023 products will survive, and there will be a round of consolidation as the wave’s erratic riders decline and are consumed.

Source: techcrunch.com

One hundred elephants die in drought-stricken park in Zimbabwe

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Zimbabwe’s largest national park has seen the death of at least 100 elephants in recent weeks due to drought, a grim indication of the impact of climate change and the El Niño phenomenon.

Wildlife officials and conservation groups fear more deaths as parts of southern Africa, including Hwange National Park, anticipate decreased rainfall and warmer temperatures. The International Fund for Animal Welfare has labeled this a crisis for elephants and other wildlife.

Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, stated, “El Niño conditions are exacerbating an already dire situation.”

El Niño is a natural weather event that warms parts of the Pacific Ocean and affects global weather patterns. This year’s El Niño has also brought about deadly flooding. Forecasters expect below-average rainfall across southern Africa into East Africa.

Zimbabwe has already experienced a delayed start to the rainy season, with below-average rainfall predicted for the summer. Experts believe climate change has strengthened the El Niño phenomenon, resulting in more severe consequences.

Authorities are worried about a repeat of 2019 when over 200 elephants died in Hwange due to severe drought.

Philippe Kwawoga, program director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, alerted authorities to the situation in Hwange in a recent report.

According to research, longer and more severe dry periods have become more frequent in Zimbabwe in recent years. Trevor Lane of the B-Jane Trust, a conservation organization, stated, “El Niño could soon bring back sunshine as rainfall in our region has significantly reduced.”

The B-Jane Trust has been working to help by pumping 1.5 million liters of water per day to the Hwange waterhole from more than 50 wells it manages in partnership with the Parks Department.

Conservationists emphasize that saving elephants is not only about the animals themselves. They play a crucial role in forest regeneration and are key allies in the fight against climate change through their impact on ecosystems.

“They play a much bigger role in forest regeneration than humans,” Lane says, “That’s one of the reasons we fight to keep elephants alive.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Google Play undergoes changes following US settlement

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Google today announced that it will pay $700 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. Attorney General’s Office in a lawsuit over the Google Play Store. In addition, the company also agreed to take certain actions related to Google Play billing, sideloading, and how sideloaded apps are updated.

Here is the list of changes that Google has agreed to implement: All of these provisions will apply from the effective date of the Settlement.

Third-party app stores and sideloading

Google will support installing apps on Android outside of Google Play through a variety of methods, including third-party app stores, for at least seven years.
Google will not force developers to release apps on Google Play at the same time or sooner for at least four years. This includes not entering into agreements with developers to provide versions with more features on Google Play.
For four years, Google has announced that third-party companies can use APIs to automatically update apps, use “split features” to download portions of apps on demand, and allow third-party companies to Support a consent mechanism to stop updates.
Google should also allow pre-installed apps or third-party app stores to maintain “exclusive” rights to update apps unless users choose to update from another source. However, developers can opt out of the ability to allow users to update their apps from another source.
Currently, Google displays a warning screen when you try to install apps from alternative sources. Next, the user must tap the settings button to allow installing apps from other sources. For at least 5 years, Google should merge these two screens into one and display the following message: “Your phone is not currently configured to install apps from this source.” Giving this source permission to install apps could put your phone and data at risk . “

alternative billing

Google must allow developers to offer alternative billing mechanisms for in-app purchases for at least five years. Additionally, we can’t force developers to offer the lowest prices through Google Play billing.
If a consumer chooses a different billing option, Google may only collect the minimum amount of data necessary from developers. Additionally, the company cannot use this data to compete with apps.

Google will allow developers to contact users outside of their apps with their consent for promotions related to pricing and billing using information collected from outside or inside their apps for at least six years. There is a need.
Developers can offer discounts and display them within the app to promote other billing systems. Additionally, Google can’t stop you from displaying prices linked to Google Play or Google Play’s billing system.
For six years, Google will allow developers to display information about other purchasing options, such as “Available for purchase on our website for $9.99,” without a link.

OEM clause

Google cannot enter into a deal with a phone manufacturer to put Google Play on the device’s home screen as a dedicated app store for at least five years.
During the same period, device manufacturers will no longer need to ask Google for “consent” to preload third-party app stores.
For at least four years, Google will be required to grant OEM installer rights to preloaded apps.

These changes may seem like a lot, but they may be small changes for Google. As we found out during the Epic vs. Google trial, Google is offering his 4% discount on user-selected charges May not be enough for developers to switch If the cost exceeds the savings, transfer to another payment processor. Additionally, other app stores should provide enough incentives and large numbers of users so that developers can earn more revenue through these app stores.

Source: techcrunch.com

Guac, backed by Y Combinator, uses algorithms to predict grocery demand

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Poor forecasting of food demand results in more waste than expected.

According to someone sauce, U.S. grocery stores throw away 10% of the approximately 44 billion pounds of food the country produces annually.It’s not just bad for the environment – food waste is a major source carbon emissions — but expensive for grocery stores. around Retail Insights Food and grocery retailers lose up to 8% of revenue due to inventory shortages.

Entrepreneurs Euro One and Jack Solomon say they have experienced first-hand the micro-level impact of prediction problems, as their local supermarkets often run out of their favorite guacamole.

“We found that even the largest retailers are having trouble predicting future demand and are frequently experiencing overstocks and understocks,” Wang told TechCrunch in an email interview. Told. “Recent extreme weather events have exacerbated fresh produce shortages, making it even more important to allocate limited supplies efficiently. Added to this is inflationary pressures and rising labor costs. , grocery store profits are increasingly threatened.”

Wang and Solomon co-founded the company with the idea of using technology to tackle problems. Guac, a platform that uses AI to predict how many items a grocer will sell per item at a given store location each day. Guac recently raised $2.3 million in a seed round led by 1984 Ventures with participation from Y Combinator and Collaborative Fund.

“Food waste and food security are issues that Jack and I care deeply about, and we were very excited about the opportunity to actually solve food waste at the source,” Wang said.

Previously, Wang worked at Boston Consulting Group and Solomon researched AI for grocery logistics. We both graduated from Oxford University, where we met.

At Guac, engineers Wang, Solomon, and Guac have developed a custom algorithm that predicts grocery order quantities by taking into account variables such as weather, sporting events, betting odds, and even Spotify listening data. We are trying to understand consumer purchasing behavior by building a. Guac customers receive recommendations such as expiration dates, minimum order quantities, promotions, and supplier lead times that are integrated into their existing inventory ordering software and workflows.

“Traditionally, forecasting was done using Excel formulas or simple regression models,” Wang says. “But for fresh produce that expires quickly, you need something better. Because we use so many external variables, we can identify the real-world variables that cause changes in demand.”

Guac is certainly not the only startup in the food demand forecasting game. Crisp, which provides an open data platform for each link in the grocery supply chain, and Freshflow, which is building AI-powered predictive tools to help retailers optimize fresh food inventory replenishment.

But Wang says Guac is differentiated by both its commitment to transparency and its thorough tweaking of its predictive models.

“Rather than a black box that magically predicts a 20% increase in demand, our machine learning model tells our customers: “This 20% increase is due to conferences being held nearby,” Wang said. “Even if a retailer is already using machine learning, we can improve our predictions by having access to more external data sets. Including only specific datasets (such as weather or holidays) actually doubles the prediction error.”

Some early customers seem confident that Guac can add value. The company partners with retailers including grocery delivery companies in North America, Europe and the Middle East, including an unnamed supermarket chain with about 300 locations. Guac is also already profitable and expects to expand its engineering team next year.

“The grocery industry is quite resilient to economic downturns,” Wang said. “Everyone has to eat, but when the economy slows down, fewer people eat out and more people actually buy groceries. The pandemic has also accelerated the digitalization of grocery stores, making predictions We can now integrate more seamlessly with our customers’ systems. Speaking of the pandemic, shopper behavior has been very different during the pandemic, as grocers only have access to historical sales data from the past three years. This means that it is very difficult to rely on and predict future demand. Our algorithm allows us to adjust for how the pandemic biased sales data in 2020 and 2021. “We can also adjust for the residual effects of the pandemic afterwards.”

Source: techcrunch.com

Exploring the Future of Materials Science: A Innovative Twist

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

When a strong laser pulse hits a steel alloy, the material briefly melts where it is irradiated, forming a small magnetic region.Credit: HZDR / Sander Munster

The research team has shown that ultrashort laser pulses can magnetize iron alloys. This discovery has great potential for applications in magnetic sensor technology, data storage, and spintronics.

To magnetize a steel nail, simply stroke its surface several times with a bar magnet. But there is a more unusual method. it is, Helmholtz – Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf (HZDR) Some time ago, a certain iron was discovered. alloy It can be magnetized with ultrashort laser pulses. The researchers are currently working with the Laser Institute of Mitweida University (LHM) to further investigate this process. They found that this phenomenon also occurs in different classes of materials. This greatly expands the range of potential applications.The working group will publish its results in a scientific journal Advanced functional materials.

Groundbreaking discovery in magnetization

An unexpected discovery was made in 2018. When the HZDR team bombarded a thin layer of iron and aluminum alloy with ultrashort laser pulses, the nonmagnetic material suddenly became magnetic. Explanation: Laser pulses rearrange the atoms in the crystal so that the iron atoms are closer to each other, forming a magnet. The researchers were then able to demagnetize the layer again using a series of weaker laser pulses. This allowed them to discover how to create and erase tiny “magnetic spots” on surfaces.

However, the pilot experiment still left some questions unanswered. “It was unclear whether the effect only occurs in iron-aluminum alloys or in other materials,” explains HZDR physicist Dr. Rantei Bali. “We also wanted to track the process over time.” For further investigation, he collaborated with his Dr. Theo Pflug at LHM and colleagues at the University of Zaragoza in Spain.

Flipbook using laser pulse

Experts especially focused on iron-vanadium alloys. Unlike iron-aluminum alloys, which have a regular crystal lattice, the atoms in iron-vanadium alloys are more randomly arranged, forming an amorphous glass-like structure. To observe what happens during laser irradiation, physicists used a special method called the pump-probe method.

“First, we bombard the alloy with powerful laser pulses to magnetize the material,” explains Theo Pflug. “At the same time, he uses a second, weaker pulse that is reflected off the material surface.”

Analysis of reflected laser pulses reveals the physical properties of the material. This process is repeated several times to continually lengthen the time interval between the first “pump” pulse and subsequent “probe” pulses.

As a result, time-series reflection data are obtained, which can characterize the processes induced by laser excitation. “The whole procedure is similar to creating a flipbook,” he says Pflug. “Similarly, a series of individual images that animate when viewed in succession.”

rapid dissolution

Results: Although they have a different atomic structure than iron-aluminum compounds, iron-vanadium alloys can also be magnetized by lasers. “In both cases, the material melts for a short time at the point of irradiation,” he explains Rantej Bali. “This causes the laser to erase the previous structure and create small magnetic regions in both alloys.”

Promising results: Apparently, this phenomenon is not limited to a particular material structure and can be observed in a variety of atomic arrangements.

The team also tracks the temporal dynamics of the process. “At least we know on what time scale something will happen,” explains Theo Pflug. “Within femtoseconds, a laser pulse excites electrons in the material. After a few picoseconds, the excited electrons transfer their energy to the nucleus.”

Consequently, this energy transfer causes a rearrangement into a magnetic structure, which is then stabilized by rapid cooling. In follow-up experiments, the researchers aim to observe exactly how the atoms rearrange by examining the magnetization process with powerful X-rays.

Perspectives towards applications

Although still in its early stages, this research already provides a first idea of possible applications. For example, one could place small magnets on the chip surface via a laser. “This could be useful in producing highly sensitive magnetic sensors such as those used in vehicles,” he speculates Rantej Bali. “It could also have applications in magnetic data storage.”

Moreover, this phenomenon seems to be related to a new type of electronics: spintronics. Here, instead of electrons passing through transistors as usual, magnetic signals must be used for digital computing processes, providing a possible approach to future computer technology.

Reference: “Laser-Induced Positional and Chemical Lattice Reordering Generating Ferromagnetism” by Theo Pflug, Javier Pablo-Navarro, Md. Chabad Anwar, Markus Olbrich, César Magén, Manuel Ricardo Ibarra, Kay Potzger, Jürgen Faßbender, Jürgen Lindner, Alexander Horn. Lantei Bali, November 21, 2023, Advanced functional materials.
DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202311951

Source: scitechdaily.com

Nearly 36 million Xfinity customer records hacked, says Comcast

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

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 widely exploited by hackers since late August. Citrix made the patch available in early October, but many organizations did not apply the patch in time. Hackers used the CitrixBleed vulnerability to hack high-profile victims including aerospace giant Boeing, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and international law firm Allen & Overy.

Comcast’s cable TV and Internet division, Xfinity, has become the latest victim of CitrixBleed, the company has confirmed. Notice to customers on monday.

The US telecommunications giant said hackers who exploited a CitrixBleed vulnerability accessed its internal systems from October 16th to October 19th, but the company did not detect any “malicious activity” until October 25th. Stated.

