US Authorities Investigate 2.4 Million Tesla Autonomous Vehicles After Crash Report

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The U.S. government’s National Traffic Safety Administration has initiated an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles that are equipped with the company’s fully self-driving software following reports of four crashes, some of which were fatal.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that it has launched a preliminary review after receiving reports of four incidents involving fully autonomous driving in conditions with reduced road visibility like sun glare, fog, and airborne dust.

One of the accidents involved a Tesla vehicle hitting a pedestrian, resulting in a fatal outcome. Another accident under similar circumstances led to injuries, according to NHTSA.

The investigation covers Model S and X vehicles from 2016-2024, Model 3 from 2017-2024, Model Y from 2020-2024, and Cybertruck vehicles from 2023-2024 with optional systems.

A preliminary evaluation is the initial step before a vehicle recall is required if the agency determines that the vehicle poses an unreasonable safety risk.

Tesla states on its website that its “full self-driving” software for on-road vehicles necessitates active supervision from the driver and does not render the vehicle completely autonomous.

NHTSA is assessing the engineering controls of FSD to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions.

The agency will investigate if other similar FSD accidents have occurred in conditions of low road visibility and if Tesla has made any updates to its FSD system that could impact such conditions.

“This review will also examine Tesla’s assessment of the timing, purpose, functionality, and safety implications of these updates,” NHTSA mentioned.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is focusing on self-driving technology and robotaxis amidst competition and subdued demand in the automotive industry.

The company did not respond to requests for comment. Tesla’s shares were down 0.5% before the market opened.

Musk recently unveiled a concept for Tesla’s “CyberCab” robotaxi, which is a two-seat, two-door vehicle that uses cameras and AI for navigation, eliminating the need for a steering wheel or pedals. NHTSA approval would be necessary for deploying these vehicles without human control.

Tesla’s FSD technology has been in development for years aiming for high automation levels, enabling the vehicle to manage most driving tasks without human intervention.

However, there have been at least two fatalities associated with the technology, leading to legal scrutiny. Some experts are concerned about Tesla’s reliance on a “camera-only” approach for self-driving systems in low visibility conditions due to the absence of backup sensors.

Industry experts like Jeff Schuster, Vice President of GlobalData, suggest that weather conditions can affect the camera’s functionality and regulatory requirements may impact the technology’s progress.

“This could be a significant obstacle in the near-term launch of this technology and product,” Schuster added.

Tesla’s competitors in the robotaxi space use costly sensors like lidar and radar for environment detection while operating.

In a December recall, Tesla called back over 2 million vehicles in the U.S. to incorporate new safety features in its Autopilot advanced driver assistance system. NHTSA is still reviewing the appropriateness of this recall.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ancient Winged Seed Fossil Unearthed in China, Dating Back 365 Million Years

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

named Arasemenia triaa new specimen from the Wutong Formation in China's Anhui Province, dates to the Famennian period of the Late Devonian, making it the second oldest known winged seed.

fertile branches and seeds Arasemenia tria. Image credit: Wang others., doi: 10.7554/eLife.92962.3.

Many plants require seeds to reproduce. Seeds come in all shapes and sizes and often have additional features that help them disperse throughout the environment.

For example, some seeds develop wings from the seed coat as the outer layer. This is similar to the fruit of the plane tree, which has two wings that help it glide on the wind.

The first seeds are thought to have evolved during the Famennian period, between 372 and 359 million years ago.

According to the fossil record, almost all of these seeds were surrounded by additional protective structures known as couples and were wingless.

To date, only two groups of Famennia seeds have been reported to have wings or wing-like structures, and one group lacked couples.

“The oldest known plant seeds date back to the late Devonian period,” said Professor Deming Wang of Peking University.

“This period marks an important evolutionary milestone in plant history, as it transitioned from spore-based reproduction like ferns and mosses to seed-based reproduction.”

“However, little is known about wind dispersal of seeds during this period, as most fossils lack wings and are usually surrounded by a protective copple.”

Professor Wang and colleagues examined fossils of Famennian seed plants collected in China's Anhui province.

assigned to a new genus and species; Arasemenia triathe seeds are about 2.5-3.3 cm long and, unlike most other seeds of this era, clearly lack a cupple.

“In fact, this is one of the oldest known records of coppleless seeds, 40 million years earlier than previously thought,” the paleontologists said.

