Tag Archives: growing

The Growing Global Threat of Pesticides: Understanding Their Harmful Impact

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Farmers Spraying Pesticides on Cotton Fields

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Over 60 years have passed since Rachel Carson’s influential book, Silent Spring, highlighted the dangers of pesticides. The negative impact on wildlife has escalated, potentially more than ever before.

“Across nearly every nation, there is a trend of increased pesticide toxicity,” explains Ralph Schulz from RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany.

The risks associated with pesticides depend on both the volume used and their toxicity levels, which can vary significantly among species. To quantify the overall pesticide burden, Schulz and his team formulated a metric called “applied toxicity.”

The team investigated the use of 625 pesticides across 201 countries from 2013 to 2019, incorporating both organic and conventional pesticide data.

They averaged toxicity data from regulatory bodies in various nations, assessing the toxicity levels to eight major organism groups: aquatic plants, aquatic invertebrates, fish, terrestrial arthropods, pollinators, soil organisms, terrestrial vertebrates, and terrestrial plants. This enabled them to calculate the total toxicity per country or organism group.

Globally, applied toxicity rose from 2013 to 2019 in six out of eight organism groups. Notably, pollinators saw a 13% increase, fish a 27% rise, and terrestrial arthropods—including insects, crustaceans, and spiders—experienced a 43% increase.

“This increase does not automatically translate to direct toxic effects on these organisms,” Schulz clarifies. “However, it serves as an important indicator of the toxicity levels of the pesticides currently in use.”

Numerous studies indicate that pesticide concentrations in various ecosystems, such as rivers, often exceed regulators’ assessments during approval processes.

“While this particular index does not account for it, significant evidence exists,” Schulz remarks, emphasizing that risk evaluations tend to underestimate real-world exposures.

The rise in the combined applied toxicity stems from two key factors: the increased use of pesticides and the replacement of older varieties with more toxic alternatives, spurred primarily by the emergence of pest resistance. Schulz notes, “In my view, resistance will only exacerbate with more chemical pesticide use.”

Pesticides like pyrethroids pose notable risks to fish and aquatic invertebrates, even when applied in minimal amounts. Neonicotinoids also significantly threaten pollinators.

Calls to eliminate glyphosate, known as Roundup, are growing. Although glyphosate’s overall toxicity is relatively low, its widespread use contributes to cumulative toxicity, according to Schulz. A ban could backfire if more toxic herbicides are adopted following the ban.

Reducing pesticide usage could lead to unintended consequences; declining farm productivity may necessitate more land clearance, resulting in biodiversity loss.

During the 2022 UN Biodiversity Summit, nations pledged to reduce biodiversity loss. Schulz states, “Overall risk from pesticides” has yet to be precisely defined, but he believes that the aggregate of applied toxicities could serve as a metric.

While this method has its limitations, he insists that no perfect measure of overall pesticide use exists. Roel Vermeulen of Utrecht University in the Netherlands adds, “Despite the uncertainties, the alarming trends it reveals are undeniable.” He warns, “The world is drifting away from UN objectives, which spells bad news for ecosystems and ultimately for human health.”

“Crucially, this study illustrates that a small number of highly toxic pesticides are responsible for the majority of overall risk, highlighting clear and actionable targets for significant benefits,” Vermeulen asserts.

Transforming agricultural practices will require broader societal shifts. “Consumers must adopt dietary modifications, minimize food waste, and pay fair prices that truly reflect the environmental costs of production,” he concludes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Vegan Infants: Growing at Comparable Rates to Omnivore Babies

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Meat and dairy products are not essential for a child’s development.

Evgenia Gordeeva/Getty Images

Research indicates that infants born into vegan or vegetarian families may initially have slightly lower birth weights. However, by age two, they typically catch up to their omnivorous peers.

Official dietary guidelines suggest: A well-balanced vegan diet, rich in vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fortified foods, can satisfy nutritional needs. Nonetheless, ensuring adequate nutrition for children’s growth can be challenging on a vegan diet, due to potential protein and amino acid deficiencies.

Small-scale studies have yielded inconsistent results regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a vegan diet for young children. To address these issues comprehensively, Kerem Avital and researchers from Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, Israel, analyzed data from 1.2 million infants recorded at Israel’s National Family Care Center between 2014 and 2023, monitoring growth parameters such as height, weight, and head circumference during their first two years.

The researchers compared these growth metrics to reported dietary habits of parents when the infants reached around six months old. The majority of families identified as omnivorous, while only 1.2% reported as vegetarian and 0.3% as vegan.

This still reflects approximately 18,000 infants in vegetarian and vegan households. “The size of this study is significant enough that even these small percentages represent a substantial number of children, ensuring statistical reliability,” notes Tomer Avnon, a professor at Tel Aviv University who did not participate in the research.

During the first 60 days after birth, growth measurements such as height, head circumference, and overall development were comparable across all dietary groups. However, infants from vegan households were found to be slightly more likely to be underweight. Conversely, being overweight was rare overall but less common among vegan and vegetarian households.

By the time they reached 2 years of age, developmental benchmarks appeared to converge across all three dietary groups. While growth restriction was more prevalent in vegetarian and vegan families, the differences were minor and not statistically significant. Researchers accounted for various influencing factors, such as income, maternal age, and breastfeeding practices.

“The findings are quite encouraging,” stated Avnon. “It provides robust evidence that children of vegetarian and vegan parents can have healthy developmental trajectories.”

The analysis aligns with medical insights that babies born smaller than average typically “catch up” in their growth later, Avnon added. It should reassure parents that a meat-free diet can support healthy early childhood development, although the researchers point out that dietary habits were self-reported by parents, potentially affecting result accuracy. “This study lacks continuous assessments of children’s actual nutritional intake, an important element in long-term development,” he explains.

Zulfikar Bhutta, a researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, expressed concerns regarding the minor growth discrepancies noted among the groups. “The subtle differences in growth may have long-term implications, particularly since other studies indicate that vegan diets could lead to lower bone density and micronutrient levels,” he warned.

He encourages caution against assuming that a vegan or vegetarian diet is universally suitable during early childhood, especially in regions where malnutrition is a critical issue.

While the study was conducted in Israel, Avital believes the findings are applicable to countries with similar economic conditions and healthcare access, such as the United Kingdom. Bhutta advocates for larger studies to capture more precise data on dietary habits and parental characteristics.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Sam Altman Declares ‘Code Red’ for OpenAI Amidst ChatGPT’s Growing Competition

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Sam Altman has issued a “code red” for OpenAI to enhance ChatGPT amid strong competition from other chatbots.

In a recent report from the technology news site Information, the CEO of the San Francisco-based startup informed staff in an internal memo: “We are at a critical time for ChatGPT.”

OpenAI is feeling the pressure from the success of Gemini 3, Google’s latest AI model, and is allocating additional resources to improve ChatGPT.

Last month, Altman informed employees that the launch of Gemini 3 had outperformed competitors. According to various benchmarks, this could result in “temporary economic headwinds” for companies. He added, “I expect the global atmosphere to remain stormy for some time.”

While OpenAI’s flagship product boasts 800 million weekly users, Google benefits from a profitable search business along with vast data and financial resources for its AI initiatives.




Sam Altman. Photo: Jose Luis Magaña/AP

Marc Benioff, CEO of the $220bn (£166bn) software company Salesforce, stated last month that he plans to switch to Gemini 3 and “never look back” after testing Google’s newest AI release.

“I’ve been using ChatGPT every day for three years. I just spent two hours on Gemini 3. I’m not going back. The leap is insane. Reasoning, speed, images, video… everything is clearer and faster. I feel like the world has changed again,” he remarked on X.

OpenAI is also scaling back its advertising efforts on ChatGPT as it prioritizes improvements to the chatbot, which recently celebrated its third anniversary.

Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT, marked the anniversary with a post on X, committing to further innovations for the product.

“Our focus now is to further enhance ChatGPT’s capabilities, making it more intuitive and personal while continuing to grow and expand access worldwide. Thank you for an incredible three years. We have much work ahead!”

Despite not having the same cash flow support as rivals like Google, Meta, and Amazon, who fund competitor Anthropic, OpenAI has garnered substantial investments from firms like SoftBank Investment Group and Microsoft. At its latest valuation, OpenAI reached $500 billion, a significant increase from $157 billion last October.

OpenAI is currently operating at a loss but anticipates annual revenue to surpass $20 billion by year’s end, with Altman projecting that it will “grow to hundreds of billions.” The startup plans to allocate $1.4 trillion in data center costs over the next eight years to develop and maintain AI systems, aiming for rapid revenue growth.

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“Considering the trends in AI usage and demand, we believe the risk of insufficient computing power at OpenAI is more significant and likely than the risk of excess computing power,” Altman stated last month.

Apple has also reacted to rising competitive pressure in the sector by appointing a new vice president of AI. John Gianandrea will be succeeded by Microsoft executive Amar Subramanya.

The company has been slow to integrate AI features into its products, while competitors like Samsung have been quicker to upgrade their devices with AI capabilities.

Subramanya comes to Apple from Microsoft, where he last served as vice president of AI. He previously spent 16 years at Google, including as head of engineering for the Gemini assistant.

Earlier this year, Apple announced that enhancements to its voice assistant Siri would be postponed until 2026.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sirius Setback: Apple’s AI Chief Steps Down Amid Growing Competition

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Apple’s artificial intelligence lead, John Gianandrea, is departing the company. This decision comes as the Silicon Valley titan trails behind competitors in launching generative AI features, especially regarding the voice assistant Siri. Apple made the announcement on Monday, expressing gratitude for Mr. Gianandrea’s seven years of service.

CEO Tim Cook noted that his fellow executives played a crucial role in “building and advancing the company’s AI initiatives,” paving the way for continual innovation. Amar Subramanya, a seasoned AI researcher, will take over Gianandrea’s role.

In June 2024, Apple launched its significant AI product suite, Apple Intelligence, but it has been slow to integrate generative AI into its offerings compared to rivals like Google. While Apple has added features such as real-time language translation on its new AirPod earbuds—a capability Google introduced in 2017—and an AI-driven fitness app that uses AI-generated voices during workouts, substantial updates are still forthcoming.

The company has been hinting at AI-powered enhancements for Siri for over a year, yet the release has faced multiple delays.

“For Siri, we required additional time to achieve that high quality,” remarked Craig Federighi, Apple’s vice president of software engineering, during the company’s developer conference in June.

In a subsequent earnings call, Cook emphasized that Apple was “on track to create a more personalized Siri” with a launch targeted for the following year.

The appointment of Subramanya indicates a stronger focus on Apple’s AI strategy. Previously, he was Vice President of AI at Microsoft and spent 16 years at Google, where he led engineering for Gemini AI Assistant, recognized as a benchmark in the industry. Subramanya will report to Craig Federighi, who has expanded his involvement in the company’s AI initiatives in recent years.

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On Monday, Cook shared that Federighi is “helping us advance our AI efforts, including overseeing our initiatives to deliver a personalized Siri experience to our users starting next year.” In their announcement, Apple stated that this marks a “new chapter” for the company as it “intensifies its efforts” in AI.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Growing Size of Cars: A Challenge for Us and the Planet

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Living in the UK, you might have observed a rise in the number of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and large vehicles on our roads. These vehicles represented 63% of new car sales in the UK last year, a stark increase from just 12% in 2010.