By Nov. 16, Xfinity had determined that “information may have been obtained” by the hackers, and in December that it had determined that this included customer data, including usernames and “hashed” passwords. concluded that they were scrambled and stored in an unreadable manner. To humans. It is not immediately clear how the password was scrambled or what algorithm was used, as some weak hashing algorithms can be cracked.

The company said the hackers may have also accessed the names, contact information, dates of birth, last four digits of Social Security numbers, and security questions and answers for an unspecified number of customers.

Comcast said it “continues to analyze our data and will provide additional notifications as appropriate,” suggesting other types of data may have been accessed as well.

The notice did not say how many Xfinity customers would be affected, and Comcast spokesperson Joel Shadle declined to comment when asked by TechCrunch.in Filings with the Maine Attorney General, Comcast confirmed that approximately 35.8 million customers were affected by this breach.Comcast Latest earnings report The company has more than 32 million broadband customers, suggesting this breach affected most, if not all, Xfinity customers.

Whether Xfinity received a ransom demand, how the incident affected the company’s operators, and whether the incident was reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as required by the regulator’s new data breach reporting rules. It is still unclear whether it was submitted. A Comcast spokesperson declined to comment.

Xfinity says it requires customers to reset their passwords and recommends the use of two-factor or multi-factor authentication (which the company does not require by default) for all customer accounts.

Source: techcrunch.com

Spiff, an automated commission management platform, acquired by Salesforce

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

sales force is announced plan to obtain Spiff, a platform that automates commission management for sales teams. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2017, Spiff provides a low-code interface designed to help companies easily create sales compensation plans that automatically update based on talent meeting pre-agreed goals. . Native integration with popular enterprise CRM and ERP systems allows you to handle the most complex commission structures, including any conditions to trigger a payout, while giving sales reps the ability to see in real-time the commissions owed. He Spiff says.

The Salt Lake City-based startup invested in Spiff’s Series B round in 2021, including a cash infusion from Salesforce’s own venture capital firm Salesforce Ventures, which previously led a $50 million Series C round. , which has raised more than $110 million in its six-year history. this year.

Spiff image credits: Spiff

Once the acquisition is complete (expected within the first few months of 2024), Salesforce says it plans to bring Spiff to life internally. Sales performance management The software is a CRM connectivity product that connects customer and sales team data.

It’s worth noting that both companies have a history that goes beyond stock investments. Spiff becomes available It has been available on the Salesforce AppExchange for several years.

The deal is also the latest in a series of ecosystem companies that Salesforce has ultimately brought in-house. Back in September, Salesforce acquired Airkit, a low-code platform for building AI customer service agents. Airkit’s founders have previously exited Salesforce by selling a big data startup called RelateIQ for his $390 million in 2014, as well as Salesforce Ventures, which he founded in 2017. Since then, I have invested in Airkit several times. And like Spiff, Airkit was also available. On AppExchange.

So it’s clear that Salesforce continues to view proven ecosystem companies as a safe option for its M&A efforts, and that “low code” is also a key element.

Source: techcrunch.com

Groundbreaking Model Opens Doors to Remarkable Drug Discoveries

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Researchers have made significant progress in understanding neuromuscular diseases by developing a two-dimensional neuromuscular junction model using pluripotent stem cells. This model enables high-throughput drug screening and complements previously developed three-dimensional organoids. (Artist’s concept) Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Scientists have developed a groundbreaking two-dimensional model to study neuromuscular diseases. This has enabled efficient drug testing and improved our understanding of diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Researchers have so far identified about 800 different neuromuscular diseases. These conditions are caused by problems with how muscle cells, motor neurons, and peripheral cells interact. These diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy, can cause muscle weakness, paralysis, and even death.

“These diseases are very complex and the causes of dysfunction are diverse,” said Dr. Mina Gouti, head of the Max Delbrück Center’s Developmental Stem Cell Modeling and Disease Laboratory. The problem could be in the neurons, the muscle cells, or the connections between the two. “To better understand the causes and find effective treatments, we need human-specific cell culture models that allow us to study how motor neurons in the spinal cord interact with muscle cells.”

Innovative research using organoids

Researchers working with Gouti had already developed a three-dimensional neuromuscular organoid (NMO) system. “One of our goals is to use our cultures for large-scale drug testing,” Gouti says. “Three-dimensional organoids are so large that they cannot be cultured for long periods of time in the 96-well culture dishes we use to conduct high-throughput drug screening studies.”

Human self-assembling 2D neuromuscular junction model. Immunofluorescence analysis of the whole dish shows myocytes (magenta) organized into bundles surrounded by spinal neurons (cyan). Credit: Alessia Urzi, Max Delbrück Center

For this type of screening, an international team led by Gouti has now developed a self-organizing neuromuscular junction model using pluripotent stem cells. The model includes neurons, muscle cells, and chemicals. synapse It is called the neuromuscular junction, which is necessary for two types of cells to interact. The researchers have now published their findings in the journal. nature communications.

“The 2D self-assembled neuromuscular junction model allows us to perform high-throughput drug screening for various neuromuscular diseases and study the most promising candidates in patient-specific organoids,” says Gouti. .

2D neuromuscular model development

To establish a 2D self-organizing neuromuscular junction model, the researchers first needed to understand how motor neurons and muscle cells develop in the embryo. Although Minas’ team does not conduct embryo research themselves, they use a variety of human stem cell lines and induced pluripotent stem cell lines (iPSCs), which are allowed for research purposes under strict guidelines.

“We tested several hypotheses. We found that the cell type required for functional neuromuscular connections is derived from neuromesodermal progenitor cells,” says doctoral student and author of the paper. says lead author Alessia Urzi.

Urji discovered the right combination of signaling molecules that allow human stem cells to mature into functional motor neurons and muscle cells, and the necessary connections between them. “It was very exciting to see muscle cells contracting under the microscope,” Urji says. “That was a clear sign that we were on the right path.”

Another observation was that upon differentiation, cells organized into regions containing muscle cells and nerve cells, rather like a mosaic.

Optogenetic advances in neuromuscular research

Myocytes grown in culture dishes contract spontaneously as a result of their connections with neurons, but without any meaningful rhythm. Urji and Guti wanted to solve it. In collaboration with researchers at the Charité University of Berlin, they used optogenetics to activate motor neurons. Neurons activated by the flash of light fire and contract muscle cells in synchrony, causing them to move in a way that mimics the physiological conditions of an organism.

Modeling and testing for spinal muscular atrophy

To test the effectiveness of the model, Professor Urji used human iPSCs taken from patients with spinal muscular atrophy. Spinal muscular atrophy is a serious neuromuscular disease that affects children during their first year of life. Neuromuscular cultures generated from patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells showed severe problems with muscle contraction similar to the patient’s disease state.

For Gooty, 2D and 3D cultures are important tools to study neuromuscular diseases in more detail and test more efficient and personalized treatment options. As a next step, Gouti and her team hope to conduct high-throughput drug screens to identify new treatments for patients with spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. “We want to start by using new drug combinations to see if we can achieve more successful outcomes to improve the lives of patients with complex neuromuscular diseases. ” says Gooty.

Reference: “Efficient Generation of Self-Assembling Neuromuscular Junction Models from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells,” Alessia Urzi et al., December 19, 2023. Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43781-3

Source: scitechdaily.com

Google Maps upgrades to enhance user experience in India

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Google on Tuesday introduced a range of new features and updates to its mapping services in India as it closes out the year and lays the foundation for next year.

The latest in a series of new features is Lens in Maps, which will be launched on Android in 15 cities across India by January. The feature was introduced in the U.S. and select global markets in October and uses a combination of artificial intelligence and augmented reality to show people information such as opening hours, ratings, reviews, and photos when they point their smartphone camera on the street. I will provide a. Go to a restaurant or cafe.

Google has also launched Live View Walking Navigation in India, providing overlays of arrows, directions, and distance markers on the map screen to help users navigate to their destinations easily. Google says the feature will initially be available on Android and will be rolled out to more than 3,000 cities and towns across the country.

“India is a huge country with very diverse needs,” Miriam Karthika, vice president of Google Maps Experience, said at the event. “The scale on which we have to operate for India is enormous.”

In addition to the visually immersive viewing experience with Lens in Maps and Live View walking navigation, Google uses a combination of machine learning signals to discover the most relevant lands around your pinned address. We announced an address descriptor that provides up to five mark and area names and displays landmark references. Users share their location information. This India-first feature was introduced for Google Maps Platform developers earlier this year and will be available across his 75+ cities in India.

Image credits: Google

Google is also bringing fuel-efficient directions to India, which will be available to users starting in January. This feature works on domestic four-wheelers and two-wheelers and helps users reduce fuel consumption and limit carbon emissions. The feature will be available to users in Indonesia in addition to India next year.

Since its initial launch in October 2021, through September this year, Google said its fuel-efficient directions had prevented more than 2.4 million tons of CO2e emissions worldwide. The company says the feature uses AI to understand real-time traffic data, road elevation, and vehicle engine type to identify routes that limit fuel and emissions.

Apart from launching global features in India, Google has partnered with India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and mobility app Namma Yatri to bring metro schedules and reservations directly to users through Google Maps. . The experience will be available from the Kochi metro by the middle of next year, and will be rolled out in stages as other metros come on board with the open e-commerce network.

Google is also expanding its Where Is My Train app, which helps more than 80 million users every month to navigate their intercity train journeys, to local trains in Mumbai and Kolkata, with plans to add more cities in the future. .

To date, Google has mapped millions of kilometers of roads and 300 million buildings across the country. More than 50 million searches are made every day on the domestic map, 2.5 billion kilometers of directions are recorded every day, and more than 60 million unique users contribute to the map. Additionally, Google said it has mapped 30 million businesses and locations across the country, enabling direct connections between 900 million merchants and consumers.

Last July, Google introduced the Street View feature in India, six years after it was banned due to security concerns. The company has partnered with local companies Genesis and Tech Mahindra. According to Google, more than 50 million users in Japan are currently viewing Street View.

Source: techcrunch.com

India’s crypto surveillance causes WazirX volume to plummet

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

The trading volume of India’s top cryptocurrency exchange WazirX has fallen to $1 billion in 2023. This comes as the platform faced a broader downturn in global digital asset prices and stocks, as well as increased regulatory pressure in its home market.

This year, the total volume of cryptocurrencies traded on WazirX’s platform decreased by 90% compared to 2022, when the volume reached $10 billion, and by 97% compared to $43 billion in 2021.

WazirX, which is in a dispute with Binance over ownership of the Indian company, cast the latest figures in a positive light, touting the total transaction value at $1 billion in a public statement on Tuesday. However, the exchange is careful to contextualize this number by skipping the much higher levels seen in 2021, when crypto fever was at its peak, and even in 2022, before the sell-off took hold. Rejected.

The 97% drop in trading volume comes as WazirX faces increasing regulatory pressure from Indian authorities, forcing the country’s once booming crypto sector to fight for survival. India started taxing cryptocurrencies last year, imposing a 30% tax on profits and a 1% deduction for each crypto transaction. Indian lawmakers have consistently praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in protecting Indians from fraud involving the cryptocurrency market and the dramatic decline in asset prices.

New Delhi-based think tank Esya reported earlier this year that local tax rules are forcing many Indian traders to use foreign platforms such as Binance and Coinbase. Coinbase has since stopped onboarding new customers in India.

A tightening regulatory crackdown on cryptocurrencies in India has thrown a damper on local investors who were once eager to back the country’s crypto startups. The unfavorable climate, which Binance previously cited as the basis for its wariness about expanding into India, has made venture capital firms dramatically wary of exposure to the thorny sector, according to people familiar with the matter.

Many of the top India-focused venture capital firms that were enthusiastically backing crypto companies last year have since pivoted to other industries, according to people familiar with the matter.

Source: techcrunch.com

Health and Biology Experiments Conducted by ISS Crew during Dragon’s Countdown

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Loral O’Hara, NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 aeronautical engineer, proudly displays the research hardware that supports the UMAMI (Understanding Microgravity for Animal-Microbial Interactions) astrobiology experiment. Dr. O’Hara has in her possession an Advanced Space Experiment Processor (ADSEP) fluid processing cassette (FPC) that facilitates observations of the effects of spaceflight on the molecular and chemical interactions between beneficial microorganisms and their animal hosts. Credit goes to NASA for this image.

The top research goals for the Expedition 70 crew earlier in the week included crew health and astrobiology. The crew members of the International Space Station (ISS) were occupied with various standard laboratory maintenance tasks. In the meantime, SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled to depart as early as Wednesday.

Studying the effects of weightlessness is a priority for doctors and scientists, as they observe how various life forms, including humans, adapt and survive in the harsh environment of microgravity. NASA and its international partners are planning further long-term missions into space in order to learn more about the biology of aging and its impact on disease mechanisms. NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 flight engineer Jasmine Moghbeli was seen wearing a BioMonitor vest and headband to test her ability to comfortably monitor the health of astronauts throughout the day. She also spent time processing cell samples in the Kibo experimental module’s life science glovebox.