“Each seed is covered by a layer of integument, or seed coat, which radiates outward to form three wing-like leaves.”

“These wings tapered toward the tip and curved outward, creating a wide, flat structure that helped the seeds catch the wind.”

The researchers then compared Arasemenia tria Other known winged seeds from the Late Devonian: Warstenia and guasia.

Both of these seeds have four wings — guasiais wide and flat; WarsteniaIt's short and straight.

Scientists performed quantitative mathematical analysis to determine which seeds are most effective for wind dispersal.

This reveals that it has an odd number of wings, as follows: Arasemenia triaa more stable and high rotation speed is obtained when the seeds descend from the branches, and the seeds can catch the wind more effectively and disperse further from the parent plant.

“Our findings are Arasemenia tria This further deepens our knowledge about the origins of wind-driven dispersal strategies in early land plants,” said Dr. Pu Fan, a researcher at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“When combined with previous knowledge, guasia and WarsteiniaWe conclude that winged seeds as a result of integument elongation emerged as the first form of wind dispersal strategy in the Late Devonian, prior to other methods such as parachutes and plumes. ”

“The three-winged seed found in” Arasemenia tria “During the late Devonian period, double-winged seeds would have appeared in the Carboniferous period, and single-winged seeds would have appeared in the Permian period,” Professor Wang added.

of study Published in a magazine e-life.

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Deming Wang others. 2024. Arasemeniathe earliest ovule with three wings and no cup. e-life 13:RP92962;doi: 10.7554/eLife.92962.3

Source: www.sci.news

Meta removes over 9,000 fraudulent Facebook pages costing Australians $43.4 million in celebrity deepfake scams

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

After Meta launched a new platform for sharing fraud information with banks, celebrities and others were taken away in handcuffs. The platform blocked 8,000 pages and 9,000 celebrity scams, reducing the likelihood of Australians seeing deepfake images promoting fraudulent crypto investments on Facebook. This occurred in the first 6 months following the launch.

Between January and August 2024, Australians reported $43.4 million in losses to social media scams through Scamwatch, with almost $30 million related to fake investment scams.

Meta has been dealing with scams using deepfake images of celebrities like David Koch, Gina Reinhart, Anthony Albanese, Larry Emdur, and Guy Sebastian. Politicians and regulators have pressured the company to address these scams, especially those facilitating investment fraud.

Mining tycoon Andrew Forrest is suing Meta for failing to address fraudulent activity using his image.

Meta has partnered with the Australian Financial Crime Exchange (AFCX) to launch the Fraud Information Exchange (Fire). This channel allows banks to report known fraud to Meta, enabling Meta to notify all banks involved in fraud discovered on its platform.

Seven banks, including ANZ, Bendigo Bank, CBA, HSBC, Macquarie, NAB, and Westpac, are participating in the Fire program. Another program involving AFCX’s Intel Loop information sharing service includes banks like Optus, Pivotel, Telstra, TPG, and the National Anti Scams Center.

Since the pilot launch in April, Meta has removed over 9,000 fraudulent pages and 8,000 AI-generated celebrity investment scams on Facebook and Instagram based on 102 reports received.

While the early results are promising, the number of fire reports is low compared to the losses reported to Scamwatch, with 1,600 reported losses in social media scams in August alone.

Meta reported removing 1.2 billion fake accounts worldwide in the last quarter, with 99.7% removed before user reports.

AFCX’s Rhonda Lau mentioned that the program aims to make Australia a less attractive target for fraudsters.

Meta’s David Agranovich stated that the system will help detect fraud outside the platform, connecting the dots between fraudulent activities on Facebook and Instagram.

Meta provides the list of blocked domains to partners and will grant access to the Fire platform to its threat exchange system to detect criminal activity like covert influence operations and child abuse on the platform.

Mr. Agranovich acknowledged the frustration Australians may face in reporting fraud to Meta and mentioned plans for improvement.

Both the Commonwealth Bank and ANZ welcomed the collaboration with Meta. Deputy Treasurer Stephen Jones introduced a draft bill to combat fraud and provide a proper dispute resolution process for fraud victims, with consultations ending on 4th October.

Source: www.theguardian.com

What you need to know about the serious heart condition affecting 10 million Americans

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

New research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reveals that Atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) is three times more common in the United States than previously known, affecting an estimated 10.5 million American adults. A-Fib is characterized by an irregular heartbeat and can lead to severe complications such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack, kidney disease, and dementia.