On a global scale, this figure hovers around 48% and shows no signs of decreasing. This trend is concerning, as larger vehicles mean greater risks. My research focuses on the intersection of transportation and health, and recently, I collaborated on a study featured in BMJ. We believe regional, national, and international strategies are essential to limit the sale of these vehicles.

The principal health hazards associated with cars include road risks, pollution, and the tendency for people to choose driving over walking or cycling, which are more beneficial for health. Heavier cars negatively impact all these factors.

Intuitively, the risk of injury from a large vehicle is more pronounced. Their front ends are tall and blunt compared to standard cars; this is problematic for cyclists and pedestrians. Last year, I was involved in a review analyzing studies on the interactions between SUVs and vulnerable road users. The findings indicated that adults struck by SUVs face a 44% higher mortality risk than those hit by standard cars. The review also estimates that in the U.S., about 10% of pedestrian and cyclist casualties could be avoided by substituting SUVs with smaller vehicles—translating to roughly 1,700 preventable deaths or serious injuries annually.

Additionally, cars are becoming wider, a phenomenon dubbed “car spreading.” European new cars now grow, on average, by 0.5 cm each year. With limited road space devoted to cars, there’s increasingly less for cyclists and pedestrians. Encouraging more people to walk or bike would offer significant health benefits. Larger cars not only diminish these advantages but also contribute to urban congestion.

The larger size of these vehicles exacerbates air pollution issues. While the shift toward electric vehicles is promising for reducing emissions, it’s crucial to note that even electric SUVs create particulate pollution from tires and brakes, a major contributor to urban air quality concerns. Heavier vehicles produce more tire and brake wear, meaning electric SUVs may not offer the same air quality benefits as smaller electric cars.

So, what can we do to mitigate the proliferation of these large, hazardous, and polluting SUVs? My colleagues and I propose several strategies. Many cities now implement clean air zones—London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone is one example. While not specifically targeting vehicle size, such zones urge people to consider pollution from older, larger cars. Recently, the Cardiff council decided to charge extra for residential parking permits for SUV owners, joining cities like Paris and several in Germany and France that have raised parking costs for larger vehicles.

Beyond parking fees, governments might rethink car taxes to incentivize smaller vehicle purchases. Imposing higher taxes on heavier cars would align with societal costs related to road danger and pollution.

While some individuals may have legitimate needs for larger vehicles, with SUVs representing nearly half of all new car sales, we must recognize the health risks they pose. For improved road safety and cleaner air, buyers need to weigh these factors and governments must adjust regulations to reflect the dangers and environmental impacts of these vehicles.

Anthony Laverty is a student at Imperial College London School of Public Health.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Sam Altman’s Gamble: Will OpenAI’s Aspirations Match the Industry’s Growing Expenses?

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It’s a staggering $1.4 trillion (£1.1 trillion) dilemma. How can a startup like OpenAI, which is currently operating at a loss, afford such enormous expenses?

A positive answer to this question could significantly ease investor worries about potential bubble bursts in the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector, including the high valuations of tech companies and a global expenditure of $3 trillion on data centers.

The firms behind ChatGPT require extensive computing resources (or “compute”) to train their models, generate responses, and develop even more advanced systems going forward. OpenAI’s computing obligations (AI infrastructure such as chips and servers supporting its renowned chatbots) are projected to reach $1.4 trillion over the next eight years, overshadowing its annual revenue of $13 billion.


Recently, this disparity has appeared to be a significant concern, leading to market unease regarding AI expenditures and remarks from OpenAI leaders who have not sufficiently clarified these issues.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman initially attempted to address the situation during a somewhat awkward discussion with Brad Gerstner of Altimeter Capital, the company’s leading investor, but concluded with Altman’s assertion that “enough is enough.”

On his podcast, Gerstner articulated that the company’s capacity to cover more than $1 trillion in computing expenses while yielding only $13 billion in annual revenue is an issue “plaguing the market.”

Altman countered by stating, “First of all, we’re generating more than that. Secondly, if you want to sell your stock, I can find you a buyer; I’ve had enough.”

Last week, OpenAI’s Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar suggested that some of the chip expenses could be offset by the U.S. government.

“We’re exploring avenues where banks, private equity, and even governmental systems can help finance this,” she mentioned to the Wall Street Journal, noting that such assurances could significantly lower financing costs.

Was OpenAI, which recently declared itself a full-fledged for-profit entity valued at $500 billion, implying that AI companies should be regarded similarly to banks during the late 2000s? This led to a quick clarification from Friar, who denied on LinkedIn that OpenAI was seeking federal reassurance while Altman aimed to clarify his stance on X.

“We neither have nor want government guarantees for OpenAI data centers,” Altman wrote in an extensive post, adding that taxpayers shouldn’t be responsible for rescuing companies that make “poor business choices.” Perhaps, he suggested, the government should develop its own AI infrastructure and provide loan assurances to bolster chip manufacturing in the U.S.

Tech analyst Benedict Evans remarked that OpenAI is trying to compete with other major AI contenders supported by substantial existing profit models, including Meta, Google, and Microsoft, who are significant backers of OpenAI.

“OpenAI aims to match or surpass the infrastructure of dominant platform companies that have access to tens of billions to hundreds of billions of dollars in computing resources. However, they rely on cash flow from current operations to afford this, something OpenAI lacks, and they’re working to gain entry into that exclusive circle independently,” he noted.

Altman is confident that the projected $1.4 trillion can be offset by future demand for OpenAI products and ever-evolving models. Photo: Stephen Brashear/AP

There are also concerns surrounding the cyclical nature of some of OpenAI’s computing agreements. For instance, Oracle is set to invest $300 billion in developing new data centers for OpenAI across Texas, New Mexico, Michigan, and Wisconsin, with OpenAI expected to reimburse almost the same amount in fees for those centers. According to its agreement with Nvidia, a primary supplier of AI chips, OpenAI will purchase chips for cash, while Nvidia will invest in OpenAI as a non-controlling stakeholder.

Altman has also provided updates on revenue, stating that OpenAI anticipates exceeding $20 billion in annual revenue by the year’s end and reaching “hundreds of billions of dollars” by 2030.

He remarked: “Based on the trends we’re observing in AI utilization and the increasing demand for it, we believe that the risk of OpenAI lacking sufficient computing power is currently more pressing than the risk of having excess capacity.”

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In essence, OpenAI is confident that it can recover its $1.4 trillion investment through anticipated demand for its products and continually enhancing models.

The company boasts 800 million weekly users and 1 million business customers, deriving income from consumer ChatGPT subscriptions – which accounts for 75% of its earnings – in addition to offering enterprises a specific version of ChatGPT and allowing them to leverage its AI models for their own products.

A Silicon Valley investor, who has no financial ties to OpenAI, emphasizes that while the company has the potential for growth, its success hinges on various factors like model improvements, reducing operational costs, and minimizing the expenses of the chips powering these systems.

“We believe OpenAI can capitalize on its strong branding and ChatGPT’s popularity among consumers and businesses to create a suite of high-value, high-margin products. The crucial question is: how extensively can these products and revenue models be able to scale, and how effective will the models ultimately prove to be?”

However, OpenAI currently operates in the red. The company contends that figures regarding its losses are misrepresented, such as claims of an $8 billion loss in the first half of the year and about $12 billion in the third quarter, yet it does not dispute these losses or provide alternative figures.

Altman is optimistic that revenue may stem from multiple sources, including heightened interest in paid ChatGPT versions, other organizations utilizing their data centers, and users purchasing the hardware device being crafted in collaboration with iPhone designer Sir Jony Ive. He also asserts that “substantial value” will emerge from scientific advancements in AI.

Ultimately, OpenAI is banking on needing $1.4 trillion in computing resources, a figure far from its current income, because it is convinced that demand and enhancements to its product lineup will yield returns.

Karl Benedict Frey, author of “How Progress Ends” and an associate professor of AI at the University of Oxford, casts doubt on OpenAI’s aspirations, citing new concerns and evidence of a slowdown in AI adoption in the U.S. economy. Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that companies with 250 or more employees have experienced a decline in AI adoption.

“Multiple indicators reveal that AI adoption has been decreasing in the U.S. since summer. While the underlying reasons remain unclear, this trend implies a shift where some users and businesses feel they aren’t receiving the anticipated value from AI thus far,” Frey stated, adding that achieving $100 billion in revenue by 2027 (as suggested by Altman) would be impossible without groundbreaking innovations from the company.

OpenAI claims that its enterprise ChatGPT version has grown ninefold year-over-year, accelerating business acceptance, with clientele spanning sectors, including banking, life sciences, and manufacturing.

Yet, Altman acknowledges that this venture might not be a guaranteed success.

“However, we could certainly be mistaken, and if that’s the case, the market will self-regulate, not the government.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Xbox Game Pass Price Increases: A Discussion on Growing Gaming Expenses | Games

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IIn the realms of music, television, and film, the emergence of streaming has dramatically revolutionized the traditional business model. Instead of purchasing an album or movie, most of us now opt for a few subscriptions based on our viewing preferences, occasionally supplementing this with unique records or special Blu-ray editions. This shift poses significant challenges for musicians, as they earn roughly $0.004 per play on Spotify. In contrast, Spotify itself has achieved a billion dollars in profit (after years of operating losses). On the television side, customers are increasingly frustrated; in my household, we juggle five different TV subscriptions, based on our series interests, just to manage costs effectively.

This subscription model has not gained the same traction in video games. Apple’s Arcade service provides premium mobile games for £6.99 per month, but the free-to-play model prevails on mobile devices, generating massive profits primarily through advertising and in-game purchases. (Fun fact: approximately 85% of the gaming industry’s total revenue predominantly comes from free-to-play games in regions like China.) While Netflix offers games included in its subscription, user engagement remains low. PlayStation and Nintendo have their own subscription services, but these mainly feature older titles rather than new releases. Xbox Game Pass stands out with over 200 games available, but purchasing new exclusive games still comes with a hefty price tag—until now.

Recently, Microsoft revealed that the price of its Game Pass Ultimate subscription would rise from £14.99 to £22.99 per month. (This tier includes all the latest releases, with more affordable options still available.) Additionally, subscribers in certain countries (primarily Europe) received emails notifying them about a delay in the price increase, while those in the UK and US face the additional cost. Price hikes had long been considered unavoidable given the millions of dollars invested in blockbuster game development, alongside payments to developers for hosting on its services. A Bloomberg estimate indicated that Microsoft spent $300 million on revenue by including Call of Duty in Game Pass.

Does this imply that Game Pass isn’t achieving the success Microsoft anticipated? We consulted Christopher Doling from the Game Business Newsletter, who provided invaluable insight. “Game Pass is profitable,” he noted. “However, it affects premium game sales. Notably, titles like Halo Infinite and Starfield have not performed as well on the charts as anticipated. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $70 billion is under scrutiny by company leaders, including Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood. It’s not just about profitability; it’s about growth. Microsoft expects a significant return from the Xbox division on this investment. This isn’t excessive,” he added, simplifying matters. Thus, Xbox is cutting costs, projects, and even studios, while raising prices across the board.