Today, a pair of CubeSats were deployed outside the orbital outpost for exploration. Flight engineer Satoshi Furukawa of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) photographed the deployment of two small satellites and then maintained and supported optical hardware regenerative medicine experiment. In the end, Furukawa prepared: Sapphire-VI Fire safety experiments conducted remotely on board a ship Cygnus space cargo ship After leaving the space station.

Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Andreas Mogensen were stowing their spacewalk gear in Quest’s airlock. ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Expedition 70 Commander Andreas Mogensen used the Advanced Space Experiment Processor 2 (ADSEP-2) to store and process samples for a variety of biological and physical science experiments.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Konstantin Borisov inspected and photographed eggs packed inside a centrifuge in the Nauka scientific module. Flight engineer Nikolai Chubut spent the day developing the life support systems inside the Zarya and Zvezda modules.

The Dragon supply mission’s departure was targeted for 5:05 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 20, with coverage beginning at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service and NASA Television. As the departure was being organized, joint teams continued to work to assess optimal autonomous ports of entry and return weather conditions.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Flipboard now supports ActivityPub as a federated app

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Instagram Threads isn’t the only app participating in the decentralized social web. The decentralized social web includes Twitter/X rival Mastodon and other apps, and has added support for the new networking protocol ActivityPub. Currently, the social magazine app Flipboard is announcement It is also now integrated with ActityPub. In the initial phase, his selected Flipboard account will be discoverable and followable by millions of users on decentralized social apps, including Mastodon. Over time, all profiles on Flipboard will be available in the Fediverse, as this network of decentralized social apps is known.

The company announced its intention to join the Fediverse earlier this year. It started by integrating the app with His Mastodon via the API and setting up its own Mastodon server. flipboard.social, prior to full integration of ActivityPub. This gave Flipboard a feel for the world of decentralized social media and how users would react. It also gave Flipboard a way to stay connected to social media after Twitter/X increased API fees for third-party developers. unsustainable This is to allow more developers to continue working with the company.

The main purpose of the Flipboard app was to curate news and information from around the web into a social “magazine” that included links to articles, photos, and other social posts. As a result, we relied on Twitter as one of our sources of information. Things changed this year when Flipboard moved its Twitter integration to his Mastodon and another alternative social app, Bluesky. He also set up his own Mastodon server and began curating news from across the Commonwealth through an editorial “desk” focused on improving news discovery on Mastodon.

All of this is in preparation for making Flipboard itself a federated social app, a process that begins today.

Initially, Flipboard was launched by a select group of publishers, including Semafor, Pitchfork, Fast Company, Medium, LGBTQ Nation, Refinery 29, DIgiday, Polygon, SPIN, Kotaku, Frommer’s, The Verge, Smithsonian Magazine, Refinery 29, The Root, and more. Testing integration with your account. , ScienceAlert, AFAR Media, and more. Although many are news-focused, there are also several nonprofit organizations, including: News Literacy Project and education-focused news sites. 74, Among this debut list.

Image credits: flip board

“As we said earlier this year, we’re bringing ActivityPub to Flipboard and effectively reworking the entire backend to go with it,” Flipboard CEO Mike McCue said in a conversation with TechCrunch about the upcoming changes. explained. He said the company first integrated with his Mastodon at the API level, so users can log into their Mastodon accounts, see those posts from Flipboard, and interact with other users in the Fediverse. It is now possible. “But you had to have an account on all of these platforms,” McCue noted.

“What we’re announcing on Monday is essentially a roadmap for how to deploy ActivityPub and effectively tear down the walls of our own walled garden,” he said. added.

With this change, when a Flipboard user curates an article on the Flipboard app or posts it to one of our social magazines, with an optional comment, that “flip” (so-called “flip”) can be viewed on the new flipboard. com It will also appear as a post in your Mastodon account. . This is not the same server that his Flipboard previously set up (flipboard.social), which was a place to experiment with decentralized social media. Instead, the Flipboard app itself is now connected to fediverse. A user’s posts on Mastodon include links to both the article being flipped and the user’s Flipboard magazine, and the user’s profile shows her Flipboard profile page.

Image credits: flip board

Once this is rolled out, all Flipboard users will have one Flipboard.com account connected to fediverse, even if they host many Flipboard magazines. This is not ideal since their magazines may focus on different topics. But McCue believes Mastodon could one day support the concept of subfeeds, which would allow for further differentiation.

Users can opt out of having their “flips” posted to Mastodon, but being opted in is the default experience. The company plans to have all users’ accounts connected to Fediverse by the end of January. (This does not affect magazines that are set to “private” on Flipboard, which will remain private, he said.)

Flipboard currently has over 10,000 social magazine publishers on its app and over 250,000 individuals who use the Flipboard app to curate content. Considering today’s Mastodon, 1.5 million monthly active usersassuming Flipboard’s users don’t opt out, this could be a notable change for the Fediverse when the Flipboard integration is fully rolled out.

Flipboard is just one of several companies currently embracing decentralized social media. In addition to X’s rival Instagram Threads, which began testing ActivityPub last week, other tech companies are moving in this direction as well. Automattic enables the federation of all blogs on WordPress.org and WordPress.com, and said it is working on doing the same for Tumblr next year. Medium and Mozilla have also set up their own servers, and the latter also supports his Mastodon client called Mammoth.

In Flipboard’s case, after integrating its backend with Fediverse, it may rethink what its frontend should look like for the new age of social media.

“The front end was built before federation,” McCue said. “What are the implications for federation on the front end? How are we thinking about curation and everything else and all the features and tools that we’ve created over the years? “How does it work in a federated world from a user experience perspective? That’s a great question,” he said.

Despite all the changes, Flipboard doesn’t need funding to support new development. As we move in this direction, we are depleting the profits of our own businesses.

The company is also betting on the fact that federated social media may be just the beginning of what’s to come across the web.

“Seeing what was happening with ActivityPub made it very clear that this is the future of the web,” McCue said. “The social web is people linking to pages and people linking to people. So it’s a more complex web.”

He sees Flipboard as part of that opportunity. “We need a way to do discovery and search that is beautiful, simple and easy to use. That’s what we’re focused on,” McCue added.

Source: techcrunch.com

NASA schedules live coverage of SpaceX Dragon departure from space station on Wednesday

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

The SpaceX Dragon Cargo Mission

The SpaceX Dragon cargo ship approaches the International Space Station while orbiting 461 miles above Indonesia’s sub-sea coastline on the company’s 29th commercial resupply mission to NASA. Credit: NASA

After a series of delays due to bad weather, NASA and SpaceX are currently targeting until 5:05 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 20, for the company’s 29th Dragon Commercial Supply Service Mission undocking from the International Space Station (ISS). The integrated team continues to assess weather conditions as the cold front passes through the splashdown zone off the coast of Florida to determine optimal opportunities for autonomous shore departure. Coverage of Wednesday’s Dragon departure begins at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service, NASA app, NASA Television, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through various platforms including social media. After re-entering the atmosphere, the spacecraft will fly off the coast of Florida, but the event will not be broadcast on NASA TV.

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, developed by SpaceX, represents a major advancement in commercial spaceflight. The spacecraft is designed to transport cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and return cargo to Earth. The Dragon spaceship has two versions: Cargo Dragon and Crew Dragon (Dragon 2). Cargo Dragon, in particular, is an unmanned vehicle that plays a key role in resupply missions. The Dragon spacecraft is known for its ability to carry critical payloads, with a pressurized capsule for sensitive scientific experiments and an unpressurized “trunk” for additional cargo. It is one of the few spacecraft capable of returning to Earth large amounts of cargo essential for ISS research and experiments. Due to Dragon’s versatility and reusability, it plays a critical role in maintaining a continuous flow of supplies and scientific research within the ISS.

The International Space Station (ISS) is a marvel of modern space technology and international cooperation. As the Space Environment Research Institute, scientific research is conducted in areas such as astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, and physics. The ISS is a joint project with NASA, Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). The ISS, which orbits the Earth approximately every 90 minutes, serves as a microgravity and space environment laboratory where crew members conduct experiments in fields such as biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, and meteorology. The space station is also suitable for testing spacecraft systems and equipment needed for long-term missions to and from the moon and Mars. The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000 and represents the pinnacle of human achievement, both in terms of international cooperation and humanity’s continued presence in space.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Black British entrepreneurs face challenges but remain resilient

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Black founders in the UK are also seeing the effects of winter on their ventures.

According to one study, black founders in the UK have raised just 0.95% of all venture funding allocated in the country so far this year (or just $165 million out of about $17.3 billion). new report Written by Extend Ventures. 2023 would then be a year in the making, compared to 2022, when such founders raised 1.02% of all domestic venture investments ($316 million out of $30.88 billion), and 2022, when such founders raised 1.13% ($40 billion) of all domestic venture investments. This will be later than in 2021, when $454 million of the $30 million was allocated.

There has been a clear and consistent decline since 2020, when George Floyd was murdered, and global support and pressure to support Black communities has increased. The downward trend in the proportion of investments allocated to black founders is likely due to the venture recession of the past two years.

George Windsor, a data and research strategist who worked on the report, said black people make up 2.5% of the UK population and being properly represented in the venture ecosystem means they receive at least 2.5% of funding. will go to black-led businesses, he said.

Still, the achievement rate is 0.95% compared to 10 years ago, showing that progress is being made.

For example, just 0.28% of black UK founders raised venture funding in 2019, 0.23% in 2018 and 0.38% in 2017. According to Extend Ventures, between 2009 and 2019, only 38 Black founders were able to raise venture funding. In Japan. That number is now 80.

Even black women are doing better. Between 2009 and 2019, Extend discovered only the following: One Black women have raised more than $1 million in venture funding. Between 2019 and 2023, eight women did so.

Windsor said this progress is due to a myriad of factors, including “the growing awareness of racism, discrimination and inequality sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement and the killing of George Floyd.”

Extend co-founder Tom Adeyoola told TechCrunch that it also helps that there is less backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the UK compared to the US.

“The UK values slow and steady reform, rather than consequential, hollow, haphazard action. The desire for change here is deep-rooted and focused on systemic action. ” he said. “That said, if you look for anti-DEI rhetoric, you can find it in discussions and newspaper headlines about removing these roles from the civil service. I don’t know if it’s getting the public’s attention as we continue to highlight how much loss of growth is hurting the economy due to bias.”

The Extend report also found that although women of color still face challenges entering the industry, there has been a 100% increase in the rate of people from minority backgrounds becoming investors. It was also revealed that

Earlier this year, the UK Treasury Select Committee acknowledged the lack of investment in minorities and women in technology and looked at ways to increase investment.

Maintaining this momentum will require new initiatives and strengthening of existing ones, Adeyola said. “The data shows that it is very important to track cohorts and understand which companies receive funding beyond the early stages,” he said. “We need to make sure that appropriate measures are in place at the level of following companies.”

Source: techcrunch.com

Activision Blizzard settles California workplace discrimination lawsuit for $54 million

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

California Department of Civil Rights settlement Activision released a joint statement with Blizzard late last week, two years after state regulators filed a lawsuit alleging sex discrimination, pay inequality and a culture of sexual harassment at the video game company.

Activision Blizzard, publisher of hit games such as the “Call of Duty” series and “World of Warcraft,” has agreed to pay $54 million and take steps to ensure fair pay and fair promotion. I promised. Approximately $46 million of the funding will be used to compensate employees, particularly women who were employees or contractors of the company from 2015 to 2020. Details of the settlement have been finalized but still require court approval.

“If approved by the court, this settlement agreement would be a significant step forward and provide direct relief to Activision Blizzard employees,” said California Department of Civil Rights Director Kevin Kish. The agency was previously known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, but changed its name last year. Activision Blizzard operates from its headquarters in Santa Monica, California.

The agency filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2021, alleging the company violated rules set forth in the state’s Equal Pay Act and Fair Employment and Housing Act. The California Department of Civil Rights announced it was dropping the allegations as part of the settlement. agreement “Allegations of systematic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard have not been substantiated by a court or independent investigation.”

The settlement also says an investigation by the California Department of Civil Rights found no evidence of wrongdoing by the company’s board, executives or CEO Bobby Kotick.

Activision Blizzard was cited in February for failing to “put in place the necessary controls to collect and review employee complaints of workplace misconduct,” ultimately preventing that information from being disclosed to investors. agreed to a $35 million settlement with the SEC.

The California lawsuit includes employee strikes, inflammatory statements from executives, stock price volatility, and ongoing concerns that the company fosters a toxic workplace culture to the detriment of employees. It ushered in a dramatic era for Activision Blizzard.

A series of events ultimately led to Microsoft’s move to acquire the company. Regulators finalized the $68.7 billion deal in October. Activision Blizzard’s longtime CEO Bobby Kotick has become deeply embroiled in years of controversy and plans to leave the company at the end of the year.

Source: techcrunch.com

Reintroduction Plan to Release Five Wolves in Colorado

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — Somewhere on a remote mountainside in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, a wolf was released into the wild and headed towards the treeline on a voter-approved plan. Wildlife officials have released five gray wolves into a remote area of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains to begin the reintroduction program. The plan was well received in urban areas and opposed in rural areas where ranchers feared attacks on their livestock.