While individuals with atrial fibrillation have an increased risk of heart-related mortality, the condition is treatable and typically not life-threatening. The exact cause of A-Fib remains unknown, but it tends to occur more frequently with age and is prevalent in certain groups with existing cardiovascular conditions.

A recent study conducted by scientists at the University of California analyzed medical records of 30 million adult patients in California from 2005 to 2019, revealing that 2 million individuals had atrial fibrillation. The study also observed an increasing incidence of A-Fib over the years, indicating a rise in prevalence due to factors such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.

Symptoms of atrial fibrillation may include irregular and rapid palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, and anxiety. Diagnosis can be made through an irregular heartbeat or an electrocardiogram (ECG). Technological advancements, such as smartwatches designed to monitor A-Fib, are aiding in the detection and management of the condition.

What are the signs of atrial fibrillation?

Dr. Hugh Calkins, a prominent cardiologist, emphasized the importance of recognizing symptoms of atrial fibrillation for early detection and treatment. Individuals experiencing symptoms are encouraged to seek medical advice for proper evaluation and management of the condition.

About our experts

Dr. Hugh Calkins is the Katherine Ellen Poindexter Professor of Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Maryland, USA. He has contributed extensively to cardiovascular research and is a renowned expert in electrophysiology and arrhythmia services.

Professor John Kamm holds the position of Professor of Clinical Cardiology at St George’s University Hospital, London. His research contributions in cardiology have been published in various prestigious medical journals.

Read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Footprints of a polar dinosaur discovered in Australia dating back 120 million years

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The newly discovered theropod and ornithopod dinosaur footprints date back to the Early Cretaceous period, more than 120 million years ago, when Australia was still connected to Antarctica.

Melissa Lawley and Anthony Martin examine dinosaur footprints. Image by Ruth Showalter.

Dinosaur footprints from the Early Cretaceous period have been discovered in the Wonthaggi Formation south of Melbourne, Australia.

These include 18 footprints of medium to large theropods (0.8-1.9 metres waist height) and four footprints of small ornithopod dinosaurs (40-48 centimetres waist height).

“These numerous footprints provide the best evidence yet that polar environments once supported large carnivores,” said Professor Anthony Martin of Emory University.

“Large theropods probably fed on prey such as smaller dinosaurs, fish and turtles.”

“The hip height of this theropod would have been roughly the same as the height of a tall modern human.”

“Rocky coastal strata in Victoria, Australia, mark the spot where the ancient supercontinent Gondwana began to break up about 100 million years ago, separating Australia from Antarctica.”

“The polar environment at that time was a rift valley with a network of rivers running through it.”

“Although the average annual temperature during the Cretaceous period was higher than today, ecosystems experienced freezing temperatures and months of darkness during polar winters.”

“The Wonthaggi Formation has produced one of the best assemblages of polar dinosaur fossils in the Southern Hemisphere, but most of these fossils are small fragments of bone and teeth.”

“These pieces may have been carried to the buried site by heavy spring rains.”

“However, the discovery of so many theropod footprints confirms that a wide variety of dinosaurs did in fact live and walk on the surface where the bones were found.”

“Dinosaur footprints are actually more common here than we previously thought.”

Theropod footprints in the Wonthaggi Formation range in length from 18 to 47 cm (7 to 18.5 in).

They have relatively thin toes and sharp claw tips.

Ornithopod tracks vary in size from 10 to 18 cm (4 to 7 in).

The range of footprint sizes suggests that they may represent a mixture of juvenile and adult ornithopods and theropods.

“This suggests that these dinosaurs may have been nesting and raising their young in polar environments,” Prof Martin said.

This discovery paper of Archealinga, Australian Journal of Palaeontology.

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Anthony J. Martin othersPolar dinosaur footprints from the Wonthaggi Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Victoria, Australia, and their palaeontological significance. Archealinga, Australian Journal of PalaeontologyPublished online September 8, 2024; doi: 10.1080/03115518.2024.2392498

Source: www.sci.news

Research: Volcanic Activity on the Moon 123 Million Years Ago

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

There is plenty of geological evidence that the Moon had ancient volcanic activity, but it is unclear how long that activity lasted. Magma eruptions create volcanic glass, which has been found in lunar samples before. Dr. Li Qiuli of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and colleagues analyzed about 3,000 glass beads taken from lunar soil samples collected by China's Chang'e-5 mission. They identified three glass beads as being of volcanic origin based on their texture, chemical composition, and sulfur isotopes. Uranium-lead dating of these volcanic beads determined that they formed about 123 million years ago.