With sluggish console sales for Xbox in recent years, the company is depending on Game Pass for growth. Microsoft has ceased reporting Xbox migrations, preferring to discuss revenue and engagement. However, sales of the Xbox Series S/X are estimated to be substantially lower than those of the 2013 Xbox One, putting it in a competitive third place behind Nintendo and PlayStation. Xbox executives themselves have acknowledged that console sales are no longer a priority. This is likely why Microsoft has started to release many of its games on PC and PlayStation, while heavily investing in studio acquisitions to create more content for Game Pass.

Call of Duty Warzone promotional images. Photo: Activities

However, the broader question remains: what does the future hold for subscription-based video games? Furthermore, what implications does this have for developers? One potential trajectory may mirror trends seen in the television industry where subscription costs gradually increase, and streaming services proliferate, forcing gamers to pay substantial amounts annually for the latest titles. Meanwhile, developers may feel the impact of decreased direct sales, making it harder for them to financially support ambitious projects, which could stifle the emergence of original art. Despite this, millions of gamers are still willing to spend £70 on games upon release. Titles like Mario Kart World and Assassin’s Creed Shadows were among the top-selling games in Europe the first half of this year. Why then are major companies attempting to undermine this?

“For the [smaller] developers, right now, Game Pass serves as a vital discoverability tool in an industry where that’s genuinely a concern. It also enables players to access games more economically (well, that used to be the case) and is crucial in today’s economic environment. Nonetheless, there are valid worries about what the future may hold.”

Certainly, diverse business models can coexist within the gaming landscape, with video games currently finding a balance between free-to-play and premium formats. These categories cater to different audiences, and data indicates they do not cannibalize one another’s revenue. Some consumers prefer investing in high-end consoles and premium game titles, and the market has remained relatively stable over the past decade. As more casual gamers flock to free-to-play titles, the overall gaming landscape has expanded significantly, leading to enhanced viewership. If managed effectively, subscription services like Game Pass could provide intermediary solutions that do not completely erode traditional industry business models. However, given precedents in other arts sectors and the profit-driven ambitions of large corporations like Microsoft, this may be overly optimistic.

Despite rising costs, Xbox Game Pass continues to deliver substantial value for the most engaged players. “Xbox is asking the most active players to shoulder higher prices. Game Pass Ultimate caters specifically to these individuals,” Dring points out. “Statistics show they receive considerable value, so if they can afford it, a good portion of these players will likely accept the cost. The average Game Pass Ultimate user is expected to play around $550 worth of games annually.”

Editor’s Notes: Due to an editorial oversight, last week’s issue incorrectly referred to the new president of Nintendo of America, Devon Pritchard, using the wrong pronouns despite her being the first woman to hold the position. I apologize to Devon and appreciate those who brought this to my attention.

What to play

Baby Steps. Photo: Devolver Digital

September had a host of exceptional games, and I’m still catching up on them (and engrossed by Silksong). One game I’m particularly excited about is Baby Steps, a surreal slapstick comedy experience I’ve been eagerly anticipating forever. The narrative kicks off with a not-so-promising scenario where a sluggish man and woman, Nate, are dragged from their parents’ basement and plunged into the unforgiving wilderness. Using the triggers to lift your hesitant feet and the control stick to balance, you stumble out of the cave, bound for the camp at the mountain’s base.

However, the ensuing experience is among the most exasperating in gaming history. Expect to slip, stagger, and slide down areas you’ve painstakingly navigated for 20 minutes. I once stumbled Nate’s foot into a wooden beam and plummeted down, necessitating a lengthy trek back to the campsite I had just left an hour prior. Yet, astonishingly, I was glued to the screen until 2 AM, drawn in by its bizarre humor and the persistence required to maneuver Nate’s clumsy body. It truly embodies “painful beauty in art,” and if intriguing challenges appeal to you, give it a whirl.

Available: PS5, PC
Estimated play time: 10 hours

What to read

EA Head Office. Photo: Terry Schmidt/UPI/Shutterstock

  • For those interested in the ethical implications surrounding Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – as noted last week, EA is set to co-own a part of EA – Euro Gamer highlighted, “This is the Saudi national wealth that should be harnessed to advance the economic and social rights of the Saudi populace. Instead, it’s being directed towards lavish mega projects both domestically and internationally… This appears to be a deliberate tactic to distract from the human rights situations in the country.”

  • This summer yielded an animated Netflix film, K-POP Demon Hunter (if you know, you know), which has achieved notable popularity taking over Fortnite with new modes and character skins added. This sparked some lively discussions between me and my partner, who believes young kids shouldn’t play Fortnite. I’m more okay with it since it appeals to them. Either way, I will be engaging with it.

  • Pour one out for Rock Band, the once-famous plastic instrument game and the soundtrack of my college years. Its final installment, Rock Band 4, was delisted last Sunday, marking its 10th anniversary as the music licenses for the songs have expired. If you still own a copy, make sure to beef up your track library before all songs are taken off the market. As for developer Harmonix, they’ve shifted to creating music for Fortnite, thus signaling the end of new Rock Band games.

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Question Block

“We work in the dark to serve the light.” Photo: UBISOFT

A couple of weeks ago, I asked readers for thoughts on video game quotes that resonate with them. The responses were abundant. In no particular order:

“I’ve always believed if life hands you lemons, don’t just craft lemonade! Return those lemons and get angry! You don’t need those stinking lemons right now! What should I do with this? I’m calling for an emergency meeting with my life advisor!” – Portal 2, Submitted by Helen

“We work in the dark to serve the light” – I resonate with this phrase from Assassin’s Creed. It often echoes in my job as an assistant director in the film and television sector, where I spend a fair amount of time working in both literal and metaphorical darkness as a lighting manager. – Submitted by Stephen

“Please make your determination.” Undertale submitted by Kelly

“‘Comment is never forgotten, so there’s no need to remember it'” – this quote from Breath of the Wild holds a personal significance for me. A non-gamer friend wanted to give me a baby gift, so she printed this quote alongside a baby blanket and sent it to me. I still have it on my fridge. Loving everything her about Zelda, I named my daughter after the game. This line strikes me as particularly poignant during the final battle when Link confronts the dark beast Ganon, and his wise companion encourages him: it captures the essence of our journey as new parents. – Submitted by Kelly

“‘We’re not going to Ravenholm.'” – I often recall this quote from Half Life 2 whenever I am hesitant in my job and personal spheres—iykyk.

“Okay. This won’t cease until I die, but I yearn for pain when that moment comes. As friends depart and when I must let go, even when all hope collapses, I crave to feel it all. It is daunting. I embrace loss. I want to face challenges and rise above until it all concludes. Can I express that? I wish to find light again, even through hardship. Because feeling pain signifies meaning. It confirms my existence.” …at least, at least…” From May Borowski in Night in the Woods, submitted by Keira

If you have inquiries regarding the Question Block or anything related to the newsletter, feel free to reply or email pushbuttons@theguardian.com.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Free-Floating Exoplanets Are Growing at Unprecedented Rates

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Cha J11070768-7626326 (shortened to Cha 1107-7626), a young and isolated exfoliating planet five to ten times the mass of Jupiter, has undergone a remarkable “growth spurt,” accumulating approximately 600 million tons of gas and dust within just a few months in the new sulse.

Artists’ impressions of Xplanet CHA 1107-7626 floating freely. Image credits: ESO/L. Kalsada/M. Kornmesser.

Located approximately 620 light years from the constellation Chamaeleon, Cha 1107-7626 is a free-floating exoplanet still in formation, drawing material from a gas and dust surrounding disc.

This material consistently falls onto planets, a process known as acquisition.

By August 2025, CHA 1107-7626 had increased its accretion rate to about eight times faster than just a few months prior, reaching an astonishing 6 billion tons per second.

“While it is often thought that planets are quiet and stable, this discovery shows that planetary mass objects drifting in space can be incredibly dynamic,” says Dr. Víctor Almendros-Abad.

“We have observed this newly forming illicit planet devouring material at a fierce pace,” remarked Ray Jayawardana, a professor at Johns Hopkins University.

“Our ongoing monitoring over recent months, utilizing two of the most powerful telescopes on Earth and in space, has provided us with rare insight into the infant stages of isolated objects not much larger than Jupiter.”

“Their early existence appears to be significantly more turbulent than previously conceived.”

“This represents the most intense accretion episode ever documented for planetary mass objects,” added Dr. Almendros-Abad.

The discovery was made using the X-Shooter spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) operated by ESO in the Atacama Desert, Chile.

Astronomers also employed data from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, as well as archived data from the SINFONI Spectrograph of the VLT.

“The origins of illicit planets remain an open question: are they the lowest mass objects that form like stars, or are they giant planets ejected from their birth systems?” queried Dr. Alex Scholz, an astronomer at St. Andrews University.

Results suggest that at least some illicit planets may follow formation pathways similar to stars, as analogous bursts have been previously observed in younger stellar bodies.

“This finding blurs the line between stars and planets, offering a glimpse into the earliest formation periods of these objects,” states Dr. Belinda Damien, an astronomer at St. Andrews University.

By comparing the light emitted before and after the burst, astronomers gathered insights into the nature of the accretion process.

Interestingly, magnetic activity seems to contribute to driving this intense process.

This indicates that even low-mass objects can possess strong magnetic fields capable of fueling such accretion events.

The team also discovered that the chemistry of the surrounding discs changes during accretion episodes, with water vapor detected in the steam.

This phenomenon has been noted in stars but not previously observed in any type of planet.

“We are beginning to understand how the early life of a free-floating planetary mass object resembles that of a sun-like star,” stated Professor Jayawardana.

“Our recent discoveries emphasize this similarity, suggesting that some giant planet-like objects may form in a manner akin to stars and experience growth episodes similar to newborn stars as they accumulate gas and dust with their own discs.”

The team’s paper was published today in the Astrophysics Journal Letter.

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Victor Almendros-Abad et al. 2025. Discovery of accretion bursts on free-floating planetary mass objects. apjl 992, L2; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae09a8

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers Discover Vast Numbers of Black Holes 12.8 Billion Light Years Away, Actively Growing

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The immense black hole at the center of Radio Quasar RACS J032021.44-352104.1 (shortened to RACS J0320-35) is currently expanding at one of the fastest rates ever recorded.

Artist illustrations and x-ray images from Chandra for Racs J0320-35. Image credits: NASA/CXC/INAF-BRERA/IGHINA et al. / SAO / M. WEISS / N. WOLK.

The black hole residing in RACS J0320-35 has a mass approximately 1 billion times greater than that of the sun.

This system is situated about 12.8 billion light-years away from Earth, meaning astronomers are observing it as it existed just 920 million years after the universe’s inception.

It emits more X-rays than any other black hole identified in the universe’s first billion years.

Black holes are the driving force behind what scientists refer to as quasars.

This luminous giant’s energy is fueled by the significant amount of material that falls into the black hole.

The same research team discovered this black hole two years prior, but further observations from Chandra were required in 2023 to gain more insights.

Data from X-ray observations suggests that this black hole is expanding at a rate that exceeds the typical limits for such objects.

“It was somewhat surprising to observe such a dramatic growth in this black hole,” commented Dr. Luca Idina, an astronomer at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

As material is drawn towards the black hole, it heats up and generates intense radiation across a wide spectrum, including X-rays and optical light. This radiation creates pressure on the infalling material.