The wolf was released from a crate in Grand County, and the project marks the most ambitious wolf reintroduction effort in the United States in nearly 30 years. The release of wolves has been temporarily postponed due to opposition from the state’s livestock industry.

The wolves were captured in Oregon and released in Colorado. After the releases, the crowd watched in silence as the wolves disappeared into the forest. Colorado officials expect to release 30 to 50 wolves within the next five years as part of the program.

The release of wolves in Colorado has become a political issue, deepening the divide between rural and urban residents. While urban and suburban areas largely vote in favor of reintroducing apex predators, rural residents are worried about the impact on livestock and big game animals.

To allay concerns in the livestock industry, ranchers whose livestock is preyed upon by wolves will be compensated with fair market value. Hunting groups are also expressing concerns about the impact of wolves on elk herds and other large game animals.

While some have celebrated the reintroduction of wolves, others are concerned about the potential conflicts that may arise due to the presence of wolves in the area. Joanna Lambert, a professor of wildlife ecology and conservation biology, described the release of the wolves as a “rewilding moment” to avoid the extinction of biodiversity.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Google to pay $700 million as part of Play Store dispute resolution

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Google today announced that it will pay $700 million in a Play Store settlement reached in September, including $630 million to U.S. consumers and $70 to a fund to be used by U.S. states.

In September, the company reached a tentative settlement in a class action lawsuit originally brought by U.S. states and consumers in 2021. However, the search giant released details of the settlement today.highlighted complaints Google has a monopoly on app distribution on Android Via the Play Store.

In November 2022, Google began piloting a user-choice billing program in the United States, allowing developers to use alternative payment methods for in-app purchases. The company announced today that it will expand its domestic program as part of the settlement. Google says developers will be able to display different costs for in-app purchases based on the billing method a customer chooses.

The company too Said He said the sideloading process will be streamlined, without providing any details about the new process. However, the company emphasized that it plans to change its messaging regarding sideloading.

“While we maintain that it is important to our safety efforts to inform users that sideloading on mobile can carry unique risks, as part of the settlement we will further strengthen the process of sideloading.” We’re simplifying and updating our language to inform users about the potential risks of downloading.”For the first time, apps are available directly from the web,” said Wilson White, vice president of government affairs and public policy at Google. I am.

Google pointed out that blog post I also made Android 14 Easier app upgrade process More control over third-party app stores via API.

This development comes as Google lost an antitrust battle with Epic. Google plans to appeal the ruling, reiterating in a blog post today that it “disallows the choice and competition our platform enables,” but the case is “not over yet.”

The trial revealed Google’s dealings with the following companies: spotifythere are no fees for in-app purchases on the Play Store.

Source: techcrunch.com

Rivers’ Inability to Preserve Coastal Wetlands: A Problematic Situation

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Salt marshes in Barnstable, Massachusetts show signs of erosion and submergence as sea levels rise (December 2, 2022).Credit: Erin Peck

Creating wetlands, which are being submerged by rising sea levels, remains a challenge, but scientists are now one step closer to identifying a solution.

Amid climate change, large-scale dam removal projects are gaining traction as a solution to the loss of coastal wetlands that reduce flooding, filter water, and provide habitat for wildlife. However, in a recently published paper, scienceresearchers concluded that this strategy does not work in most rivers in the United States.

Limited sediment supply hinders wetland recovery

The reason is that there is not enough sediment. Of the nearly 5,000 rivers analyzed, nearly three out of four were unable to transport enough sediment to keep up with sea level rise in the coastal regions they connect to. Nearly half were at least 10 times short of the required amount of sediment.

This is the first national study to examine how much watershed sediment can be deposited in coastal areas by rivers. So far, research has focused on a few very large rivers. mississippi,and, Elfa In Washington, they are not representative of most other areas of the continental United States.

Most watersheds in the United States are small and are not major sources of sediment buildup in wetlands, researchers said. It is on these small rivers that most dams are located.

Expert insights on dam removal and sediment supply

The study was led by Dr. Scott Ensign, a research scientist at the Stroud Water Research Center, a nonprofit organization that studies freshwater streams and rivers around the world. He said: “Elfa is the poster child for dam removal projects that restore coastal sediment, and for good reason: it liberated vast amounts of sediment and sand.

“However, rivers along the East and Gulf coasts are not as steep as the West Coast and there is less sediment that can reach the wetlands, so the wetlands are wider and require more sediment to keep them above the rising ocean.” is required.Basically, the numbers don’t add up.”

Dr. Christopher Craft, an Indiana University professor who focuses on wetland restoration and climate change, said, “The extensive and comprehensive spatial analysis conducted by the authors shows that sediment supply in most coastal basins is This strongly suggests that this is insufficient.” As sea levels rise, tidal wetlands appear. In other words, sediment cannot save them. ”

Methodology and findings

Ensign and her co-authors, Joanne Halls of the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Erin Peck of the University of Massachusetts, used publicly available data from the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to map watersheds to coastal wetlands. Sediment supply was modeled. Uses Esri’s ArcGIS Pro technology. They then compared their projections to previously reported rates of change for tidal wetlands across the United States.

“By and large, the sediment that saves most wetlands from drowning doesn’t come from upstream rivers. In many places on the East Coast, removing dams won’t help. You’ll have to look elsewhere.” explained the lieutenant.

Impact on wetland conservation

Dr. James Pizzuto, a professor of geological sciences who specializes in river science at the University of Delaware, said the researchers deftly addressed a complex problem. “These results, and the local variations documented by mapping the entire U.S. coastline, provide important guidance to managers and scientists, and future efforts to investigate other processes beyond basin sediments. “We are documenting where we should focus our efforts,” he said.

Such efforts include finding ways to retain more mineral deposits, plant material and organic carbon in wetland soils, said Donald F. Boesch, professor emeritus at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. He explained that it was possible. “This is true both where sediment is being depleted and where it is being diverted to construct and maintain wetlands with relatively high rates of sea level rise, such as the Mississippi Delta,” he said. ” he said.

Future research and conservation strategies

Future research is needed to measure how much sediment is trapped behind a particular dam and accurately predict the impact on downstream tidal wetlands.

“In general, the most important action to protect tidal wetlands is to allow them to move up slopes. In some areas, we need to restore natural hydrology and protect lowlands,” said Ensign. Direct application of deposits and other engineering approaches may also be helpful at very local scales.”

References: Scott H. Ensign, Joanne N. Halls, and Erin K. Peck, “Catchment Sediments Cannot Offset Sea Level Rise in Most U.S. Tidal Wetlands,” December 7, 2023. science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adj0513

The National Science Foundation funded the research.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Gogoro’s Decision to Enter the Indian Market as a Key Move

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Co-founder of Gogoro, CEO Horace Luke says Taiwanese companies want to “grow big” in India despite the challenges they face at home. India’s potential seems ripe to simply ignore, and not just because India is the world’s largest two-wheeler market with 15 million to 20 million new two-wheelers on the road each year. Luke also sees the world’s most populous country as a springboard to accelerate global expansion into other markets. This is not a bad strategy considering that India is already making strides to become a competitive manufacturing hub for all major international brands and products, from smartphones to satellites. Earlier this month, Gogolo made its first commercial entry into India with the introduction of a battery swapping network and smart scooters after piloting and investing millions of dollars in the country. Speaking with Luke on the sidelines at a company event, it’s clear that his ambitions extend beyond this initial debut of his. Founded in 2011 by former HTC executives Luke and Matt Taylor, Gogoro sees itself as the Android of all EVs. The company sells its own branded scooters with replaceable batteries, as well as providing its proprietary technology to other automakers. In addition to its home base of Taiwan, the company already operates in markets such as China, Indonesia, Singapore, Israel, and the Philippines. Speaking at the company’s launch in New Delhi, Luke said the company has chosen India as a strategic market where it can gain many new users and enter new markets, starting with neighboring Nepal. These new developments include an initial battery swapping pilot in Delhi and a partnership with Bellrise Industries to invest a total of $2.5 billion in Maharashtra to build battery swapping infrastructure and networks in the western peninsula. This follows Gogoro’s previous announcement in India. The state government invested his $25 million in electric vehicle management startup Zypp Electric. Luke said Gogoro is in talks with various local and global companies to expand its operations and presence in India, without disclosing their names. The company is already working with domestic manufacturers to produce components locally and is currently partnering with Foxconn to assemble them at a facility in Maharashtra. The company is also looking to partner with Indian and global automakers who can deploy its technology to help grow their businesses in India. The company has about 11 automakers in Taiwan, which manufacture vehicles in various sizes and configurations based on standard battery sizes, the executive said. These include Suzuki, Yamaha, Ion Motor, and more. He suggested that some of them could be introduced in India along with Gogoro’s replaceable battery technology in the future. “Everyone is waiting for me to bring the network,” Luke said, without providing specific details. “Once the network is up and running, [partners] Bring out their abilities and abilities. ” In April 2021, Gogoro partnered with Hero MotoCorp, a major Indian two-wheeler company, to roll out a battery exchange network in the country. However, this deal has not yielded any results. When asked how Gogoro will leverage its partnership with Hero MotoCorp and why it didn’t choose a local automaker to debut and instead bring its own smart scooters to the country, Luke gave a rough answer. Sharing the answer, the management of Hero MotoCorp said that they did so. I wish him all the best before the release. “their [Hero MotoCorp] The brand and the company as a whole is very B2C focused…We’re launching with a B2B focus first, so we try to keep them informed about everything that’s going on,” he says. I did. “We are an open platform. One day they will be ready. [to] Start your vehicle using our system.But what really came first, the chicken or the egg? [situation]. They need to prove that they have a ready platform before they can actually come in and do that. ” Copying the Taiwanese model Gogoro plans to simulate Taiwan’s growth in India by opening 30 stations in Delhi by the first quarter of 2024. The company started operations in Taipei with the same number of stations, but has since expanded to his 12,500 stations serving approximately 600,000 vehicles across Taiwan. We are ready to invest more in India to reach that level and grow even bigger over time. “If you think about Pan India, by 2030-2032 it will easily be in the billions of dollars,” Luke asserted. He told reporters at the launch that Gogoro’s battery swapping system accounts for 93% of all electric vehicles in Taiwan, of which about 80% use its own brand vehicles. In its home country, the company is not limited to two-wheelers but also provides replacement battery technology to players operating autorickshaws. Nevertheless, as Luke admitted to TechCrunch, Gogoro’s growth has stalled and is also declining in Taiwan. among them Recent earnings report [PDF]the Nasdaq-listed company said its revenue fell 10.2% from a year ago to $91.8 million and its net loss was $3.1 million, down from net income of $56.4 million in the year-ago period. He emphasized that there are several reasons for the deterioration of the financial situation and the withdrawal of the Taiwan business. First, he said, is due to lobbying against the speed of electric vehicle adoption after the 2020 election. Second, the country has been slow to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Taiwan has always been a pilot for us,” Luke said. “India has always been a market where we develop technology and develop systems so that when we come to India, we are ready. And that’s where the point is now.” He said gasoline in Taiwan is subsidized to the point where it is available at an average price of 0.85 cents per liter, which is significantly cheaper than India’s average price of $1.4 per liter and higher than the world price of $1.22 per liter. did. Although Gogoro is optimistic about starting operations in India, the country has its challenges. relatively small market The share of EVs is only 3.7% of the country’s total car market. Electric scooters account for 90% of total EV sales in the country, but only about 5% of the total motorcycle market. The Indian government is allocated billions of dollars Subsidy and discount systems to attract manufacturers and commuters to EVs. However, these advantages are only sustained for a short period of time, and the electric two-wheeler market has recently been disrupted by structural changes. But Gogoro, like other players in the EV market, is bullish as the Indian government targets 30% EV adoption by 2030. Gogoro’s approach of considering India as a manufacturing base is also likely to appeal to the government and help the company make some changes. Move production from China and enter new markets. It’s important to note that while GoGoro’s revenue decreased significantly last quarter, its battery replacement service continued to grow, with revenue increasing 10.4% year-over-year to $33.6 million. The company is considering collaborating with other automakers in India on battery replacement technology, which could be a mutually beneficial move for both Gogoro and the automaker. The Indian automotive industry is actively seeking solutions to reduce charging times and provide efficient alternatives to ICE vehicles. By offering its technology to automakers, Gogoro can capitalize on this need and increase revenue from battery replacement services. A recent report co-authored by Bain & Company and Blume Ventures forecast Battery-free electric two-wheelers can reduce the initial cost of a vehicle by 40-50%, thereby attracting price-sensitive Indian customers. But at the same time, he cautioned that building a battery replacement ecosystem in India will be difficult in the short term, saying that maintaining battery replacement inventory of top SKUs across manufacturers, identifying targeted customer segments, and creating a “walled-in” ecosystem will be challenging in the short term. proposed to establish a partnership between the two countries. Supports replaceable battery system. One investor told TechCrunch that to truly succeed, the market needs interoperability and standardization of battery swapping, similar to how today’s mobile phones have USB-C. . But for Gogoro, this is just the beginning of exploring how much of an impact he can have on the overall EV market with available battery replacement solutions. “We’ve got a whole ecosystem that we need to deploy. It took us a little while to get it ready, but it’s going to take a little while to get up and running. Besides, who said this was going to…

Source: techcrunch.com

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Algorithm Successfully Deciphers Rogue Wave Pattern

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Scientists used artificial intelligence to analyze more than 1 billion waves over 700 years and developed a breakthrough formula for predicting rogue waves. This groundbreaking research, which converts vast amounts of oceanographic data into equations for the probability of adverse waves, raises questions about previous theories and has significant implications for maritime safety. This research represents a major step forward in this field in terms of the accessibility of findings and the role of AI in enhancing human understanding.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Victoria used over 700 years of ocean wave data, including more than a billion wave observations, and advanced artificial intelligence techniques to predict the occurrence of these threatening sea giants. Previously thought to be a myth, these unusually large and rough waves can cause serious damage to ships and oil rigs. The research team leveraged AI to analyze the vast amounts of data and create a mathematical model that provides a way to predict the occurrence of rogue waves. This new knowledge contributes to making shipping safer, and has paradigm-shifting implications for the maritime industry.