Volcanic eruptions that produced glass beads on the Moon. Image courtesy of T. Zhang & Y. Wang.

Samples collected by the Apollo, Luna and Chang'e-5 missions have so far shown that the Moon experienced widespread basaltic volcanic activity between about 4.4 billion and 2 billion years ago.

The findings suggest that, at least on small, localized scales, volcanic activity continued for much longer than previously thought.

“Dating of lunar volcanic basalt samples returned to Earth by the Apollo and Luna missions or delivered to Earth as lunar meteorites reveals that lunar basaltic volcanism continued at least 2.9 to 2.8 billion years ago,” the researchers said.

“However, analysis of lunar samples returned by the Chang'e-5 mission demonstrates that basaltic volcanism persisted at least 2 billion years ago.”

“Remote sensing observations suggest that there may have been more recent volcanic activity on the Moon during the Late Copernican epoch (less than 800 million years ago).”

“However, none of these remote sensing observations provide precise dates for possible volcanic activity.”

“Furthermore, the proposed Late Copernican Ocean basalt outbursts cover only a limited area, and no samples are available.”

“Eruptions of gas-rich magma can produce magma fountains that produce sub-millimeter glass beads.”

“These beads could be deposited over a wide area and then transported farther across the lunar surface by impacts.”

“Volcanic glass may be a trace component in existing samples.”

In their study, Dr Li and his co-authors sorted 3,000 tiny glass beads retrieved from lunar samples collected by Chang'e-5, examining the beads' chemical composition, physical texture, and sulfur isotopes to distinguish between volcanic glass and glass produced by meteorite impacts.

They identified three of the beads as being of volcanic origin and used radiometric dating to determine that the beads were formed 123 million years ago.

Volcanic beads are rich in potassium, phosphorus, and rare earth elements, known as KREEP elements, which can produce radioactive heat.

Localized heating by KREEP elements could melt rocks in the Moon's mantle, causing small amounts of magma to erupt to the surface.

“The volcanic glass beads contained large amounts of rare earth elements and thorium, which may indicate that recent volcanic activity is associated with local enrichment of heat-producing elements in the mantle source of magma,” the researchers said.

Their paper Published in a journal Science.

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Wang Biwen others2024. Samples brought back indicate volcanic activity on the moon 120 million years ago. Science 385 (6713); doi: 1077-1080; doi: 10.1126/science.adk6635

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists are puzzled by mysterious object speeding through galaxy at over a million miles per hour

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

An object moving through space at close to 1 million miles per hour has been detected, moving so fast that it is leaving the Milky Way galaxy. Scientists are now trying to identify this mysterious object.

Currently located 400 light-years away, the object known as CWISE J1249 is unlikely to be a spacecraft due to its massive size. It is approximately 30,000 times the mass of Earth, making it about 8% of the mass of the Sun.

This unusual size places J1249 somewhere between a star and a planet, as described by Dr. Darren Baskill, a lecturer in astronomy at the University of Sussex. According to Dr. Baskill, stars moving at such high speeds are rare.

The object’s speed is so rapid that it could exit the Milky Way galaxy in just a few tens of millions of years, which is a short period considering stars’ long lifespans.

This massive object, flying at 0.001% of the speed of light, has the potential to escape the galaxy and venture into intergalactic space.

Discovered by citizen scientists contributing to NASA’s Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project, J1249’s speed is approximately 2.6 times faster than any space probe ever launched.

A new study, pending peer review, confirms these findings and further characterizes the object discovered through the initiative.

The object, with an unusual composition compared to stars and brown dwarfs, may be the first star of its kind in the galaxy, based on NASA’s observations.

Researchers believe the high-speed movement of the object may be linked to a supernova explosion in a binary star system or encounters with black holes in a star cluster.

Dr. Baskill suggests that gravitational slingshots could explain the extreme speed of J1249, potentially originating from the galaxy’s dense center and accelerated through gravitational interactions.

About our experts:

Dr. Darren Baskill is an Outreach Officer and Lecturer at the University of Sussex School of Physics and Astronomy, with a background in organizing astronomy-related events and competitions.