Once the falling speed reaches a critical threshold, the radiation pressure counterbalances the black hole’s gravity, making it usually impossible for material to fall inward more rapidly. This upper limit is known as the Eddington limit.

Researchers believe that black holes growing slower than the Eddington limit must originate with solar masses exceeding 10,000, allowing them to achieve a mass of 1 billion solar masses in the early universe.

Such massive black holes may originate from unique processes, often linked to incredibly dense clouds of gas that contain heavier elements than helium.

Interestingly, RACS J0320-35 is expanding at a remarkable speed, estimated to be 2.4 times greater than the Eddington limit, indicating that its formation may have followed a more typical path, beginning with a mass of less than 100 solar masses resulting from massive star explosions.

“By determining a black hole’s mass and growth rate, we can infer its initial size,” said Dr. Alberto Moretti, an astronomer at INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera.

“This calculation permits us to evaluate various theories regarding the formation of black holes.”

To investigate how rapidly this black hole is growing (at rates between 300 and 3,000 solar masses per year), researchers compared the theoretical model with Chandra’s X-ray spectra, assessing the X-rays emitted at various energy levels.

The findings indicated that Chandra’s spectrum closely matched their expectations based on a model for black holes developing beyond the Eddington limit.

Supporting data from optical and infrared observations further corroborates the conclusion that this black hole is accumulating mass faster than the Eddington limit permits.

“How did the universe generate the first generation of black holes?” mused Dr. Thomas Connor, an astronomer at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

“This is one of the most pressing questions in astrophysics, and this singular object propels our quest for answers.”

Moreover, this research also sheds light on the origins of the jets of particles emitted by some black holes that approach the speed of light, as observed in RACS J0320-35.

“Jets like these are uncommon in quasars, suggesting that the accelerated growth of black holes may play a role in the formation of these jets,” the author remarked.

Their paper is set to be published in the Astrophysical Journal.

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Luca Idina et al. 2025. X-ray investigation of the possibility of Super Eddington accretion in a wireless loudsal of Z = 6.13. apjl 990, L56; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aded0a

Source: www.sci.news

NASA Faces Another Leadership Departure Amidst Growing Tensions About Its Future

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The head of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center announced her resignation on Monday.

Makenzie Lystrup, who has been at the helm of the Maryland facility since April 2023, will depart the agency on August 1st. As indicated in a statement from NASA, Goddard is responsible for many major missions, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and the Osiris Rex mission that retrieved samples from asteroids.

Lystrup’s resignation comes shortly after Laurie Leshin stepped down as the director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Institute in Pasadena, California.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Director, McKenzie Lystrup, at a panel discussion during the 2024 Artemis Suppliers Conference in Washington, DC
Joel Kovsky / NASA

These departures come as NASA and other federal agencies face significant funding challenges and personnel reductions as part of a larger effort to streamline the federal workforce. Inside NASA, there are rising concerns on Capitol Hill regarding how space agencies can manage their duties with a reduced staffing structure and the rationale for implementing cuts before Congressional budget approval.

At the same time, more than 2,000 senior-level staff members are expected to exit NASA as part of workforce reduction initiatives. First reported by Politico, this group includes senior management and specialists, raising concerns about a “brain drain” within the agency.

NASA staff will need to make decisions on accepting “deferred resignation,” voluntary departures, or early retirement by the end of the week.

President Donald Trump’s proposed 2026 budget aims to cut approximately 25% from NASA’s budget, totaling over $6 billion. The most substantial reductions will impact the Space Science, Earth Science, and Mission Support divisions. As per budget outlines.

If passed by Congress, this budget could lead to the discontinuation of NASA’s space launch system rockets and the Orion spacecraft.

In reaction to the budget proposal, over 280 current and former NASA employees have signed a letter addressed to NASA’s interim administrator Sean Duffy, expressing that recent policies from the Trump administration “endanger public resources, compromise human safety, weaken national security, and undermine NASA’s essential mission.”

The letter, known as the Voyager declaration, states that these changes have had “devastating impacts” on the agency’s personnel and prioritize political goals over human safety, scientific progress, and the prudent use of public funds.

An internal communication obtained by NBC News indicates that before Duffy replaced Janet Petro, the former NASA deputy manager, she was compelled to justify how budget cutbacks and restructuring were in the agency’s best interests.

It remains unclear if the resignations of Lystrup and Leshin are connected to the ongoing turmoil at NASA and other federal institutions. NASA’s announcement about Leshin’s resignation stated her departure was “for personal reasons.”

NASA did not disclose any specifics regarding Lystrup’s resignation. In an internal message obtained by NBC News, Lystrup expressed confidence in Goddard’s leadership team and the future direction of the center.

“I feel privileged to have been part of this remarkable journey with you,” she mentioned in an email. “That was an honor.”

NASA announced on Monday that Cynthia Simmons, the assistant director, will step in as the acting director of Goddard starting in August.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Hurricane Risks in Florida Are Growing: Challenges in Securing Flood Insurance

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The threat of hurricanes in Florida is increasing, driven by anthropogenic climate change that warms our atmosphere and elevates sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico. Warmer conditions retain moisture, enhance hurricane intensity, and create more powerful storms, making Florida more susceptible to storm-related damage. During Hurricane Helen, extreme rainfall surged by 10%, with some regions in Florida receiving up to 26.95 inches of rainfall.

Jeremy Porter, a climate risk expert at the First Street Foundation, points out that soaring insurance costs reflect the significant effects of climate change in West Florida, where areas like Fort Myers Beach are grappling with recurring losses and expensive recovery efforts.

“In recent decades, we’ve been catching up with the reality of climate risks that weren’t adequately reflected in risk modeling. Now, as we reassess, premium costs are rising rapidly, impacting people’s household budgets,” Porter noted.

Due to a scarcity of home insurance options, residents are increasingly opting for coverage through Citizens Insurance Property Corp., a state-supported non-profit insurer in Florida.

Porter anticipates that by 2055, home insurance premiums in the Tampa Metro region could soar by 213% because of hurricane risks. Climate-related threats are similarly disrupting insurance markets in other states; for instance, Sacramento, California, may see a 137% rise due to heightened wildfire risks.

Porter also mentioned that declining home prices in Florida could influence insurance costs and accessibility. If property values fall below a certain threshold, insurers exposed to hurricane risks may view this as a warning sign, leading to increased scrutiny and potential hikes in premiums during the underwriting process.

Zillow data indicates that the value of homes in Fort Myers Beach has decreased by approximately $200,000 from pre-pandemic levels, with around 86% of last year’s sales reflecting this price drop.

Before Hurricane Ian, the average home value on Sanibel Island, a favored destination in Lee County, stood at nearly $1.3 million. Today, it has plummeted to $868,000, with 93% of homes having sold at reduced prices.

Joan Krempner, a part-time resident of Fort Myers Beach since 2016, stated that selling her home is not financially feasible after substantial rebuilding costs following Hurricane Ian. With few alternatives but to remain in Fort Myers Beach, Krempner expresses concern about the long-term implications of climate change on the community’s future.

“We must face that this is a long-term issue. The critical question is whether people want to keep investing in Fort Myers Beach,” Krempner remarked. “If there hasn’t been a hurricane in 30 years, the risk seems worthwhile for living in paradise. But if three major hurricanes strike within 18 months, doubt creeps in.”

Jacki Liszak, president and CEO of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce, asserts that Fort Myers Beach remains an attractive place to live and visit, highlighting community efforts toward resilient architecture and the construction of homes above flood levels.

“Homes must be built strong and elevated,” Liszak emphasized. “This is beneficial. People are already here, and they’ll continue to come. They cherish this lifestyle—it’s truly a beautiful part of the world.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Every Chaser: Meet the Weather Detective Unraveling the Growing Hail Crisis

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I will pursue

Between mid-May and late June, Icechip Storm Chasers explore the Front Range of the Rockies and the Central Plains, often in vehicles fortified against falling ice. Equipped with drones, balloons, and mobile Doppler radars, they enhance methodologies previously perfected by Tornado Chasers.

While one team strategically positions mobile Doppler radars to monitor storms at close proximity, other researchers focus on deploying balloons and utilizing sensors to assess the size and velocity of hail strikes.

Amid various storms, researchers have embarked on the Tempest Path to observe the life cycle of hailstones, utilizing hundreds of ping-pong ball-like devices known as Heilsondos that melt and freeze.

Convection thunderstorms with substantial internal updrafts generate hail by circulating a mix of water and ice crystals into the freezing layer above. Hail typically forms at altitudes between 20,000 to 50,000 feet, where temperatures range from -22 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. The same updrafts can obliterate ailsond at any hail-generating region of the storm.

This is situated on the roads of Oklahoma.
Ice plants/farm

“By tracking that sensor over time, we can understand the precise path and trajectory that hail follows, at least for some storms,” stated Victor Gensini, a meteorology professor at Northern Illinois University and lead researcher at ICECHIP.

“We anticipate increased instability,” Gensini remarked, with researchers believing this could foster stronger updrafts.

Such powerful updrafts can sustain larger hail for extended periods, allowing ice balls or discs to gain mass before gravity pulls them down.

“If you use a hair dryer and direct it towards the edge, it’s easy to balance a ping pong ball with that airstream,” Jensee described. “But how do you balance a softball? A stronger updraft is necessary.”

Storm modeling indicates that more potent updrafts could increase the likelihood of large hail in the future, even though they may lower the overall chance of hail. Researchers predict smaller hail will diminish, as it possesses less mass and often dissolves before reaching the ground.

“There’s a sort of dichotomy. Yes, there are fewer people around, but warmer atmospheres with very strong updrafts yield even more significant hail,” Jensee explained.

Throughout their field campaign, researchers collected over 10,000 hailstones in dry ice chests to evaluate their computer models against observed growth dynamics.

Measuring the hail.
Ice plants/farm

“The hail data is somewhat concerning,” Jensini remarked about previous records, noting an increase in reports of 2-inch, 3-inch, and 4-inch hail. However, it’s unclear whether this is due to more people chasing storms and discovering larger hail or if the atmosphere is genuinely producing larger hailstones.

Gensini conveyed that the new measurements will enable researchers to correlate airborne conditions with ground findings, leading to enhanced forecasts and reduced economic impacts.

In many regions where Icechip operates, agriculture is prevalent, according to Karen Kosiba, an atmospheric scientist with flexible radar teams at the University of Illinois.

“It influences their crops and machinery, prompting them to seek shelter,” she stated. “Weather holds numerous economic implications.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

AI Can’t Capture the Sound of Orgasms: The Growing Demand for Voice Actors Amidst Robot Narrators in Audiobooks

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The reasons audiobooks resonate are deeply human. They evoke moments that catch in the throat or a genuine smile when a word is spoken.

Melbourne actor and audiobook narrator Annabelle Tudor refers to narration as a storyteller’s innate ability, a fundamental and priceless skill. “The voice easily reveals our true feelings,” she explains.

However, this art form might be facing challenges.

In May, Audible, the audiobook service under Amazon, revealed plans to enable authors and publishers to narrate in English, Spanish, French, and Italian, using over 100 voices generated by artificial intelligence.

With a dwindling number of audiobook companies, emerging talents like Tudor are increasingly reliant on these opportunities, sparking concerns regarding job security, transparency, and overall quality.