Rogue waves, perceived as a part of sailor folklore for centuries, became scientifically documented when a 26-meter high wave hit the Norwegian oil platform His Draupner in 1995. Since then, research on these extreme waves has been ongoing, culminating in the breakthrough reached by the University of Copenhagen and the University of Victoria. The research team leveraged big data on ocean movements and AI techniques to map the causal variables that lead to rogue waves, ultimately developing a model which usess artificial intelligence to calculate the probability of rogue wave formation.

Incorporating data collection from buoys at 158 locations on U.S. coasts and overseas territories and over a billion waves across 700 years, the researchers were able to use AI to analyze the vast amount of data and predict the likelihood of being hit by a huge wave at sea. The AI techniques also helped the researchers discover the causes of rogue waves and translate them into an equation that describes the recipe for rogue waves. This study also challenged common perceptions about the causes of rogue waves, establishing the dominance of a phenomenon known as “linear superposition.” This new knowledge can help the shipping industry to plan routes in advance and mitigate the risk of encountering dangerous rogue waves.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Scientists Develop New “Cooling Glass” to Combat Climate Change by Channeling Heat from Buildings into Space

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Innovative “cooling glass” developed by researchers at the University of Maryland provides a groundbreaking, non-electrical solution for reducing indoor heat and carbon emissions, and significantly advances sustainable building technology. It shows great progress.

Applying new coatings to exterior surfaces can reduce air conditioning usage and help fight climate change.

Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed an innovative “cooling glass” designed to reduce indoor temperatures without using electricity. This revolutionary material works by harnessing the cold air of outer space.

New technology, microporous glass coating, described in paper published in the journal sciencecan lower the temperature of the material beneath it by 3.5 degrees. Celsius According to a research team led by distinguished professor Liangbing Hu of the university’s School of Materials Science and Engineering, it has the potential to reduce the annual carbon dioxide emissions of mid-rise apartments by 10%.

Cooling mechanism with two functions

This coating works in two ways. For one, it reflects up to 99% of solar radiation, preventing buildings from absorbing heat. Even more interestingly, this universe emits heat in the form of long-wave infrared radiation into the icy universe, whose temperature is typically -270 degrees Celsius, or just a few degrees warmer. absolute temperature.

In a phenomenon known as “radiative cooling,” spaces effectively act as heat sinks for buildings. They use new cooling glass designs and so-called atmospheric transparency windows (the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that passes through the atmosphere without increasing its temperature) to dump large amounts of heat into the infinitely colder sky beyond. Masu. (Although the emissions are much stronger than those from the new glass developed at UMD, the same phenomenon causes the Earth to cool itself, especially on clear nights.)

State-of-the-art durable materials

“This is an innovative technology that simplifies the way we keep buildings cool and energy efficient,” said research assistant Xinpeng Zhao, lead author of the study. “This could help us change the way we live and take better care of our homes and the planet.”

Unlike previous attempts at cooling coatings, the new glass developed by UMD is environmentally stable, withstanding exposure to water, UV light, dirt, and even flame, and withstands temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. can withstand. Because glass can be applied to a variety of surfaces such as tile, brick, and metal, the technology is highly scalable and can be adopted for a wide range of applications.

The research team could use finely ground glass particles as a binder, bypassing polymers and increasing long-term durability outdoors, Zhao said. We then selected a particle size that maximizes the release of infrared heat while reflecting sunlight.

Climate change solutions and global impacts

The development of cooling glass is in line with global efforts to reduce energy consumption and combat climate change, Hu said, adding that this year’s Independence Day could have been the world’s hottest day in 125,000 years. He pointed out recent reports that it was a day of sex.

“This ‘cooling glass’ is not just a new material, it’s an important part of the solution to climate change,” he said. “By reducing the use of air conditioners, we have taken a big step towards reducing energy usage and reducing our carbon footprint. This is because new technology is helping us build a cooler, greener world. It shows how it can help.”

In addition to Hu and Zhao, Jelena Srebric and Zongfu Yu, professors of mechanical engineering in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, are co-authors of the study, each contributing expertise in CO2 reduction and structural design. There is. .

The team is now focused on further testing and practical application of the cooled glass. They are optimistic about its commercialization prospects and have formed a startup company, CeraCool, to scale and commercialize it.

Reference: “Solution-processed radiatively cooled glass” Xinpeng Zhao, Tangyuan Li, Hua Xie, He Liu, Lingzhe Wang, Yurui Qu, Stephanie C. Li, Shufeng Liu, Alexandra H. Brozena, Zongfu Yu, Jelena Srebric, Liangbing Written by Hu, November 9, 2023, science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adi2224

Source: scitechdaily.com

Nikola’s Founder Trevor Milton Faces Four-Year Prison Sentence for Securities Fraud

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Trevor Milton, the disgraced founder and former CEO of electric truck startup Nikola, has been sentenced to four years in prison for securities fraud. The ruling by Judge Edgardo Ramos of U.S. District Court in Manhattan brings an end to a years-long saga in which Nikola’s stock soared 83% at one point, only to plummet months later amid fraud charges and contract cancellations.

The sentencing hearing was postponed four times, during which time Milton remained free on $100 million bail.

In his sentencing, Ramos said each charge carries a sentence of 48 months in prison, concurrent terms, and a $1 million fine. Milton is expected to appeal the ruling, which Ramos confirmed.

Milton sobbed before sentencing, pleading with Judge Ramos for leniency in a lengthy and often confusing statement. At one point, Milton said he had stepped down as Nikola’s CEO not because of the fraud allegations, but to support his wife.

“I resigned because my wife was suffering from a life-threatening illness,” he said. in his statement, shared by Inner City Press reporter Matthew Russell Lee in a social media post X. She suffered from medical malpractice, someone else’s plasma. So I resigned because of that – not because I was a fraud. Truth matters. I chose my wife over money and power. ”

Milton, 41, was found guilty by a jury in October 2022 of one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud after being found guilty of lying to investors about the development of electric trucks to inflate Nikola’s stock price. received the verdict.

At the sentencing hearing, defense attorneys said Milton never intended to defraud investors or harm anyone. Rather, he claimed he just wanted to be loved and admired like Elon Musk. Prosecutors pushed back, arguing that he repeatedly lied and targeted individual investors.

Milton faced up to 60 years in prison, although federal prosecutors recommended an 11-year sentence. The government also sought a $5 million fine, the forfeiture of the Utah ranch, and unspecified restitution to investors. The amount of restitution will be determined after Monday’s sentencing hearing.

Prosecutors in the case say Milton has been defrauding investors since 2019 by making improper statements, including that Nikola built trucks “from scratch” and developed batteries that were actually purchased elsewhere. He is accusing them of having been. There’s also the infamous Nikola marketing video where the truck appears to be driving under its own power. In reality, it was rolling down the hill.

The video sparked an independent investigation, and Milton resigned in September 2020 after a Hindenburg Research report labeled the company a fraud. The company ultimately paid a $125 million penalty in a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Nikola’s stock price plummeted, causing significant losses not only to the company but also to investors.

In the end, Mr. Nikola sought a settlement with the SEC and reimbursement of the fine, and in October a New York arbitration panel ordered Mr. Milton to pay the company $165 million.

Milton has since pleaded not guilty to the charges, but his lawyers argue there is no evidence the former CEO intended to defraud investors. Any misstatements were a result of optimism and confidence in the company, they said. last month, Milton’s lawyer said: He must be placed on probation, in part to care for his sick wife.

Milton’s decision is one of the few high-profile cases involving a technology founder. Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is serving an 11-year sentence after being convicted of defrauding investors in her blood testing startup. Sam Bankman Fried, founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX and cryptocurrency trading company Alameda Research, was found guilty in November on seven counts of fraud and money laundering.

The story is unfolding…

Source: techcrunch.com

The Absence of Flightless Bats: Unraveling the Mystery of Evolution

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Vampire bats are not only masters of flight, but also skillful walkers

Joel Sartor/Photo Arc/naturepl.com

Something begins to stir in the undergrowth of a New Zealand forest. Small furry animals run around on tree roots and in fallen leaves, looking for insects and fruit. He runs with a strange gait, as if he were on stilts. Is it a rat? bird? No, it’s a bat. The New Zealand brown bat, or more precisely, the Pekapeka toupoto.

Bats first took to the skies about 52 million years ago and have remained there ever since. There are approximately 1,300 species in the world, but not one of them is flightless. Most bats can’t even walk well. That’s why many of us are surprised by the behavior of Pekapekatupoto, a bat that is comfortable both in the air and on the ground.

However, why flightless bats do not exist is an evolutionary mystery. Birds, another great group of flying vertebrates, have evolved into flightless animals many times around the world. They frequent remote islands such as New Zealand, where there is little danger from ground-based predation (at least until humans show up, anyone else grilling dodos?). In such situations, flightlessness is a good adaptation because flight is energetically costly.

The world’s most land-dwelling bat, the pekapekatoupoto, has long been thought to hold the key to explaining the strange absence of flightless bats. But research over the past two decades has revealed the surprising fact that many other species of bats can walk, too. Inside…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Snowflake makes a big move into data clean rooms with acquisition of Samooha

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

snowflake is buying Samuhaa startup developing a “cross-cloud” data collaboration suite; company announced This morning it was added to the list of big tech acquisitions for the holiday season.

The transaction, which is expected to close by the end of this month and is subject to customary closing conditions, will enable Snowflake to securely share, collaborate on, and gain insights from their own and partners’ data, a well-established data clean technology. Acquire the “Room” platform. Regardless of the underlying data stack.

Samooha, in turn, will receive an undisclosed amount of cash and/or stock, along with support for Snowflake’s extensive technology and engineering infrastructure. All 19 Samooha employees, including CEO Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan and co-founder Abhishek Bhowmik, will be joining Snowflake in some capacity.

“This acquisition further strengthens our mission to leverage the world’s data by accelerating the built-in capabilities of the Snowflake platform for our customers,” Carl Perry, director of product management at Snowflake, said in an email. told TechCrunch. “Samooha customers will benefit from Snowflake’s many built-in platform features and the powerful network of the Snowflake Data Cloud. Meanwhile, Snowflake customers will be able to use the data clean room where their data already resides within Snowflake. It’s now faster and easier to build, connect, and use directly with .

Los Altos-based Samuha, co-founded by Sivaramakrishnan and Bhowmik in 2022, competes in the increasingly crowded data cleanroom space. AWS has a data clean room product, and so do startups like Herb. However, Samooha differentiates itself by relying heavily on his Snowflake ecosystem. Naturally, Snowflake was an early investor.

Samooha, a Snowflake native app, provides a no-code UI that customers can use to access and build clean room apps.The company went The company specifically targets industries considered to be potentially underserved, including healthcare, financial services, advertising, retail, and entertainment, and its customer base includes several Fortune 500 brands. He claimed that

Buoyed by its customer acquisition momentum, Samooha raised $12.5 million from investors including Altimeter Capital prior to the acquisition. The startup was valued at about $40 million post-money.

“SaMooha’s founding hypothesis was that the latest frontiers in data and AI would be built on a foundation of secure data sharing and collaboration,” Sivaramakrishnan said in an emailed statement. “Samooha joining Snowflake strengthens Snowflake’s ability to enable enterprises to collaborate in a seamless manner, with data governance, privacy, and security at its core. Companies and businesses such as media platforms can now build a powerful edge of value exchange and connectivity across their ecosystems of partners and customers.”

Investing in data clean room technology could be a beneficial decision for Snowflake. Continue to exceed Investor expectations, as a side note, in the long term. according to According to Gartner, 80% of advertisers spending more than $1 billion annually on media will use data clean rooms by the end of the year for applications such as analytics, measuring campaign results, and facilitating data integration. Probably.another poll published In early 2023, 29% of U.S. marketers suggested they would place more emphasis on data clean rooms this year compared to 2022, but given Snowflake’s interest, this prediction is certainly not impossible. there is no.