For more information, visit the University of Sussex website.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Prehistoric Lovebirds Thrived in Humanity’s Birthplace 2.5 Million Years Ago

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists have discovered the fossilized bones of a new species of parrot. Agapornis The event will take place in three regions of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “The Cradle of Humankind” in Gauteng, South Africa.

Rebuilding the couple's lives Agapornis longipes People forage on the ground during the dry season in the Early Pleistocene period of the Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng, South Africa. Image by Martina Cadin.

“Lovebirds (Genus Agapornis“Psittacidae (parrots) are small parrots endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar,” said Dr Marco Pavia from the University of Turin and his colleagues.

“It currently includes nine species that live in woodlands and wooded savannahs, breed in tree cavities, and feed mainly on grass seeds and fruits collected on the ground and, to a lesser extent, on trees.”

“Genetic data suggest that parrots colonized Africa during the late Eocene and early Oligocene. Agapornis They first migrated into Africa from Australasia during the Late Oligocene/Early Miocene, about 24 million years ago.”

“Psittacula Crameri “It is the most recent parrot to have dispersed across the continents around the boundary between the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs (2.5 to 1.5 million years ago).”

“The fossil record of African parrots is very scarce, with the oldest dating back to the early Pliocene period of the Langebaanweg.”

“Surprisingly, most of the African fossils AgapornisThe oldest one is Agapornis Attenborough It was described from the Early Pliocene of the Langebaanweg in South Africa.”

The newly identified species is Agapornis longipesIt lived in South Africa about 2.5 million years ago.

The fossils have been found at Kromdraai, Cooper Cave and Swartkrans sites in South Africa.

The specimen includes all major wing bones (humerus, ulna, carpometacarpals), tarsometatarsus, a fragmentary mandible, and a coracoid.

“The fossils were recovered from three sites in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Cradle of Humankind, a key area for understanding early human evolution in Southern Africa,” the paleontologists said.

“The Cradle of Humankind contains several hominin fossil sites dating from the Late Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene, and their study has shed light on the paleoecological and paleoenvironmental context surrounding the emergence of the genus Homo in the region, and its relationship to the contemporary species Australopithecus and Paranthropus.”

“The three fossil sites – Swartkrans, Cooper's Cave and Kromdraai – are located in the southern part of the Cradle Range, approximately one kilometre east and one and a half kilometres northeast of Sterkfontein Cave respectively, and are separated by a few hundred metres from each other,” the researchers added.

Agapornis longipes It is distinct from nine extant species. Agapornis Genus and extinct Agapornis atlanticus and Agapornis Attenborough It is known for several morphological characteristics and for having the smallest humerus-to-tarsometatarsal ratio. Agapornis seed.

“Except for one. Agapornis “These species feed primarily on grass seeds and then fruits and are generally associated with the presence of grasslands, permanent water sources and tall trees that provide either natural cavities or holes excavated by other birds such as woodpeckers or barbets,” the researchers said.

“The long, slender legs Agapornis longipes This may be related to feeding adaptations of this extinct species.”

“Indeed, modern species with a low humerus-to-tarsometatarsus ratio typically gather food on the ground, while others also gather seeds and fruits from trees.”

“We assume that Agapornis longipes As suggested by paleoenvironmental reconstructions, it used its longer legs to feed on grass seeds at ground level in the tall grass, dense prairie of the paleo-Blue Bank Valley.”

“The present-day environment in this region of the Cradle of Humankind and South Africa is not significantly different from that of the Early Pleistocene, and the extinction of lovebirds from this region during the Pleistocene is likely related to changes in microclimatic conditions and the extinction of specific food resources, rather than changes in general environmental conditions.”

This new species is paper In the journal Geobios.

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Marco Pavia othersLovebirds (birds, parrot family, AgapornisThis fossil was discovered in the Plio-Pleistocene era (Gauteng, South Africa), the birthplace of humankind. GeobiosPublished online August 9, 2024; doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2024.05.006

Source: www.sci.news

Key gap in pterosaur evolution filled by fossil dating back 150 million years

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

New genus and species of monophenestratan pterosaur named Propterodacillus frankellae It documents the transition from the older rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs to pterodactyloids.

The holotype Propterodacillus frankellaeImage credit: Frederik Spindler, doi: 10.26879/1366.

Propterodacillus frankellae It lived about 150 million years ago, during the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic Period.