Having narrated 48 books, Tudor is uncertain whether AI can replicate her work, yet fears that a dip in quality may alienate listeners.

“I once narrated a particularly explicit scene. The AI lacks understanding of how an orgasm sounds,” she remarks. “I’m curious to know how they plan to address such nuances, including more delicate scenes like childbirth.”

Audiobook Giant Audible claims it aims to use AI to enhance human narration rather than replace it. Photo: M4OS Photo/Aramie

The Audiobook Boom

A 2024 report from Nielseniq Bookdata indicates that over half of Australian audiobook consumers have increased their listening in the last five years. On an international scale, US audiobook sales have risen by 13% from 2023 to 2024. Meanwhile, the UK has seen audiobook revenues soar to £268 million, marking a 31% increase in 2023, as reported by the Publishers Association.

As demand for audio content surges, companies are seeking quicker and cheaper production methods. In January 2023, Apple unveiled a new catalog featuring AI-narrated audiobooks. Later that year, Amazon introduced a feature allowing self-published authors to convert their Kindle ebooks into audiobooks using “virtual audio” technology, resulting in tens of thousands of Audible titles now available in AI-generated formats.

Additionally, in February, Spotify announced support for AI audiobooks, making it easier for authors to reach wider audiences. Audible claims its goal is not to supersede human narrators but to enable more authors and titles to connect with larger audiences. In the US, Audible is testing audio replicas of audiobook narrators to create a unique voice, enhancing their capacity to produce high-quality audiobooks.

“In 2023 and 2024, Audible Studios has hired more [human narrators],” a spokesperson shared with the Guardian. “We continually engage with creators eager to have their work available in audio format and reach new audiences across languages.”

Yet, robot narrators remain a more economical choice than human talent, raising fears among industry professionals about potential job threats.

Volume vs. Quality?

Australian bestselling crime author Chris Hammer helped narrator Doge Swallow launch his career, highlighting a belief that AI narration is a tool designed by people who fail to grasp the intricacies, techniques, and skills necessary for quality audiobook production.

“Some assume we just press a button for a similar or sufficient quality result,” he notes.

Simon Kennedy, president of the Australian Audio Actors Association, mentions a long-standing struggle in Australia about fair remuneration for narrators. Recording an audiobook can mean narrators spend up to three times the length of the finished product for recording, not counting the initial read to understand the narrative and characters.

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“In my view, AI narrators prioritize volume over quality and aim to cut costs,” he asserts.

In 2024, Kennedy founded the Australian Voice Subject Association in response to AI’s looming threat. In a submission to a parliamentary committee last year, the organization warned that 5,000 Australian voice acting jobs were at stake.

While not surprised by Audible’s recent announcement, he dismisses it as a “foolish decision.”

“Audiobook narrators hold a truly special and intimate connection with their listeners; pursuing an approach that lacks this connection is misguided,” he suggests.

Regarding voice cloning opportunities, he states that voice actors should be involved in the process, but warns that it may lead to a homogenized robotic voice that listeners quickly tire of.

“If a monotonous, emotionless narration suffices for ‘high quality,’ then perhaps,” he counters. “However, if you seek an evocative, captivating listening experience, don’t expect to find it there.”

Another pressing concern is the absence of AI regulations within Australia. The EU has its own AI ACT, while China and Spain also have measures in place, whereas Australia lacks regulations regarding the labeling of AI-produced content.

“No laws exist to prevent data scraping, voice cloning, or breeding deeper AI capabilities,” Kennedy explains. “There’s no labeling or transparency requirement for AI-generated material or its origins, nor any regulations governing the proper use of AI-generated deepfakes, audio clones, or text.”

Author Hannah Kent expresses concern that AI will “devalue creativity” in the arts. Photo: Carrie Jones/Guardian

This year, during the burial ceremony and dedication of her work, Author: Hannah Kent dropped with astonishment upon discovering that pirated copies of her work had trained meta AI systems. Despite initial resistance and frustration towards AI’s infiltration in creative spaces, she shows curiosity about Audible’s AI developments and the prospective trials for translating texts into various languages.

“It’s evident that the primary motive behind AI adoption is cost-efficiency. Its aim is to reduce artistic value and creative narratives,” Kent reflects.

Both Tudor and Swallow agree that large corporations struggle to fully substitute human narration, as many Australian authors express opposition.

Yet, it remains unclear whether audiences can discern the difference.

“We are rushing straight into a dystopia,” Tudor warns. “Will I listen to humans or robots?”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Are Adults Capable of Growing New Brain Cells? The Evidence Suggests Yes.

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Generates brain cells from the hippocampus that proliferate in culture

Arthur Chien/Science Photo Library

The ongoing debate about whether adults can produce new brain cells takes a new turn, as evidence increasingly supports that they indeed can. This revelation addresses one of neuroscience’s most disputed questions and raises hopes that this knowledge could be used in treating conditions like depression and Alzheimer’s disease.

Neurons are produced via a process known as neurogenesis, which occurs in both children and adults, as shown in research on mice and macaques. This involves stem cells generating progenitor cells, which multiply and eventually develop into immature neurons that mature over time.

Earlier studies have indicated the presence of stem cells and immature neurons in the hippocampus of adult humans. This brain area, crucial for learning and memory, is a primary site for neurogenesis in younger humans and some adult animals. However, progenitor cells have not yet been detected in adult human brains. “This link was overlooked. It forms a central argument for the emergence of new neurons in the adult human brain,” states Evgenia Salta from the Netherlands Institute of Neuroscience, who was not involved in the latest research.

To establish this link, Jonas Frisen and his team at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden developed a machine learning model capable of accurately identifying progenitor cells. They used hippocampal samples from six young children, donated by their parents for research post-mortem.

The researchers trained an AI model to recognize progenitor cells based on the activity of about 10,000 genes. “In childhood, these cells’ behavior closely resembles that of precursor cells in mice, facilitating their identification,” explains Frisen. “[The idea is] to use molecular fingerprints of childhood progenitor cells to find equivalents in adults.”

To validate the model, the team identified progenitor cells in hippocampal samples from young mice. The model correctly identified 83% of the progenitor cells and misclassified other cell types as progenitor cells in less than 1% of cases. In a further test, the model accurately predicted that progenitor cells were nearly absent in adult human cortical samples, a brain area devoid of evidence supporting neurogenesis in humans.

“They validated their models effectively by transitioning from data on human children to mice and then to adult humans,” says Sandrine Thuret from King’s College London.

With this validation in hand, the researchers can check for neurogenesis in human adults by identifying 14 hippocampal progenitor cells from individuals aged 20 to 78 at the time of their passing.

Crucially, the researchers first introduced a method to enhance the likelihood of detecting progenitor cells. Previous studies have indicated that these cells are extremely rare in adults. The team utilized antibodies to select brain cells that were actively dividing at the time of death, including non-neuronal cells such as immune cells and progenitor cells. This helped filter out common cell types that do not divide, like mature neurons, making rare progenitor cells easier to identify.

Subsequently, they organized the genetic activity data related to these dividing cells into models. “They were enriched due to the selected cells,” remarks Kaoru Song at the University of Pennsylvania. Previous research lacked this approach, he adds.

The team successfully identified progenitor cells in nine donors. “It is well established that environmental and genetic factors in rodents affect how neurogenesis occurs, so I suspect variations in humans may also be attributed to these factors,” Frisen notes.

The findings strongly indicate the presence of adult neurogenesis, according to Thuret, Song, and Salta. “We are adding this missing piece, which significantly advances the field,” Salta states.

“Neurons originate from cell division occurring in adulthood, and that is what this study definitively establishes,” Thuret comments.

Thuret suggests the possibility of examining variations in neurogenesis among adults with brain-affecting conditions such as depression or Alzheimer’s disease. She speculates that medications promoting this process could alleviate symptoms.

However, John Arellano from Yale University cautions that even if adults produce new brain cells, they may be too few in number to be therapeutically beneficial. Thuret, however, believes this is unlikely to create issues. “In mice, a small number of new neurons can significantly impact learning and memory,” she asserts.

Topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Affordable Yet Unsustainable: The Growing Waste Crisis of Fast Tech

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It’s affordable, frequently subpar, and often ends up stuffed in a bottle or hidden among other miscellaneous items, takeout menus, and birthday candles in kitchen drawers.

Referred to as “First Technology,” these budget-friendly electronic gadgets are becoming more prevalent, ranging from mini fans and electric toothbrushes to portable chargers and LED toilet seats.

However, there is a significant issue lurking behind these low prices. Many of these gadgets are challenging to repair, lack recycling options, and are often discarded rapidly. E-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally, and experts indicate that rapid technology advancement plays an increasingly crucial role.

In the UK, over 11.4 billion of these small electronic devices (including steam gadgets) are purchased annually, with nearly half (589m) disposed of simultaneously.


“We’ve been consuming fast food. There was fast fashion. Now we’re in the era of fast technology,” states Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus. “We’re not technological moralists, but our concern lies with the volume of low-quality, cheap, and flimsy products flooding the market, which ultimately ends up in the trash or unused.”

Studies reveal that over a third of the British population views their purchases as disposable, primarily due to low prices, according to Butler. “[It] may be inexpensive, but it’s not disposable. In reality, anything that plugs in, runs on batteries, or has a cable is far from garbage. These items are rich in valuable metals and can be reused,” he adds.

Butler highlights “FAD” first technology as a key issue, often involving cheap items bought for specific occasions, like mini fans during the UK’s warmer months or festive Christmas jumpers. Last year, around 7.1 million mini fans were sold in the UK, with over 3.5 million being discarded or forgotten in drawers afterwards.

“We just experienced a heat wave, and I’m certain mini fan sales surged during that time. While it’s perfectly fine to try and cool down, we’re missing out on the potential for longer-lasting alternatives that can be beneficial beyond the summer,” he noted.

Environmental scientist and advocate Laura Young states that Fast Tech poses a new kind of environmental threat, not just due to the toxic chemicals some devices may contain but also because of their sheer volume and disposability.

“We’ve never encountered this level of disposable technology before,” she remarks. “Many people may not even realize that these small devices contain electronic components.

Many users are unaware that e-vapor products contain batteries. Photo: Bennphoto/Shutterstock

“Many users of steam products have asked, ‘Is there a battery in there?’

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“All electronics, including toasters, kettles, washing machines, laptops, iPads, and mobile phones, all feature either wall power or rechargeable options. There is no such thing as disposable technology.

While it’s unlikely that the prevalence of fast technology in the market will soon wane, Butler emphasizes the need to shift our mindset. “Ultimately, these items are available because people purchase them. If there’s no demand, they obviously won’t be on the shelves.”

“Be a bit more thoughtful about what you choose to buy, how you utilize it, and what happens when you no longer need it. Don’t toss it just because it’s broken,” he advises. Use the online locator to find your nearest recycling center.

There’s also a drive for better repair, reuse, and borrowing options. Young points out community initiatives like repair cafes and tool libraries, where equipment can be borrowed instead of purchased anew.