Source: techcrunch.com

Clearlake and Insight announce $4.4 billion agreement to privatize software company Alteryx

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Alterix is an Irvine, California-based software company that develops data science and analytics products. announced Private equity firms Clearlake Capital Group and Insight Partners announced that they have agreed to acquire the company in a deal valued at $4.4 billion.

Clearlake and Insight reportedly beat out another private equity firm, Symphony Technology Group. report I’ve been fighting for Alteryx for a few days now.

Clear Lake and Insight’s deal also includes debt, valuing Alterix’s equity at about $3.46 billion. report Reuters – A 29.1% premium to the company’s closing price on Friday. It is expected to close in the first half of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions and approvals.

The direct impact on Alteryx’s approximately 2,900 employees is not clear.

“In addition to providing significant and solid cash value to our shareholders, this transaction provides increased working capital and industry expertise; “It gives us the flexibility of being a private company.” “Over the past several years, we have executed a comprehensive transformation strategy to strengthen our go-to-market capabilities and establish a strong cloud and AI innovation roadmap. We are excited to partner with Clearlake and Insight for the next stage of Alteryx’s journey. ”

Alteryx’s predecessor, SRC, was co-founded in 1997 by Dean Stoecker, Olivia Duane Adams, and Ned Harding and initially focused on creating a data engine for demographic-based mapping and reporting. In 2006, SRC released a software app. Alteryx as a platform for building analytical processes and services. By 2011, SRC had changed its name to his Alteryx, and by that time SRC had become the company’s core product.

Alteryx went public on the NYSE in 2017 after raising tens of millions of dollars from VC firms including Toba Capital, Insight, Sapphire Ventures, ICONIQ Capital, and Meritech Capital Partners.

More recently, Alteryx moved to a subscription-centric business model and significantly expanded its AI-powered feature offering as part of its strategy to capture the growing demand for data analytics services. according to The value of the big data analytics market could reach $105.08 billion by 2027, up from $37.34 billion in 2018, according to analyst firm Research and Markets.

Alteryx currently counts more than 8,300 companies as customers, including Coca-Cola, Vodafone, Walmart, and Ford. In its coverage of the deal today, SiliconAngle said: Note That Alterix generated Revenue for the last quarter was $232 million, an increase of 8% from the same period last year. Also, annual recurring revenue grew nearly three times faster over the same period, increasing by about 21% to $914 million.

“When we founded Alteryx in 1997, we did so with a vision for the future of data science and analytics. Today, Alteryx is a differentiated platform that extends the democratization of data in a controlled way. We stand out as an industry leader with “The agreements with Clearlake and Insight demonstrate the strength of our business and the value of Alteryx’s capabilities and innovation.”

Source: techcrunch.com

JWST Captures Spectacular Image of Uranus Revealing 13 Rings and 9 Moons

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Uranus showing all its rings and 9 of the planet’s 27 moons

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

This amazing shot of Uranus taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) gives us the most complete view of Uranus yet, revealing its rings and turbulent atmosphere in stunning detail .

In April, JWST used infrared sensors to image Uranus, revealing more of the ice giant’s rock and dust rings, which have only been directly imaged twice before, by the Voyager 2 spacecraft and by Earth’s Keck Observatory. Now it can be observed clearly. Eleven of Uranus’s 13 known rings were visible in this image, but the last two were too dark to see.

JWST has now followed up on these observations using a wider field of view and more wavelengths of infrared light, revealing the rings in even more detail and showing us the elusive final two rings.

The diagram above also shows nine of Uranus’ 27 moons. These are all tilted away from the Sun at her 98 degree angle, the same as the planet itself. Another new image from JWST below shows five more moons (Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, Miranda, and Titania) shining like blue stars, bringing the total shown to 14.

This JWST photo of Uranus shows five more moons, shining like blue stars around the planet. They are (clockwise from top) Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, Miranda, and Titania.

STScI Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

The planet’s tilt causes long stretches of sunlight and darkness on different sides of Uranus, with each season lasting 21 Earth years and producing polar caps and atmospheric storms. Both can be seen more clearly in this picture. The storm lies just below the southern edge of the broad white polar cap, appearing as a white wisp against a blue background.

Although it takes Uranus 84 years to orbit the Sun, it only takes 17 hours to complete its rotation, allowing its atmosphere and moons to travel faster than standard telescopic exposures. Astronomers created the image above by combining long and short exposure times with JWST to smooth out the changing features.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Chimpanzees can remember and recognize photos of long-lost friends

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Chimpanzees at a zoo were shown photos of old group members to test their memory.

Johns Hopkins University

Bonobos and chimpanzees appear to be able to recognize photos of former group members, even animals they haven’t seen in over 20 years. This means that these apes have the longest social memory of any non-human animal.

Great apes such as gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos are known to have impressive memories. For example, some chimpanzees The exact location of a particular fruit tree In the forest, predict what will happen next in a previously seen movie. The researchers also found hints that great apes have long-term memories of individuals.

“When we went back to great ape populations that we had studied in the past, we noticed that they seemed to recognize and remember us,” he says. laura lewis at the University of California, Berkeley.

To investigate how long this social memory lasts in great apes, Lewis and her colleagues tested 12 bonobos and 15 chimpanzees living in zoos in the UK, Japan, and Belgium.

For each animal, the researchers flashed side-by-side photos of two different great apes on a screen for three seconds. One of the photos was of a monkey that had been living with them for at least a year, and the other was of a stranger.

Using eye-tracking technology, the researchers found that all participants looked on average about a quarter of a second longer at images of former group members than at images of strangers. As zookeepers say, former co-workers with whom they had a good relationship stay in the picture even longer.

This finding shows that these apes remember their acquaintances even after long periods of time. “It’s not that different from walking down the street in a big city and unexpectedly running into someone you went to school with and doing a double take,” team members say. Christopher Krupenier at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

In the most extreme case, a bonobo called Louise appeared to recognize her sister Loretta and nephew Erin after being separated for more than 26 years.

“This is the longest long-term social memory ever recorded in a non-human animal,” Lewis said.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Lingrove secures $10 million funding to expand its carbon-negative wood alternative

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

These days, even niche industries are concerned about people seeking greener material and process options, from washing machine waste to synthetic wool. ring glove uses laminates (thin layers of wood or other materials) with carbon-negative options that they claim will improve performance while still looking the same.

Laminate or veneer is common in every home and car. These are thin decorative pieces of wood that are placed over the molded or printed bodies of dashboards, appliances, and even home trim. It’s everywhere, but unfortunately, it’s not always sustainably sourced or manufactured.

Lingrove has developed an alternative to wood veneer from flax fibers and plant-based resins. This will be a material that is carbon negative yet has “very high stiffness, durability, and durability,” meaning it will be better for feel, temperature, and other materials (such as coffee). ). They call it “ekoa” (yes, in lowercase) and hope to expand into cars and other interior surfaces with a new $10 million funding round.

The Series B round was led by Lewis & Clark Agrifood and Diamond Edge Ventures, with participation from Bunge Ventures and SOSV.

The company claims that its materials are not only environmentally friendly and comparable or better in terms of strength etc., but can also have a positive impact on indoor air quality. Recycled plastics and other repurposed materials are often used for things like cabinetry and trim, but such surfaces often lack the desired appearance, hardness, and other qualities, and in some cases, There can be quite a bit of fumes (that’s the “new car smell”). ).

Image credits: ring glove

“We have healthy air, low carbon, high performance and beautiful products,” said CEO Joe Luttwak. “The use of industrial raw materials can be environmentally beneficial in some cases. However, many of their byproducts still emit VOCs. [volatile organic compounds] These negatively impact indoor air quality and cannot produce high-performance materials. ”

ekoa material has excellent performance, does not allow strange gases to seep into your kitchen or car cabin, and looks almost the same as regular wood. It can be fine-tuned to have different shades and opacity, has all the benefits of engineered laminates while generally being carbon negative, and can be crushed and reused when disposed of.

Image credits: ring glove

You may be wondering, like I did, why not just use real wood, i.e. things like sawdust and wood chips that already come out of the industrial wood treatment process. According to Luttwak, these are perfectly good structural materials, the ones in the center of the board, but they are not decorative. There’s a reason things like MDF boards tend to have at least one side covered in veneer. The interior wood glue mixture is unappealing and not particularly resistant to solvents, oils, etc.

Veneers aren’t the hottest or most exciting business to work on, but innovation is happening in a corner of the industry where smart alternatives can scale up to millions of products and at least reduce waste a little. It’s always reassuring to see that.

The new investment should help the startup go from small-scale in-house manufacturing to fulfilling all pre-orders and expanding into the automotive world.

Source: techcrunch.com

Possibly the First Crater Found on Jupiter’s Moon Io

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

This could be the first impact crater discovered on Io

NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/Kevin M. Gill, CC BY 2.0

Amateur astronomers may have discovered the first crater ever discovered on Jupiter’s moon Io. Io has never seen an impact crater before because it is very volcanically active and eruptions tend to erase impact craters.

Swedish amateur astronomer Jesper Sandberg discovered the apparent crater while examining archival images from the Galileo spacecraft, which orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003. It is relatively small, only about 100 meters in diameter, and is located on a large, flat area.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Adobe left with a big gap as $20 billion Figma deal falls through

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Adobe and Figma ended their $20 billion takeover dream this morning after regulators signaled tough times ahead. Figma still receives a $1 billion stipend as part of the deal, and as co-design lead, he should stand up well.

But it could be a different story for Adobe. They knew that the product they offered to compete with this company, XD, was not very strong, and they really wanted this company. They sought to use their corporate influence to seize advantageous aspects of their core creator businesses by acquiring market leaders.

But ultimately, the regulatory hurdles proved too much for them, and after more than a year of back and forth in regulatory meetings, both companies realized it wasn’t going to happen and decided to exit. decided.

Adobe put on a brave face their official statement, but I can’t help but be deeply disappointed with this result. “Adobe and Figma have shared a vision to jointly redefine the future of creativity and productivity, and we continue to leverage the huge market opportunity and mission to change the world through personalized digital experiences. We remain in a good position to do so.”

It’s not clear that Adobe could be in such a strong position without Figma, but it’s certainly true that Adobe is willing to pay a hefty price to have it under its wing. They were never able to convince regulators that this was not a blatant power grab by wealthy corporations to use their economic clout to take over the market.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s chief executive officer for competition, has made it clear that she believes this is just such an attempt. her official statement. “By merging these two companies, the proposed acquisition would end all current and stop all future competition between the two companies. Our thorough investigation shows that this We found that this could lead to higher prices, lower quality, or less choice for customers.”

Ray Wang, founder and principal analyst at Constellation Research, says this is a major setback for Adobe, forcing it to return to its design collaboration tool, XD. “Adobe realized that in a world of Generative AI, the value is not in content creation, but in coordinating the work of content. This deal takes Adobe back two years and expands the reach of this important market. “This will give us an incentive to revamp XD to cover this,” he said.

Adobe General Counsel Dana Rao told TechCrunch in October that the company has largely dismantled its XD team and is fully committed to meeting its product needs with Figma. “We tried to get in there [collaborative design] I used XD but it failed. We abandoned the product. Basically, our annual revenue never exceeded $15 million to $17 million. “I think he’s down to five full-time employees, but they continue to work according to their contractual requirements,” he said. “So if we’re going to get into the product design space, for us it’s going to be acquiring Figma,” he said at the time.

On the plus side, the company now has a lot of cash on hand that it wouldn’t have had had the deal gone through, and it could probably put it to better use in a post-generation AI world. Brent Leary says. Co-founder and Partner of CRM Essentials. “This deal was announced before ChatGPT, and the world has changed dramatically since then. And this could mean that Adobe could take back his $20 billion and adjust and shape the content creation process post-ChatGPT.” It might actually work better because of its gender,” he said.

Wang said the company may also consider acquiring other collaboration startups such as Milo, web flow or invision, which raised $476 million, $335 million, and $356 million, respectively (according to Crunchbase data). None of this would make him a perfect successor to Figma, but perhaps he could give the company a head start in the collaboration space without the kind of scrutiny it received in the Figma acquisition attempt. Sho.

Figma, for its part, hasn’t stopped since this deal was announced, moving forward and planning as an independent company. In fact, this startup has employed 500 people since September 2022. Additionally, we have developed new features including tools. For developers And we have a generative AI layer on top of the popular FigJam whiteboard tool.

John Lilly, an early investor in Figma, said he was enthusiastic about the company remaining independent. “This team is a very special team. Over the last 10 years, they have completely changed the way design works. And this market for designing products is much larger and growing faster.” Lilly told TechCrunch.

If he’s right, that’s exactly why Adobe wanted to buy the company. Now, with Figma continuing to operate on its own and a startup full of the same potential it had before the acquisition was announced in September 2022, Adobe will need to rethink its design collaboration strategy, and perhaps at this point You basically have to start from scratch, not in the position you were in.