This flying reptile had a moderately long skull, about 9 centimetres (3.5 inches) long, and an estimated wingspan of about 55 centimetres (21.7 inches).

This species also had a very short tail and a small but functional fifth finger with two phalanges.

Propterodacillus frankellae a kind of Monophenestratan (Monofenestrata) is a large group of pterosaurs that includes the family Turconopteridae and the suborder Pterodactyloidea.

“As the earliest actively flying vertebrate lineage, pterosaurs were highly successful in evolution throughout the Mesozoic Era.” Dr. Frederick Spindler “The dinosaur museum's Altmühlthal writes in the new paper:

“For most of the long history of research, every specimen could be classified as belonging to one of two major types: the more ancestral long-tailed Rhamphorhynchioidea and the derived short-tailed Pterodactyloidea.”

“The rare anurognathids, the only short-faced pterosaurs, have similarly short tails but otherwise look like rhamphorhynchids and are therefore generally thought to have been deep-nesting rhamphorhynchids.”

“True intermediate, and therefore plausible transitional, forms between the major types were unknown until the discovery of the Curculionoptera.”

The fossil, named the Painten protterosaur, was discovered beneath the Rigol limestone quarry near Painten in Bavaria, Germany.

The specimen consists of a complete and fully articulated skeleton with soft tissue remaining in the radial fibrils of the torso and wings.

“Propterodacillus frankellae It is contemporary with the oldest Archaeopteryx “It came from a nearby basin,” the paleontologists wrote in their paper.

According to Dr Spindler, the discovery fills one of the largest knowledge gaps in the evolution of pterosaur morphology.

“Propterodacillus frankellae “It's a near-perfect mix of rhamphorhynchoid, curcunopteroid and derived pterodactyloid pterosaur features,” he said.

“Similarities with the derived Pterodactyloidea include the shape of the skull and the short tail.”

“For example, the ancestral traits shared with the Turconogopteridae family are Propterodactyl The most distinctive features of this pterosauroidea animal are its functional fifth toe and long caudal snout.”

“Intermediate conditions apply for neck extension, metacarpal extension, and shortening of the fifth toe.”

of paper Published online in the journal Palenitrogy Electronica.

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Frederick Spindler. 2024. Pterosaur articulation from the Late Jurassic of Germany. Palenitrogy Electronica 27(2):a35; doi:10.26879/1366

Source: www.sci.news

400 Million Years Ago, A Giant Scorpion Might Have Been a Crustacean

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Extinct giant aquatic arthropods called sea scorpions (Eurypterids) were apex predators. A new study suggests that early species of carcinosomatoids, with their scorpion-like spiny limbs, fed on trilobites, while later species preferred armored fish. Carcinosomatoids evolved into scorpions, but not the giant scorpion-like creatures that lived 400 million years ago. Preactorus and Brontoscorpio which is published in Walking with monsters (TV series) was probably a crustacean.

Reconstruction Pentecopterus (170 cm long), the oldest known sea scorpion (Eurypteridae), from the Ordovician Period (467 million years ago) of Iowa, USA. Image by John Alexander.

Sea scorpions (family: Ophiocephalidae) are ancient aquatic creepies (arthropods, meaning they have segmented bodies, exoskeletons, and jointed legs) that lived from 467 million years ago until about 253 million years ago.

Some pterygian Eurypterids can grow to lengths of nearly 2.6 metres, making them the largest insects ever to have lived. Eurypterids also include the predatory carcinosomatoids, namely the megalograpts, carcinosomatoids and mixopterids, which have long spiny limbs and can grow to lengths of up to 2 metres.

Carcinosomatoids used their long, spiny limbs to catch prey and burrow into the mud, and computer models suggest that they were slow swimmers who preferred to live close to the sea floor as ambush predators.

New research on fossils found alongside megalograptids suggests that they were primarily associated with trilobites, a diverse group of extinct marine arthropods.

Carcinosomatids tend to live in symbiosis with lightly armoured phyllocallid crustaceans and lingulid brachiopods (lamp shells).

Mixopterid fishes tend to coexist with more heavily armoured fishes such as therodonts, osteostracans and pteraspids.

Fossilized feces (coprolites) prove that they ate trilobites, armored fish, and even their own kind (cannibals).

The idea that nudibranchs influenced the evolution of armored fishes in the predator-prey arms race is often dismissed.