“I joined the Tools Library and no longer purchase DIY tools.” Adapting to fast technology requires “a different mindset,” as she puts it, moving away from the notion of needing to own everything.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Growing Anti-Mask Sentiment in Adelaide and Other Australian Cities

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Elon Musk’s so-called “brand debacle” is currently unfolding in Adelaide, where residents have overwhelmingly rejected plans for a Tesla factory.

The city of Marion in South Australia is contemplating the sale of 2,664 square meters of public land. This site, which is contaminated and not accessible to the public, is being targeted by Tesla for a battery factory.

The council has engaged with the community and compiled a report detailing “geopolitical or symbolic critiques presented in submissions,” which highlight potential benefits like 100 full-time jobs, increased fee income, $56 million in economic output, and a “Tesla-led training initiative.”

Out of approximately 1,000 submissions to local councils, 95% requested the proposal be retracted, citing “anti-Tesla and anti-Elon Musk sentiments,” as well as concerns about the environmental impact and the loss of green spaces.

While environmental issues were a factor, the primary reason residents opposed the project was Musk himself.

Opponents of the proposal didn’t hold back on their reasons for rejection—indeed, the City of Marion opted to censor some of the submissions.

“Elon Musk is [redacted] Humans and a [redacted]!” one commenter stated.

“Elon Musk and Tesla are a [redacted] against humanity,” another wrote.

“Elon Musk has completely misjudged [redacted], viewing others through a dull lens. Additional submissions suggested that the site was inappropriate for Musk. [redacted] would be a sly choice.”

“We shouldn’t profit from our support of someone who [redacted] openly [redacted],” was another perspective on Tesla’s move to Marion.

Aesthetic concerns were also raised: “Dear God,” a resident complained. “This isn’t good for anyone… [and] it mainly disrupts my roller skating route.”

More than half of the 948 community submissions came from outside the council, but locals opposed the development by a ratio of 11 to 121.

Supporters appreciated the job creation, skill development, and the “novel approach” of one of the world’s wealthiest figures.

Musk continues to face backlash due to his involvement in the Trump administration, where he established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), leading to severe cuts in government programs.

Tesla’s recent profit slump has led analysts to associate the branding crisis with Musk’s actions in the White House.

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Musk has refuted claims that branding is an issue, attributing the challenges to the “macro demand for vehicles” in the current economic landscape.

Mayor of Marion, Chris Hannah, indicated that most Australians are not likely to view the project through a political lens.

“However, there is indeed a core group with strong anti-fascist sentiments, directing their criticisms towards Elon Musk and his affiliations,” he remarked.

Hannah mentioned that a “natural” community reaction combined with a political campaign aims to boost the “no” votes.

“If this decision prevents the factory from moving forward, Tesla will simply relocate it elsewhere in Australia, which wouldn’t adversely affect Elon Musk’s interests,” he stated.

Many submissions referenced Musk’s interventions in U.S. and European politics, along with his controversial salute earlier this year.

According to a piece in The Guardian, a critic remarked: [sic] …This is likely to invite protests and negative attention that the neighborhood neither needs nor wants.

Tesla and South Australian government officials have emphasized the economic advantages for the region in their supportive letter, but a handful of residents contended that the land should be allocated for productive use.

Marion City staff have officially recommended that the council proceed with the land sale to Tesla, with a proposal set to be discussed at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Struggle for Power: Could Brazil’s Growing Data Center Industry Leave Everyday People Behind?

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tWith a wide range of boating hours from Manaus, the capital of the Amazonas province, Deodato Alves Da Silva is hoping for enough power to keep his Tucumã and Cupuaçu Fruits fresh. These highly nutritious Amazon superfoods are rich in antioxidants and vitamins and serve as the main source of income for farmers in the Silva region. However, there is a lack of electricity to refrigerate the fruit, making it difficult to sell produce.

Silva's fruit cultivation work is located in the village of Boa Frente in Novo Alipuana, one of the most energy-poor regions in Brazil, with only one diesel-powered generator working several hours a day.

Seventeen families in the community pay for diesel, but due to the high prices, everyone agrees to use the generator between 6pm and 10pm. This is also the only time they can communicate with the outside world. There is no mobile phone connection in this area, only satellite internet.

“The power is supplied for four hours per night. The motor is off and the switch is turned back the next night,” says Silva, 72, a rural health worker and fruit grower who has lived in the area since birth.

“If we have the power to preserve Cupuaçupulp, we will have much higher incomes. Our community is a massive producer of Tucumã, but lack of power prevents conservation.”

More than 1.3 million Brazilians still live, like Silva. There is one of them, but
The cleanest power grid in the worldthe country has vulnerabilities. Reliance on hydroelectric power causes fluctuations in power generation and power outages during severe droughts.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Is Africa’s esports industry growing rapidly, but is the infrastructure able to keep pace?

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○On a recent Sunday afternoon in Nairobi’s upscale neighborhood, Daniel Badu had his headphones wrapped around his head, his elbow resting on a pillow, and he was rapidly tapping on the screen of his cell phone.

Badu and his four teammates from the Ora 233 team, all wearing black and yellow kits, represented Ghana and Kenya’s Delta e in the final of the 1st Carry 1st Africa Cup, a continental tournament for first-person shooter videos. They were competing in the popular game “Call of Duty: Mobile”.

Esports events are on the rise in Kenya and other parts of Africa, due in part to increased access to the internet and devices such as smartphones, PCs, and gaming consoles. Popular titles include EA Sports FC, Call of Duty, and Tekken.

Daniel Badu aka Ruin of Ghana’s Aura 233 team at Carry1st Africa Cup Final. Photo: Edwin Ndeke/Guardian

To cater to the growing interest, professional teams, university leagues, national federations, and competitions such as the Carry1st Africa Cup have been established.

The trend is part of a growing interest in video games in general in Africa, which has one of the continent’s youngest populations. 2021 Report It said the number of video game consumers on the continent increased from 77 million to 186 million from 2015 to 2021.

Some of them have now moved on to professional gaming. Badu, known by the game’s alias Ruin, started playing Call of Duty: Mobile in 2019 after years of playing console games.

“I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember,” the 19-year-old said. Badu began his professional journey by joining various lower-tier teams to gain experience, showcase his skills, and make a name for himself. Last year, he was scouted by Ace Gamers Esports, a professional esports organization based in Accra, and signed a contract after a trial.

Ace Gamers also recruits, trains, and manages players for EA Sports FC, Apex Legends, Mortal Kombat, and other games. Badu said the contract gives him the opportunity to improve his game by playing with like-minded people and also gives him access to tournaments. “I have made it this far by playing the game and continuing to hone my game, so I can compete with the best players in Africa,” he said.

Spectators watch the Carry 1st Africa Cup Final at the Nairobi Game Development Center on November 24. Photo: Edwin Ndeke/Guardian

At the event in Nairobi, production staff sat behind large monitors selecting shots for the livestream. One floor below, the audience cheered and screamed as they watched the action unfold on television screens.

After seven months of qualifying events involving over 100 teams in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa, six teams advanced to the two-day Carry1st Africa Cup finals, with South Africa’s Noxious Gaming ultimately Winning the championship (NxG).

“Large esports events are a great way to synergistically increase the attention of all gamers and drive interest from new gamers,” says Senior Community Manager at Carry1st, a pan-African games publisher headquartered in the Cape. said Dominion Eromosere, cum event leader. town.

Since its founding in 2018, the organization has hosted more than 400 tournaments, primarily through universities. Its online network, Tribe, attracts hundreds of thousands of gamers from across the continent.

Grassroots, national, and continental tournaments are becoming an important way to discover talent, hone player skills, and increase the popularity of esports. Other events taking place this year include the IESF Africa Esports Championship in Casablanca in August and the women-only Tekken Kongou Esports Championship in Kinshasa in November.

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Members of the South African Noxious Gaming (NxG) team that won the inaugural Carry1st Africa Cup. Photo: Edwin Ndeke/Guardian

“The tournament breathes life into the ecosystem,” said Magdaline Mumbi, who finished fourth for Kenya at the Kinshasa Games. Mumbi, whose gaming nickname is Bambina, was a casual PlayStation gamer until six years ago when he competed in a Tekken tournament at a university event and came in second place.

From that point on, she began playing several games competitively while seeking mentorship in the Kenyan esports community. She made the leap by being selected for the national team to participate in the Dota 2 Battle Arena Games, a global Esports game, to be held in Turkey in 2022. “2022 allowed us to see a bigger picture of what esports is all about,” Mumbi said. “You can actually make money doing this.”

Magdaline Mumbi, aka Bambina, participated in the Kongo Esports Championship in Kinshasa in November. Photo: Magdaline Mumbi

For the African scene to further grow and compete in the global multi-billion dollar esports industry, it will need to overcome technological and financial challenges.

Poor internet infrastructure often results in poor connectivity. Also, because most games’ servers are hosted outside of Africa, there is often a delay between the device you play on and the server, an issue known as “high ping,” which can make intercontinental matches and matches between players from different African countries difficult.

“A lot of esports is rooted in online multiplayer gaming, and Africa doesn’t have the best infrastructure. [for this]” Badu said. “[African players] are at a huge disadvantage.”

Carry1st is working to address that issue. For the past two years, the company has partnered with game developers to help launch servers for Call of Duty: Mobile and tactical shooter Valorant in Africa.

Financially, it’s difficult to get player sponsorship, and above all, there are very few tournaments that pay out big bucks. The total prize money for the Nairobi tournament was $15,000. “Limited funding and sponsorship are hitting the field hard,” said Mumbi, who is also a chess instructor.

“If we can prove how entertaining e-sports is and how many people are watching it, people will invest in it,” Eromose said.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Growing Health Hazard of Energy-Consuming AI

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Texas data center is full of servers

Paul Moseley/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service (via Getty Images)

Data centers could contribute to an estimated 600,000 asthma cases and 1,300 premature deaths per year by 2030 as data centers consume even more energy to meet the intensive computing needs of artificial intelligence. It accounts for more than one-third of annual asthma deaths in the United States.

“Public health impacts are direct and tangible impacts on people, and these impacts are significant and not limited to the narrow areas in which data centers operate.” Ren Xiaolei At the University of California, Riverside. “They affect people all over the country.”

Including Len and his colleagues Adam Wierman Caltech researchers based these estimates on data centers' projected power demands, which generate additional emissions and contribute to air pollution. Researchers say, for example, the electricity usage required to train a large-scale AI model can generate air pollutants equivalent to more than 10,000 round trips in a passenger car between Los Angeles and New York City. It is said that there is a sex.

To model the effects of these air pollution and emissions, researchers tool Provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They estimated that nationally, total public health costs for data centers could exceed $20 billion by 2030. This is about twice the public health burden of the U.S. steel industry and could rival the health effects of exhaust fumes from tens of millions of cars in the largest countries. US states such as California.

Energy-intensive computing centers are already impacting public health. Researchers found that gas generators used as backup power for a facility in Virginia's Data Center Alley already caused 14,000 asthma symptoms per year, with generator emissions of just 10% per year. We estimate that it could impose public health costs of $220 million to $300 million. Cents at the level permitted by state authorities. At the maximum allowable level, total public health costs could increase tenfold, estimated at $2 billion or $3 billion annually. These problems not only affect local residents, but also people in states as far away as Florida.

“Technology company [that operate] Data centers largely fail to include air pollutant standards in their sustainability reports, despite clear public health impacts, and data centers must self-regulate what they should report. cannot be determined. ” julie bolthouse at the Piedmont Environmental Council, a Virginia nonprofit.