Source: techcrunch.com

OpenAI enhances safety measures and grants board veto authority over risky AI developments

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

OpenAI is expanding its internal safety processes to prevent harmful AI threats. The new “Safety Advisory Group” will sit above the technical team and will make recommendations to management, with the board having a veto right, but of course whether or not they actually exercise it is entirely up to them. This is a problem.

There is usually no need to report on the details of such policies. In reality, the flow of functions and responsibilities is unclear, and many meetings take place behind closed doors, with little visibility to outsiders. Perhaps this is the case, but given recent leadership struggles and the evolving AI risk debate, it’s important to consider how the world’s leading AI development companies are approaching safety considerations. there is.

new document and blog postOpenAI is discussing its latest “preparation framework,” but this framework is based on two of the most “decelerationist” members of the board, Ilya Satskeva (whose role has changed somewhat and is still with the company). After the reorganization in November when Helen was removed, Toner seems to have been slightly remodeled (completely gone).

The main purpose of the update appears to be to provide a clear path for identifying “catastrophic” risks inherent in models under development, analyzing them, and deciding how to deal with them. They define it as:

A catastrophic risk is a risk that could result in hundreds of billions of dollars in economic damage or serious harm or death to a large number of individuals. This includes, but is not limited to, existential risks.

(Existential risks are of the “rise of the machines” type.)

Production models are managed by the “Safety Systems” team. This is for example against organized abuse of ChatGPT, which can be mitigated through API limits and adjustments. Frontier models under development are joined by a “preparation” team that attempts to identify and quantify risks before the model is released. And then there’s the “superalignment” team, working on theoretical guide rails for a “superintelligent” model, but I don’t know if we’re anywhere near that.

The first two categories are real, not fictional, and have relatively easy-to-understand rubrics. Their team focuses on cyber security, “persuasion” (e.g. disinformation), model autonomy (i.e. acting on its own), CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear threats, e.g. novel pathogens), We evaluate each model based on four risk categories: ).

Various mitigation measures are envisaged. For example, we might reasonably refrain from explaining the manufacturing process for napalm or pipe bombs. If a model is rated as having a “high” risk after considering known mitigations, it cannot be deployed. Additionally, if a model has a “severe” risk, it will not be developed further.

An example of assessing model risk using OpenAI’s rubric.

These risk levels are actually documented in the framework, in case you’re wondering whether they should be left to the discretion of engineers and product managers.

For example, in its most practical cybersecurity section, “increasing operator productivity in critical cyber operational tasks by a certain factor” is a “medium” risk. The high-risk model, on the other hand, would “identify and develop proofs of concept for high-value exploits against hardened targets without human intervention.” Importantly, “the model is able to devise and execute new end-to-end strategies for cyberattacks against hardened targets, given only high-level desired objectives.” Obviously, we don’t want to put it out there (although it could sell for a good amount of money).

I asked OpenAI about how these categories are being defined and refined, and whether new risks like photorealistic fake videos of people fall into “persuasion” or new categories, for example. I asked for details. We will update this post if we receive a response.

Therefore, only medium and high risks are acceptable in any case. However, the people creating these models are not necessarily the best people to evaluate and recommend them. To that end, OpenAI has established a cross-functional safety advisory group at the top of its technical ranks to review the boffin’s report and make recommendations that include a more advanced perspective. The hope is that this will uncover some “unknown unknowns” (so they say), but by their very nature they’ll be pretty hard to catch.

This process requires sending these recommendations to the board and management at the same time. We understand this to mean his CEO Sam Altman, his CTO Mira Murati, and his lieutenants. Management decides whether to ship or refrigerate, but the board can override that decision.

The hope is that this will avoid high-risk products and processes being greenlit without board knowledge or approval, as was rumored to have happened before the big drama. Of course, the result of the above drama is that two of the more critical voices have been sidelined, and some money-minded people who are smart but are not AI experts (Brett Taylor and Larry・Summers) was appointed.

If a panel of experts makes a recommendation and the CEO makes a decision based on that information, will this friendly board really feel empowered to disagree with them and pump the brakes? If so, do we hear about it? Transparency isn’t really addressed, other than OpenAI’s promise to have an independent third party audit it.

Suppose a model is developed that guarantees a “critical” risk category. OpenAI has been unashamedly vocal about this kind of thing in the past. Talking about how powerful your model is that you refuse to release it is great advertising. But if the risk is so real and OpenAI is so concerned about it, is there any guarantee that this will happen? Maybe it’s a bad idea. But it’s not really mentioned either way.

Source: techcrunch.com

TikTok introduces upgraded app experience for tablets and foldable devices

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

TikTok has rolled out updates that enhance the app experience for viewers on tablets and foldable devices, the company announced Monday. The app has been optimized for larger screens, so viewers can now experience a crisper video feed, streamlined navigation bar, and orientation support.

With the new update, users will see a polished video feed that “presents content more clearly.” Additionally, navigation bars at the top and bottom of the screen provide easy access to app features and tabs.

The app now works in landscape or portrait orientation. Today’s announcement comes a year after TikTok began testing horizontal full-screen mode on mobile worldwide. TikTok is already pushing further into YouTube territory by rolling out landscape mode on larger devices and supporting longer videos. The company’s support of long-form content makes it sensible to enhance the viewing experience for users watching things like cooking demos and beauty tutorials on tablets. The company hopes this new mode will persuade people who normally watch YouTube on their tablets to spend their time on TikTok instead.

“While most people already know and love TikTok on their mobile devices, we know that many people prefer accessing TikTok on larger screens and foldable devices,” the company said in a blog post. “Whether you’re looking for the latest cooking trends or searching for the latest soccer highlights, we’re excited to share that TikTok is now even more optimized for tablets and foldable gadgets.”

TikTok’s optimization for foldables and tablets comes at a time when one of its main competitors, Instagram, still lacks an iPad app. By rolling out updates to its app experience on larger devices, TikTok can surpass its mobile-first approach at a time when competitors are still lagging behind.

Source: techcrunch.com

AI trained on extensive life stories has the ability to forecast the likelihood of early mortality

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Data covering Denmark’s entire population was used to train an AI that predicts people’s life outcomes

Francis Joseph Dean/Dean Photography/Alamy Stock Photo

Artificial intelligence trained on personal data covering Denmark’s entire population can predict people’s likelihood of dying more accurately than existing models used in the insurance industry. Researchers behind the technology say it has the potential to have a positive impact on early prediction of social and health problems, but must be kept out of the hands of large corporations. There is.

Sune Lehmann Jorgensen The researchers used a rich Danish dataset covering the education, doctor and hospital visits, resulting diagnoses, income, and occupation of 6 million people from 2008 to 2020.

They converted this dataset into words that can be used to train large-scale language models, the same technology that powers AI apps like ChatGPT. These models work by looking at a set of words and statistically determining which word is most likely to come next based on a large number of examples. In a similar way, the researcher’s Life2vec model can look at the sequence of life events that form an individual’s history and determine what is most likely to happen next.

In the experiment, Life2vec was trained on all data except for the last four years of data, which was kept for testing. Researchers took data on a group of people aged 35 to 65, half of whom died between 2016 and 2020, and asked Life2vec to predict who lived and who died. This was 11% more accurate than existing AI models and life actuarial tables used in the financial industry to price life insurance policies.

The model was also able to predict personality test results for a portion of the population more accurately than AI models trained specifically to do the job.

Jorgensen believes the model has consumed enough data that it has a good chance of shedding light on a wide range of topics in health and society. This means it can be used to predict and detect health problems early, or by governments to reduce inequalities. But he stresses that it can also be used by companies in harmful ways.

“Obviously, our model should not be used by insurance companies, because the whole idea of insurance is that if some unlucky person suffers some kind of incident, dies, loses their backpack, etc. ‘Because we share the lack of knowledge about what to do, we can share this burden to some extent,’ says Jorgensen.

But such technology already exists, he says. “Big tech companies that have large amounts of data about us are likely already using this information against us, and they are using it to make predictions about us. It is.”

Matthew Edwards Researchers from UK professional institutes the Institute of Actuaries and the Faculty of Actuaries say that while insurers are certainly interested in new forecasting techniques, the bulk of decision-making is based on a type of model called a generalized linear model. The research is done using AI, which he says is rudimentary compared to this research. .

“If you look at what insurance companies have been doing for years, decades, centuries, they’ve taken the data they have and tried to predict life expectancy from that,” Edwards said. “But we are deliberately conservative in adopting new methodologies, because when we are creating policies that are likely to be in place for the next 20 or 30 years, the last thing we want is to make any significant mistakes. . Everything can change, but slowly because no one wants to make mistakes.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

VF Corp., owner of Vans and Supreme, reports stolen personal information and affected orders in alleged ransomware attack

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

US-based VF Corporation, which owns apparel brands such as Vans, Supreme and The North Face, said a cyberattack affected its ability to fulfill orders ahead of Christmas, one of the year’s biggest retail events. admitted that he had caused it.

A company based in Denver, Colorado said in a filing with federal regulators. The cyberattack, which the company first detected on December 13, was a ransom attack in which hackers “disrupted the company’s operations by encrypting some IT systems and stole data, including personal data, from the company.” It was said that it was hinting at a software attack.

As a result, the company says its operations continue to be disrupted, including its “ability to fulfill orders.”

When TechCrunch tried to place an order on Vans’ website, he was greeted with the following message: You will be notified by email when your item is shipped and can track it with the sender. ”

VF Corporation said in a filing that the retail stores it operates around the world are open and consumers can purchase available products online. It is unclear when orders will be shipped, and a company spokesperson did not provide a timeline.

VF Corp. spokesperson Colin Wheeler provided TechCrunch via email with a statement reflecting the company’s regulatory filings. The company did not respond to TechCrunch’s questions about the incident. Reveal whether the company received a ransom demand from hackers.

The company has not yet disclosed how it was breached, what type of data was accessed, or how many individuals were affected by the breach, including employees, customers, or both. . It’s also unclear who is behind the attack, with the ransomware group being tracked yet to claim responsibility.

VF Corp. warned in a regulatory filing that the cyberattack would have a “significant impact” on its business until its systems are restored. “As the investigation into the incident is ongoing, the full scope, nature and impact of the incident is not yet known,” the filing states.

VF Corp disclosed the incident on the same day that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s new data breach disclosure rules went into effect. This regulation means that organizations must report cybersecurity incidents, including data breaches, to federal securities regulators. within 4 business days.

Source: techcrunch.com

Targeting the brain with Ozempic and Wegovy may lead to reduced inflammation

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Ozempic is a diabetes drug, but it is also often used for weight loss.

fcm82/shutterstock

Weight loss and diabetes injections such as Wigovy and Ozempic (both semaglutide) are more widely used than initially thought after studies in mice suggest they act on the brain and reduce inflammation throughout the body. Possible medical benefits.

This finding may explain why this class of drugs appears to reduce heart attacks more than would be expected from weight loss effects alone.

It also supports their use in combating a wide range of health conditions that involve inflammation, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, which is being studied in clinical trials.

Semaglutide works by mimicking a gut hormone called GLP-1. Normally released after a meal, GLP-1 reduces appetite, makes you feel full, and triggers the release of insulin, a hormone involved in blood sugar regulation.

Some studies suggest that semaglutide not only reduces weight, but also reduces inflammation, and is a mild increase in certain types of immune system activity.Lowers levels of a compound in the blood called C-reactive protein (CRP) is a well-established sign of inflammation. Daniel Drucker At the University of Toronto, Canada.

A growing body of research suggests that inflammation is involved in many conditions not previously associated with the immune system, such as heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, but this does not yet lead to new treatments available in the clinic. has not been applied.

Because obesity is also associated with inflammation, semaglutide’s effect on CRP may simply be a side effect of weight loss, rather than the drug itself reducing inflammation.

To find out, Drucker and his colleagues investigated how several GLP-1 mimics affect inflammation in mice. First, they injected bacteria from the mice’s intestines into other parts of their abdomens, causing bacterial infections in their blood. This triggers a strong immune response and causes inflammation.

Some mice were also injected with GLP-1 mimics, either semaglutide or another member of this drug class called exenatide.

GLP-1 mimics reduced the animals’ inflammatory response to infection, but this did not occur when the researchers used mice genetically modified so that their brain cells lacked receptors for GLP-1. Ta.

The researchers also found no reduction in inflammation when they tested genetically normal mice whose brains were injected with compounds that block GLP-1 receptors.

Taken together, these results show that GLP-1 mimetics such as Ozempic act on brain cells to reduce inflammation, and that this is not just a side effect of weight loss.

“Losing weight is good, but you don’t need to lose weight to be effective,” Drucker says. For example, in Wegovy’s recent randomized trial, he says, the drug started preventing heart attacks within the first few months, before people lost significant weight.

“It was known that these drugs acted on inflammation,” he says. Ivan Koichev at Oxford University. “This paper is helpful because it reveals the underlying mechanism.”

In theory, anti-inflammatory drugs could cause people to develop additional infections, but this has so far not been observed in people who received the shots for weight loss or diabetes, Koychev says. .