The study suggests that mixopterids and pterygians had some influence on their evolution (and on our very ancient ancestors).

Megalograptus is interpreted as being more primitive than previously thought, which means that early (Ordovician) crinoid diversity has been overestimated.

Scorpions are thought to have evolved from a Mixopteridae-like ancestor, evolving claws (palps), stingers, and comb-like sensory pecten on their undersides.

Giant scorpions may be the creatures of your nightmares, but they actually existed in Scotland's Carboniferous period. Pulmonoscorpiusand Gigantoscorpio.

Reconstruction PulmonoscorpiusA giant scorpion (70 cm long) from the Carboniferous period of Scotland (330 million years ago). Image by Junnn11 / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Even longer (1 meter) scorpions PreactorusThis dinosaur, which lived in Herefordshire, England, is also thought to have lived 412 million years ago.

However, the grooves on its shell, the pustular ornamentation, and the recurved first segment suggest that it is in fact a crustacean.

Bennett TaltraThey come from the same layer and region and may be related (or slightly smaller) Preactorus.

BrontoscorpioIt is an estimated 86cm long (400 million years old) scorpion featured in a BBC television series. Walking with monstersOnly a small portion of the claws are known, and it is probably a crustacean. Image courtesy of Impossible Pictures.

Brontoscorpio(86cm long), discovered in Worcestershire, England (400 million years ago) and featured in an award-winning BBC television series. Walking with monsters Possibly a crustacean too.

So giant scorpions, along with giant millipedes measuring two metres in length and giant dragonflies with wingspans of 75 centimetres, didn't come into existence until the Carboniferous period 70 million years later.

Modern scorpions gradually acquired their modern characteristics: early scorpions had more primitive legs and eyes, and lacked an anterior mouth cavity for feeding on land, so were probably aquatic or amphibious.

The oldest known scorpion Palioscorpio It was discovered in Wisconsin from the Early Silurian (437 million years ago) but has been reinterpreted as a trilobite-like arthropod.

The oldest scorpion is now Dolichophonus (433-438 Ma) Originating from Scotland.

this the study Published in New Jarlbuch in Geology and Palaeontology.

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Braddy, S.J. 2024. Palaeoecology and phylogeny of carcinosomatid eurypterids: ichnolog- y and palaeoassemblages. New Jarlbuch in Geology and Palaeontology; doi: 10.1127/njgpa/2024/1206

Source: www.sci.news

Land animals evolved in warm tidal nursery ponds 500 million years ago

Posted on July 27, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The evolution of the first animals to appear on land 500 million years ago has been revealed. The ancestors of millipedes, called euticalcinids, evolved from larval arthropods in warm tidal pools. Individuals that reached sexual maturity early and survived the harsh tidal zone passed on their genes to the next generation, evolving into arthropods that could crawl onto land when the tidal pools dried up.

Reconstruction of the first land animal to live on the ancient tidal flats of Blackberry Hill, Wisconsin (500 million years ago). A washed-up jellyfish (1 meter wide), Euticarcinoidea. Mosineia (Lower left, 15cm long), Phyllocarididae crustacean Arenosicalis (bottom right, green) and a large, slug-like mollusk (70 cm long). Some euticalcinids live in tide pools before they dry up. Image courtesy of Todd Gass.

All life first evolved in the sea, and because carcasses decay more easily on land than in the sea, fossils of early land animals are very rare.

Arthropods — creepy-looking animals with segmented bodies, jointed limbs, and hard exoskeletons, like spiders, crabs, and insects — were the first animals to move onto land.

The oldest known fossils of land animals are those called millipedes. Pneumodesmus pneumanii It dates back to the Late Wenlockian Stage of the Silurian Period in Scotland, approximately 428 million years ago (Ma).

Millipedes, centipedes and their relatives are called myriapods, and there are about 12,000 species of them.

There's another type of fossil that can give us clues about when ancient animals first emerged from the sea: trace fossils.

They are Represent These are traces of biological activity, including animal tracks and burrows.

Trace fossils reveal a time-honoured snapshot of extinct animals' behaviours and interactions, allowing us to bring extinct animals to life.

Fossil burrows in Pennsylvania (445 million years ago) and fossil tracks in Cumbria, England (450 million years ago) suggest that myriapods lived on land 22 million years before the oldest body fossils.