Some high-tech companies rushing to build data centers are supporting low-emission energy sources, funding the construction of renewable energy projects, and investing in both conventional nuclear power plants and new reactor technology. There are some places where there are. But for now, many data centers still rely heavily on fossil fuel electricity such as natural gas, and previous research has predicted that by 2030, data centers will be roughly equivalent to one state in the United States and another in California. It has been suggested that this could increase gas demand.

“The questions about the impact of artificial intelligence and data center computing on health are important,” he says. benjamin lee at the University of Pennsylvania. He called the paper “the first to estimate and quantify these costs in dollar terms,” ​​but the underlying approximations and assumptions behind the specific numbers remain to be determined by additional research. He also warned that it needed to be verified.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Growing concerns over online beauty filters: Teenage girls express vulnerability on social media

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JJust by clicking on the “shiny babe” filter, the teenager’s face was subtly elongated, her nose was streamlined, and her cheeks were sprinkled with freckles. Then, she used the Glow Makeup filter to remove blemishes from her skin, make her lips look like rosebuds, and extend her eyelashes in a way that makeup can’t. On the third click, her face returned to reality.

Today, hundreds of millions of people use beauty filters to change the way they look on apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. This week TikTok announced new global restrictions on children’s access to products that mimic the effects of cosmetic surgery.


The publication researched the feelings of around 200 teens and their parents in the UK, US, and several other countries and found that girls reported “feelings of low self-esteem” as a result of their online experiences. The announcement was made after it was discovered that the patient was sensitive to

There are growing concerns about the impact of rapidly advancing technology on health, with generative artificial intelligence enabling what has been called a new generation of “micropersonality cults.” This is no small thing. TikTok has around 1 billion users.

Upcoming research by Professor Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Social Psychology at the London School of Economics, will show that the pressures and social comparisons that result from the use of increasingly image-manipulated social media are more psychologically traumatic than viewing violence. They would argue that it can have major health implications. .




TikTok effect filters (left to right): Original image without filter, Bold Glamor, BW x Drama Rush by jrm, and Roblox Face Makeup. Synthesis: Tiktok

Hundreds of millions of people use alternate reality filters on social media every day, from cartoon dog ears to beauty filters that change the shape of your nose, whiten your teeth, and enlarge your eyes.

Dr Claire Pescot, an educationist at the University of South Wales who has studied children aged 10 and 11, agreed that the impact of online social comparisons is being underestimated. In one study, children who were dissatisfied with their appearance said, “I wish I had put on a filter right now.”

“There is a lot of education going on about internet safety, about protecting yourself from pedophiles and catfish. [using a fake online persona to enable romance or fraud]” she said. “But in reality, the dangers are mutual. Comparing yourself to others has more of an emotional impact.”

But some people resist restrictions on the influence they feel is a fundamental part of their online identity. Olga Isupova, a Russian digital artist living in Greece who designs beauty filters, called such a move “ridiculous.” She added that having an adapted face is a necessary part of being “multiple people” in the digital age.

“People live normal lives, but it’s not the same as their online lives,” she said. “That’s why you need a straightened face for your social media life. For many people, [online] It’s a very competitive field and it’s about Darwinism. Many people use social media not just for fun, but also as a place to make money and improve their lives and futures. ”

In any case, age restrictions on some of TikTok’s filters are unlikely to solve the problem anytime soon. 1 in 5 8 to 16-year-olds lie about being over 18 on a social media app. the study Rules tightening age verification will not come into force until next year, Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom has found.

A growing body of research shows that some beauty filters are dangerous for teenagers. Last month, a small survey was conducted among female students in Delhi who use Snapchat. Found Most people report “lower self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy when juxtaposing their natural appearance with filtered images.” A study conducted in 2022 found that the opinions of more than 300 Belgian adolescents who were found to use face filters were associated with the likelihood of accepting the idea of cosmetic surgery.

“Kids who are more resilient look at these images and say, oh, this is a filter, but kids who are more vulnerable tend to feel bad when they see it,” Livingstone said. “There is growing evidence that teenage girls feel vulnerable about their appearance.”

When TikTok’s research partner Internet Matters asked a 17-year-old in Sweden about beauty filters, she replied: The effect should be more similar. ”

Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Laboratory, said more experimental research is needed into the social and psychological effects of the most extreme beauty filters.

In 2007, he helped coin the term “Proteus Effect.” This is a term that describes how people’s behavior changes to match their online avatar. People wearing more attractive virtual selves disclosed more about themselves than those wearing less attractive virtual selves.

“We need to strike a careful balance between regulation and welfare concerns,” he said. “Small changes to our virtual selves can quickly become tools we rely on, such as the ‘touch-up’ feature in Zoom and other video conferencing platforms. ”

In response, Snapchat said it doesn’t typically receive feedback about the negative impact its “beauty lenses” have on self-esteem.

Meta, the company behind Instagram, said it walks a fine line between safety and expression through augmented reality effects. The company said it consulted with mental health experts and banned filters that directly encourage cosmetic surgery, such as mapping surgical lines on a user’s face or promoting the procedure.

TikTok has made a clear distinction between effects such as animal ear filters and effects designed to change one’s physical appearance, with teens and parents voicing concerns about “appearance” effects. said. In addition to the restrictions, it said it would raise awareness among those making filters about “some of the unintended consequences that certain effects can cause.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Is the End Near for X? Musk and Trump’s Complex Relationship Sparks Growing Rivalry and Challenges for the Platform

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Was it the week that X died? The platform, previously seen as an ideal marketplace for information exchange, has suffered its biggest breach to date.

Bluesky, the latest competitor to X, has amassed 16 million users. 1 million in 24 hours last week. Hundreds of thousands of people have quit Twitter since Donald Trump won the election on November 6th.

The impetus was Elon Musk, owner of Company X and the world's richest man, to transform the social media site and use it as a megaphone to push Trump into the White House.

The incoming US president said Musk will become head of the new Department of Government Efficiency. The acronym Doge, a play on the dog internet meme and the virtual currency Dogecoin, began as a joke by Dogecoin's creators and skyrocketed in value after Mr. Musk. In 2021, he named it “The People's Code.”

Although Musk now sits at the center of the U.S. government, his actions do not require Senate approval and he can continue to work in the private sector. He is allowed to keep X and its 204 million followers, as well as head electric car company Tesla and rocket company SpaceX. For the first time in history, big tech billionaires are directly shaping democracy, not just indirectly through the media.

“I don't know of any precedent for this approach,” said Rob Engdahl, president of technology analyst firm Engdahl, who has worked with companies such as Microsoft, Sony, and Dell.

Bluesky celebrates reaching 16 million users. Photo: Tamamario/Getty Images

As recently as 2022, Mr. Musk tweeted “For Twitter to be worthy of the public's trust, it must be politically neutral. That effectively means upsetting the far right and far left equally,” he tweeted. that “Mr. Trump will be 82 years old at the end of his term, far too old to be the CEO of anything, let alone the United States.”

A few months later, when Mr. Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, he fired content moderators and charged for account verification. This meant that people could buy influence. Twitter rebranded to X, shed millions of users and reinstated Trump's account, which had been suspended after the January 2021 White House riot.

The proliferation of alt-right criticism, hate speech, and bots on X, as well as Mr. Musk's own clash with the British government during the August riots, has increased anxiety among X users. of guardian and observer announced last week that it could no longer maintain a presence on the site and would no longer post. Author Stephen King left, saying it had become “too harmful.” Oscar winners Barbra Streisand and Jamie Lee Curtis left the stage.

“X has effectively become Truth Social Premium,” said Mark Carrigan, author of “X.” academic social mediareferring to President Trump's far-right social media platforms. And the buzz in the tech world is that President Trump's “Truth Social” could be folded into “X.”

If this happens, whose interests will take priority? Will Mr. Musk suppress or encourage criticism of the authoritarian governments he does business with? Who is the puppet or paymaster in Donald and Elon's media show?

“If that happens, a political super app masquerading as social media could become the ultimate amplification machine for President Trump's ideas,” said James Kirkham of Iconic, who advises brands like Uber and EA Sports on digital strategy. It will happen,” he says. “Forget about Facebook and Fox News. The real heart of the Republican digital strategy may be X.”

“I'm hopeful that X and Truth Social will merge,” Engdahl said. “But given how overvalued Truth Social is right now, this could be one of those efforts between Musk and Trump.”

The bromance between the world's two biggest egos is mutually beneficial, as long as the two transactional, power-hungry, impulsive people get along. President Trump is hawkish on China, one of Tesla's most profitable markets. Mr. Trump essentially campaigned against electric vehicle manufacturing. Trump is a protectionist. Mr. Musk opposes tariffs. When it comes to climate change, they are against it.

Jonathan Monten, professor of political science at UCL, is skeptical about the sustainability of the relationship. “What Mr. Musk used against Mr. Trump was private money, both to provide a platform to, or to use, a more favorable pro-Trump agenda.” .

“It's unclear what continuing purpose or use Mr. Musk actually has. Yes, this is some kind of celebrity story, but that's the Trump brand. I've got one story, and tomorrow I'll tell another celebrity's story.'' The early 2010s connected and informed activists, artists, lawyers, academics, policymakers, journalists, and experts of all kinds. Share, exchange ideas and track events in real time.

Elon Musk speaks next to Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on October 5th. Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters

While it's easy to paint Mr. Musk as a bogeyman, some argue that it was the emergence of TikTok and algorithmic timelines that fundamentally disrupted Twitter. As social media optimizes for scale and profit at the expense of user experience, algorithms will prioritize the “best” content – content that screams loudest or is most specifically tailored to users. It has become. Curated accounts and “latest” content to follow have been pushed to the side.

“I think Mr. Musk has done some harmful things, and I think part of that is the logic of evolving social media platforms,” ​​Carrigan said. “The impact of the ad-based model encourages certain ways of organizing platforms, with negative consequences.”

Bluesky, which was the most popular app in the app store on Friday, has become an option for X refugees, but its 16 million users pale in comparison to Meta's Threads. reported With 275 million monthly active users, X Approximately 317 million..


Defender of “fediverse” is a single account for any social media network, just as a Gmail account allows you to send email to any email address or call users on other networks from your mobile phone number. argues that there must be.

Platforms have power when it comes to blocking social networks so users can't leave. Instead, new social networks, including Bluesky, are built on “ecosystems” that enable interconnection.

No one knows what will happen to X, with predictions ranging from collapse to turning into an anti-Trump platform if Musk and the president get into a spat, or even becoming a training ground for Musk's xAI venture. be. AI could engulf social media, with xAI valued at $40 billion, roughly the price Musk paid for Twitter.

Source: www.theguardian.com

AI Fraud is a Growing Issue in Education, But Teachers Shouldn’t Lose Hope | Opinion Piece by John Norton

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IThe start of term is fast approaching. Parents are starting to worry about packed lunches, uniforms, and textbooks. School leavers heading to university are wondering what welcome week will be like for new students. And some professors, especially in the humanities, are anxiously wondering how to handle students who are already more adept at Large Language Models (LLMs) than they are.