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

The Emergence of Extortion as a Growing Ransomware Threat

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Cyber criminals are Their efforts to maximize disruption and force payment of ransom demands have become more aggressive and new extortion tactics are now being implemented.

In early November, the notorious ALPHV ransomware gang, also known as BlackCat, used an unprecedented extortion tactic, weaponizing the U.S. government’s new data breach disclosure rules against one of the gang’s own victims. I tried. ALPHV has filed a complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), alleging that digital lending provider MeridianLink failed to disclose what the gang calls a “significant breach of customer data and operational information.” did. The gang took the credit..

“We would like to draw your attention to a concerning issue regarding MeridianLink’s compliance with the recently adopted Cybersecurity Incident Disclosure Regulations,” ALPHV wrote. “We are aware that MeridianLink has failed to file the required disclosures under Item 1.05 of Form 8-K within the required four business days, as required by new SEC rules.”

ALPHV’s latest extortion campaign is the first of what is expected to be a trend in the coming months after the rule goes into effect. Although novel, this is not the only aggressive tactic used by ransomware and extortion gangs.

Hackers, typically known for deploying ransomware, are increasingly resorting to “double extortion” tactics, where in addition to encrypting a victim’s data, they also threaten to release stolen files if a ransom demand is not paid. We are transitioning. Some people go further with “.”triple “Extortion” attack. As the name suggests, hackers use her three-pronged approach to extort money from victims by extending blackmail and ransom demands to the original victim’s customers, suppliers, and associates. To do. These tactics have been used by the hackers behind the widespread MOVEit mass hack, marking a significant milestone in the trend of extortion attempts that do not use encryption.

While vague definitions may not seem like the biggest cybersecurity issue facing organizations today, the distinction between ransomware and extortion is important. Especially since defenses against these two types of cyberattacks can be very different. This distinction also helps policy makers learn what ransomware trends are and whether anti-ransomware policies are working.

What is the difference between ransomware and extortion?

Ransomware Task Force I will explain Ransomware is “an evolving form of cybercrime in which criminals remotely infiltrate computer systems and either restore data or demand a ransom in exchange for not releasing the data.”

In reality, ransomware attacks can have far-reaching effects. In an analysis with TechCrunch, ransomware experts Allan Liska, a threat intelligence analyst at Recorded Future, and Brett Callow, a threat analyst at Emsisoft, explained that ransomware, broadly defined, is a collection of content on an insecure Elasticsearch instance. From a “$50 attack” to a devastating “encryption-based attack that poses a life threat to hospitals”.

“But obviously they’re very different animals,” Liska and Callow said. “One is an opportunistic porch pirate who steals Amazon deliveries, and the other is a team of thugs who break into homes, terrorize families, and take away all their possessions.”

Researchers say there are similarities between “encryption and extortion” attacks and “extortion-only attacks,” including their reliance on brokers selling access to compromised networks. But there are also important differences between the two, especially when it comes to victim clients, vendors, and customers, whose own sensitive data may be caught up in an extortion-only attack.

“We’ve seen this play out repeatedly, where attackers organize stolen data to find the largest or most well-known organizations and launch attacks against them. “This is not a new tactic,” Liska and Callow said, noting that one ransomware group claims to have hacked a major technology company, when in fact it hacked a little-known technology vendor. He gave an example of data theft.

“Preventing attackers from encrypting files on your network is one thing, but how do you protect the entire data supply chain?” Liska and Callow said. “In fact, many organizations don’t think about their data supply chain… yet each point in that supply chain is vulnerable to data theft and extortion attacks.”

We need a more precise definition of ransomware

Authorities have long prevented hacked organizations from paying ransom demands, but it’s not always an easy decision for companies victimized by hackers.

In encryption and extortion attacks, companies have the option of paying a ransom demand to obtain the key to decrypt their files. However, if you pay a hacker using aggressive extortion tactics to delete your stolen files, there is no guarantee that the hacker will actually delete them.

This was demonstrated in the recent ransomware attack on Caesars Entertainment, which rewarded hackers in an effort to prevent the release of stolen data. In its own admission, Caesars told regulators that it had “taken steps to ensure that the data stolen by the wrongdoers is deleted, but we cannot guarantee the outcome.”

“In fact, we should assume they won’t do that,” Liska and Callow said, referring to claims that the hackers would delete the data they stole.

“With a better definition of ransomware that accounts for the distinction between different types of attacks, organizations should be able to identify any type of ransomware, whether it occurs within their own network or a third-party network. We will be able to better plan and respond to Were attacks, Liska and Callow said.

Source: techcrunch.com

Harvard University Researchers Decipher Enigmas of the Brain

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

A new study led by Harvard Medical School has revealed the neurological foundation of daydreaming. Conducted in mice, the study found that neurons in the visual cortex fired in patterns similar to those seen during the viewing of images, indicating daydreaming. This was especially pronounced during early daydreams and could predict future brain responses to visual stimuli, implying a role in brain plasticity. The study suggests that daydreaming may play a role in learning and memory processes in mice and potentially in humans. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

However, most neuroscientists do not understand what happens in the brain during daydreaming. A team of researchers at Harvard Medical School used mice to investigate the activity of neurons in the visual cortex of the brain during quiet wakefulness and found that these neurons fire in patterns similar to when the mouse views images, indicating that the mouse was daydreaming about the image. Furthermore, the brain showed the same firing pattern during daydreams as when it was seeing an image, suggesting that the mouse was imagining the image. These daydreams occurred only when the mouse was relaxed and had a calm behavior and small pupils.

The researchers found that mice were biased towards daydreaming about recently viewed images, and this daydreaming was more prominent at the beginning of the day. The daydreams influenced the brain’s future responses to images, indicating a role in brain plasticity. The two regions of the brain, the visual cortex and the hippocampus, were also found to communicate during daydreaming. Subsequent research with imaging tools will examine how these connections change when the brain sees an image.

While it remains an open question whether human daydreams involve similar patterns in the visual cortex, preliminary evidence suggests that a similar process occurs during the recall of visual images. The findings suggest that giving the mind waking downtime is crucial for daydreams, which is important for brain plasticity. This research was published on December 13th in Nature.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Previewing the 2024 Early-Stage Agenda: Engine Accelerator, Y Combinator, Glasswing Ventures and Others Head to Boston – TechCrunch

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

TechCrunch Early Stage returns to Boston on April 25, 2024, and the agenda for our flagship Founders event is taking shape. We’re excited to give you a sneak peek at some of the amazing speakers and sessions we’ll be attending. For builders just starting their startup journey, TechCrunch Early Stage is the place to be.

With the help of a large body of leading investors and entrepreneurs, we take a deep dive into founder-focused topics such as:

How to use Startup Accelerator.
How to raise your first funding.
How to find product-market fit.
How to make a killer pitch deck.

But wait. In addition: Want to join us for more speakers and sessions announced in the new year? Apply for content by the January 10th deadline for a chance to win a roundtable slot on TechCrunch Early Stage there is.

Early Stage is different from other TechCrunch events. Instead of panel discussions or fireside chats, speakers present on their assigned topics and answer questions from the audience. If you’re building something and want access to the brains of top startups, we’re working around the clock to introduce them to you. As always, all attendees will receive a transcript and visual assets of the presentation so they can take away what they learned.

Also, if you’re a talkative type, you’ll enjoy roundtable discussions and lots of time interacting with other founders, builders, and investors.

You’ll have a lot of questions in the early stages, and we’re here to answer them. Please come to my favorite TechCrunch event in Boston on April 25th. It’s similar to Disrupt, but incredibly focused and much more intimate. See you soon!

TechCrunch 2024 Early Agenda Preview

Working hard for $1 million in ARR: Best practices for learning fast from your launch partner

and Rudina Cecelico-founder and managing partner, glasswing ventures

Once you secure a seed round, the race begins to prove product-market fit and grow your ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue). With the clock ticking, limited seed dollars, a difficult macroeconomic environment, and the bar rising to secure the next round, founders’ margin for error is slim and execution is critical. In this session, we’ll dive into the best practices for rapidly iterating on lessons learned from launch partners (such as early customers). Learn how to ask the right questions, get actionable answers, respond effectively, and avoid idleness at this critical juncture in your company’s growth.

Choosing the right accelerator or incubator

and emily knightpresident, engine accelerator

Incubators and accelerators often provide a support structure for early-stage startups. Founders transitioning from academia often seek assistance in defining the potential commercial viability of their research, so specific programs are often tailored to their unique needs. Founders from academia face unique challenges stemming from higher education and national research institutions. Choosing the right startup program can help young companies navigate the known hurdles of founding. Here’s what you need to know today.

5 ways to ruin your VC pitch and how to avoid it

and Haje Kampspitch coach, Kamps Consulting LLC

Whether you’re just staring at a blank slide deck or fine-tuning your pitch, this can’t-miss session will provide you with valuable insights and help you avoid some of the biggest pitfalls. Haje Kamps, TechCrunch’s friendly in-house pitch coach, writes his 75+ pitch deck deconstruction articles on TechCrunch+. He is a source of knowledge in the art of pitching early stage startups to venture capitalists. With Haje’s expertise in analyzing and enhancing pitch decks, this session promises to be a treasure trove of practical advice and strategies.

How to earn money and live

and Tom Bromfieldgroup partners, Y combinator

Raising money in the first round is tricky. Especially if you don’t want to look back years from now and regret your terms of service or side letters. In this session, Tom explains how investors think, common pitfalls that may come up later, and how to put your company in the strongest possible position to raise capital. After all, who would want to participate in his game of 2024 fundraising hanger with old information?

Early stage financing: convertible notes, SAFE, series seed financing

and rebecca lee whitingFounder and Fractional General Counsel, epigram legal

Learn from early-stage fractional general counsel about various financing mechanisms for early-stage companies, including convertible notes, simplified agreements for future equity (SAFE), and series seed financing rounds. This session will highlight the pros and cons of these alternatives, demystify standard terms, highlight potential pitfalls to avoid, and suggest key points to consider when negotiating.

TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 will be held in Boston on April 25th. Join other emerging founders and bring your questions, get answers directly from industry experts, and learn the next steps you need to take to build your startup. But if you buy your pass now, you’ll save at the launch price!

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024? Contact our sponsorship sales team. Please fill out this form.

Source: techcrunch.com

The Potential of Acupuncture for Managing Chronic Urticaria

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

A recent study of more than 300 chronic spontaneous attack urticaria (CSU) patients found that acupuncture may provide limited symptom relief, but the clinical significance remains unclear. . An accompanying editorial highlights the potential of acupuncture in the treatment of non-painful conditions and the need for widespread clinical openness to its use.

A randomized controlled study of more than 300 participants diagnosed with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), or hives, suggests that acupuncture may provide some symptom relief. However, the clinical significance of these results remains unclear. This study was recently published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

CSU is the most common form of chronic urticaria and is characterized by recurrent itching, skin lesions, or swelling that lasts for more than 6 weeks in the absence of a specific provoking factor. More than 90 percent of CSU patients require urgent treatment to relieve itching. Therefore, itch management is one of the main goals in the treatment of CSU.

Effect of acupuncture on CSU

Researchers at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine randomly assigned 330 people diagnosed with CSU to either 4 weeks of acupuncture, 4 weeks of sham acupuncture, or a waiting list (control), and 4 weeks after treatment. Patients were followed for weeks to see if the acupuncture treatment improved. It leads to the improvement of CSU symptoms. Symptom changes were measured using the Weekly Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7).

Patients in the acupuncture group reported improved UAS7 compared to sham acupuncture and waitlist management. However, the clinical significance of the observed reduction in itch severity scores is unclear, as the difference between intervention and control did not meet the minimum clinical difference (MCID) threshold. The incidence of adverse events was highest in the acupuncture group, but the adverse events were mild and transient.

Editorial insights and broader implications

An accompanying editorial by Mike Cummings of the British Medical Acupuncture Society highlights that these trial results are interesting because they illustrate the effectiveness of acupuncture in conditions not characterized by pain.

Although the clinical significance of this finding was not clear, the authors believe that clinicians may use acupuncture as an adjunct to influence outcomes, even in more severe disease states. This suggests that you should always keep this in mind. The editorial suggests that acupuncture is often ignored as a treatment because it lacks commercial support compared to other modern interventions.

Reference: “Efficacy of acupuncture treatment for chronic spontaneous urticaria” Hui Zheng, Xian-Jun Xiao, Yun-Zhou Shi, Lei-Xiao Zhang, Wei Cao, Qian-Hua Zheng, Feng Zhong, Ping-Sheng Hao, Ying Written by Huang, Ming – Ling Chen, Wei Zhang, Si-Yuan Zhou, Yan-Jun Wang, Chuan Wang, Li Zhou, Xiao-Qin Chen, Zuo-Qin Yang, Zi-Hao Zou, Ling Zhao, Fan-Rong Liang, Ying Li, 14 November 2023 Annual report of internal medicine.
DOI: 10.7326/M23-1043

“Acupuncture for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria” by Mike Cummings, November 14, 2023, Annual report of internal medicine.
DOI: 10.7326/M23-2713

Source: scitechdaily.com