They have good reason to be worried. Ian Bogost, a professor of film and media, said: and He studied Computer Science at Washington University in St. Louis. it is“If the first year of AI College ended with a sense of disappointment, the situation has now descended into absurdity. Teachers struggle to continue teaching while wondering whether they are grading students or computers. Meanwhile, the arms race in AI cheating and detection continues unabated.”

As expected, the arms race is already intensifying. The Wall Street Journal Recently reported “OpenAI has a way to reliably detect if someone is using ChatGPT to write an essay or research paper, but the company has not disclosed it, despite widespread concerns that students are using artificial intelligence to cheat.” This refusal has infuriated a sector of academia that imagining admirably that there must be a technological solution to this “cheating” problem. Apparently they have not read the Association for Computing Machinery's report on “cheating”. Statement of principles for developing generative AI content detection systemsstates that “reliably detecting the output of a generative AI system without an embedded watermark is beyond the current state of the art and is unlikely to change within any foreseeable timeframe.” Digital watermarks are useful, but they can also cause problems.

The LLM is a particularly pressing problem for the humanities because the essay is a critical pedagogical tool in teaching students how to research, think, and write. Perhaps more importantly, the essay also plays a central role in grading. Unfortunately, the LLM threatens to make this venerable pedagogy unviable. And there is no technological solution in sight.

The good news is that the problem is not insurmountable if educators in these fields are willing to rethink and adapt their teaching methods to fit new realities. Alternative pedagogies are available. But it will require two changes of thinking, if not a change of heart.

First, law graduates, like the well-known psychologist from Berkeley, Alison Gopnik says They are “cultural technologies”, just like writing, printing, libraries, internet searches, etc. In other words, they are tools used by humans. AugmentIt's not an exchange.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, the importance of writing needs to be reinstated in students' minds. processI think E.M. Forster once said that there are two kinds of writers: those who know their ideas and write them, and those who find their ideas by trying to write. The majority of humanity belongs to the latter. That's why the process of writing is so good for the intellect. Writing teaches you the skills to come up with a coherent line of argument, select relevant evidence, find useful sources and inspiration, and most importantly, express yourself in readable, clear prose. For many, that's not easy or natural. That's why students turn to ChatGPT even when they're asked to write 500 words to introduce themselves to their classmates.

Josh Blake, an American scholar, Writes intelligently about our relationship with AI Rather than trying to “integrate” writing into the classroom, I believe it is worth making the value of writing as an intellectual activity fully clear to students. you If you think about it, naturally they would be interested in outsourcing the labor to law students. And if writing (or any other job) is really just about the deliverables, why not? If the means to an end aren't important, why not outsource it?

Ultimately, the problems that LLMs pose to academia can be solved, but it will require new thinking and different approaches to teaching and learning in some areas. The bigger problem is the slow pace at which universities move. I know this from experience. In October 1995, the American scholar Eli Noam published a very insightful article: “The bleak future of electronics and universities” – in ScienceBetween 1998 and 2001, I asked every vice-chancellor and senior university leader I met in the UK what they thought about this.

Still, things have improved since then: at least now everyone knows about ChatGPT.

What I'm Reading

Online Crime
Ed West has an interesting blog post Man found guilty of online posts made during unrest following Southport stabbingIt highlights the contradictions in the British judicial system.

Ruth Bannon
Here is an interesting interview Boston Review Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris Discusses Steve Bannon's Dangerous 'Dharma' his consciousness of being part of the inevitable unfolding of history;

Online forgetting
A sobering article by Neil Firth MIT Technology Review On Efforts to preserve digital history for future generations In an ever-growing universe of data.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Childline Empowers Teens to Combat Financial Sextortion amid Growing Concerns

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Recently, ChildLine counselors have been receiving an alarming number of calls regarding a specific issue.

In one case, a 17-year-old boy reached out for help after being blackmailed for sending intimate images to someone he thought was his age. This type of sextortion, driven by financial motives, is becoming more prevalent among UK teenagers.

Childline supervisor Rebecca Hipkiss revealed that these incidents have increased significantly over the past year, with over 100 cases reported. Victims often feel embarrassed and fear the repercussions of having their personal images shared with their friends and family.

Childline, operated by the NSPCC children’s charity, offers a “Report Remove” service to help victims of sexual blackmail take control of their images online. The service creates a digital fingerprint of uploaded images to prevent them from being circulated on major platforms.

With the rise of sophisticated AI tools, teenagers are now facing threats of deepfake content being created using their photos. These fake images are then used to extort money from victims, causing significant distress.

Victims of sex blackmail often feel helpless and worried about the consequences of these incidents. Childline advises them not to pay the scammers and to report the extortion attempts to the authorities.

It’s crucial for teens to be cautious and set boundaries in their online interactions. Understanding the risks and knowing when to say no are essential in protecting themselves from falling victim to such scams.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Salmon farms are experiencing a growing problem of mass mortality

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Salmon die from algae bloom at Norwegian farm

Berit Roald/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Since 2012, mass die-offs of farmed salmon have become more frequent and increasing in number, with some locations wiping out millions of fish at a time. These mass mortality events are often caused by stress factors such as fluctuations in ocean temperatures and poor living conditions, highlighting the need to improve animal welfare practices on salmon farms.

Approximately 70% of the salmon sold worldwide is farmed. There is a high mortality rate of fish before they are ready for slaughter, and there are serious concerns about the environmental impact of salmon farming and the welfare of farmed fish.

Six countries produce 92% of the world's farmed salmon: Norway, Canada, the United Kingdom, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand. Gerald Singh Researchers from the University of Victoria in Canada analyzed mortality data from these countries.

The researchers found that high-fatality events increased over time, particularly in Norway, Canada, and the United Kingdom, from 2012 to 2022. A total of 865 million salmon died during this period.

“We are talking about very large numbers,” Singh says. “In the case of Norway, the worst ranged from about 935,000 fish lost in a month to just under 5 million. In Canada, the worst 10 per cent disaster ranged from about 935,000 fish lost in a month to just under 5 million. Between 10,000 and 3.8 million fish were lost.”

If this trend continues, researchers predict that future fatal crashes could cause up to 5.14 million deaths in Norway, 5.05 million people in Canada and just over 1 million people in the UK.

Environmental stressors such as marine heatwaves and lack of oxygen in the water, as well as sea lice infestations, can trigger these mass die-offs. To reduce the impact of these stressors on salmon, Singh says better animal welfare practices need to be implemented, such as not overcrowding fish pens.

“These events can have significant impacts on local economies, communities and ecosystems,” he says. “For example, if communities that rely on these industries are stripped of their farming permits, this can have a significant impact on local economies and livelihoods.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Snap stock’s growth takes a hit amidst growing concerns | Technology

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Snapchat’s owner narrowly missed Wall Street’s hopes as it continues to grapple with slowing digital advertising. The social media company’s stock price fell by nearly a third.

Snap said it was “encouraged by our progress,” but cited factors such as the Middle East conflict that had hurt its business.


Snap’s revenue rose 5% to $1.36 billion in the three months ended Dec. 31, missing analysts’ expectations for $1.38 billion. Net loss narrowed from $288 million to $248 million.

Investors remained concerned about the company’s growth. The company expects revenue for the current quarter to be between $1.1 billion and $1.14 billion. Analysts had expected about $1.1 billion.

Snap shares fell 30% to $12.21 in after-hours trading in New York.

Alphabet, owner of Google and YouTube, the world’s two biggest advertisers, and Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook and Instagram, are in a better position. Smaller companies in the market continue to struggle.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Snap expects to end 2023 with about 414 million daily active users, a number that will rise to 420 million in the first quarter.

The group told investors on Tuesday that it was “shifting our focus to user growth and deepening our engagement in our most profitable regions, including North America and Europe.”

Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap, said: “2023 was a pivotal year for Snap. We transformed our advertising business and continued to grow our global community, reaching 414 million daily active users.” We have 7 million subscribers who pay for our products.

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“Snapchat strengthens our relationships with friends, family and the world, and this unique value proposition has provided a strong foundation on which to build our business for long-term growth.”

The company releases its financial results a day after announcing it would lay off about 10% of its global workforce, or about 530 people, as part of an organizational restructuring to “reduce hierarchy and increase in-person collaboration.” did. Last week, the company recalled its Pixy selfie drone due to the risk of fire due to battery overheating.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Cybercrime: Credit Agency Warns of Growing Threat to UK Drinking Water from Hackers

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Credit rating agency Moody's has warned that water companies face a “high” risk from cyber-attacks targeting drinking water as they await approval from industry regulators to increase spending on digital security.

Hackers are increasingly targeting infrastructure companies such as water and wastewater treatment companies, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) could accelerate this trend, Moody's said in a note to investors.

Southern Water, which serves 4.6 million customers in the south of England, claimed last month that the Black Basta ransomware group had accessed its systems and posted a “limited amount” of data to the dark web. announced. The same group hacked outsourcing company Capita last year.

Separately, South Staffordshire Water I apologized In 2022, after hackers steal customers' personal data.

Moody's warned that the increasing use of data logging equipment and digital smart meters to monitor water consumption is making businesses more vulnerable to attacks. Systems used at water treatment facilities are typically separated from a company’s other IT departments, including customer databases, but some systems are more closely integrated to improve efficiency, he said.

After a hack, companies typically have to hire specialized cybersecurity firms to repair systems and communicate with customers, and they can also face penalties from regulators. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office can fine companies up to 4% of group turnover or €20m (£17m), whichever is higher.

Moody's said the cost of system remediation, including re-securing and strengthening existing cyber defenses and paying potential fines, would typically result in only a “modest increase” in debt levels if the incident is short-lived.

But Moody's warned that “the greater risk to our industry and society is if malicious actors were able to gain access to operational technology systems and harm drinking water or wastewater treatment facilities.”

The agency said water suppliers, governments and regulators need to strengthen their cyber defenses “as attacks against critical infrastructure become more sophisticated and state-aligned actors are now increasingly becoming cyber attackers.” He said he was aware of his gender.

More about the digital security of Britain's infrastructure assets, including the £50bn project to build vast underground nuclear waste repositories and the Sellafield nuclear facility in Cumbria, where the Guardian revealed a series of cybersecurity issues. There is widespread concern.

Moody's report comes as water companies in England and Wales hope to receive allowances from Ofwat to increase spending on cyber defense. The regulator is assessing plans to raise the bill from 2025 to 2030 to cover investments.

Ofwat's decision, to be announced later this year, comes at a critical juncture for an industry that has come under fire for sewage dumping, inadequate leak records and high executive pay.

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In October last year, companies announced that they would be required to fund a record £96bn investment in fixing raw sewage leaks, reducing leaks and building reservoirs. submitted a five-year business plan detailing price increases.

Moody's analysis shows that businesses want to increase their total spending on security from less than £100m to nearly £700m over the next five years. Increased scrutiny of the industry and the hack into Southern Water could strengthen its case, the credit agency said.

The department said costs to South Staffordshire Water related to the hack could reach £10 million, including potential civil action.

Moody's warning about the potential impact on water companies’ debt comes amid growing concerns over leverage in the water sector, where up to 28% of bill payments are used for debt servicing in regions of England. .

Industry body Water UK announced last week that average annual bills have risen by 6% since April, outpacing the current rate of inflation.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Emergence of Extortion as a Growing Ransomware Threat

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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