The oldest known footprints on land were left in ancient coastal dunes in New York and Ontario by ancestors of myriapod animals called euticalcinids. Tidal flats (Quebec and Wisconsin) Approximately 500 million years ago.

It may have been one small step for insects, but one giant leap for life on Earth.

of Eutic carcinoid It had a body length of 4 to 15 cm (up to 30 cm, judging from fossilized footprints), and lived between 500 million and 225 million years ago. It resembled a pill bug (woodlouse), but had spines on its tail.

During the Cambrian Period, a group of marine arthropods called Fuchsianidae lived in shallow seas.

Euticarcinoids resemble larval fuchsiafiids, Precocious maturity (i.e. the retention of juvenile characteristics in descendant species) was involved in the evolution of these earliest land animals.

Euticalcinids spawned in warm tide pools, presumably to protect the eggs from marine predators and speed up larval development.

These harsh tidal conditions gradually selected for individuals in the population that reached sexual maturity earlier, survived, and were able to pass on their genes to the next generation – juvenile traits.

Cambrian euticalcinoids had barrel-shaped bodies, short legs, and six telson segments.

As they evolved, the number of tail segments gradually decreased, from six to five during the Silurian and Carboniferous periods, and in some later species to four segments. Also, the legs developed thin spines.

One group of euthycarcinoids, called the Sotticcercidae, has a long, multi-segmented body and legs of similar length, making it more myriapod-like.

Campecarids are a rare and extinct group of myriapods that may represent an evolutionary link between Sotticcercidae and myriapods, as they share a legless neck and tail segment.

The euticalcinids were soon followed by the sea scorpions (Eurypterids), the ancestors of scorpions, which led to widespread animal invasion of land.

Our own (vertebrate, i.e. backbone) ancestors, called tetrapods, first came onto land in a breathtaking adventure 130 million years after the eucaryotic vertebrates.

Walter Garstang eloquently states: “The facts are much the same: whatever the name, any yolk-bearing arthropod must have once had an aquatic ancestor that laid tiny eggs and hatched as tiny legless larvae. So the larvae that are the predecessors of our millipedes and spiders (and centipedes and insects) cannot be outsiders.”

this paper Appeared in New Jarlbuch in Geology and Palaeontology.

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Braddy, S.J. 2024. Euthycarcinoid ecology and evolution. New Jarlbuch in Geology and Palaeontology,doi:10.1127/njgpa/2024/1199

Source: www.sci.news

Elephants Were Targeted by Early Humans 1.8 Million Years Ago

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Illustration of the Deinotherium genus, an animal that became extinct after the evolution of humans

Heinrich Harder/Florilegius/Alamy

An AI-powered analysis of thousands of fossils suggests that human hunting was the main factor behind the extinction of dozens of elephant-like species over the past two million years.

The study found that the extinction rate of these animals increased five-fold when early humans evolved about 1.8 million years ago, and then increased again when modern humans emerged. Today, only three species of elephants from this group remain.

“If early humans had never appeared, the number of species would probably still be increasing.” Torsten Hauffe At the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

Hauffe said the number of species of elephant-like animals known as proboscideans, from the Latin word for “nose,” increased millions of years before humans arrived, probably due to the evolution of stronger teeth for eating grass.

By 1.8 million years ago, when the area began to overlap with early human habitats, there were about 30 species of organisms living in Africa. Deinotherium bozaciIt had downward-pointing, backward-facing fangs growing from its lower jaw. D. Bozaci It became extinct about 1 million years ago.

By the time modern humans began to spread across the world about 130,000 years ago, only 15 species of proboscideans remained. Most of these species had gone extinct, leaving only the Asian elephant, the African bush elephant, and the African forest elephant.

To find out why, Hauffe and his colleagues developed a statistical model that uses fossil finds to estimate how rates of extinction and speciation have changed over time, and the possible reasons for these changes.

Previous models of this kind have been limited to looking at only the impact of one factor, such as climate, but by using AI, the team’s model can estimate the relative contributions of many factors, Hauffe says. “We put it all together in one analysis.”

The study concluded that overlap with humans was the most important factor contributing to extinction, followed by geographical distribution and tooth and tusk shape. For example, species restricted to islands, such as the dwarf Sicilian elephant, Palaeoloxodon falconeri, They were much more likely to become extinct.

Climate change, which some believe is the primary cause of extinction, came in fourth after these other factors, so the findings support the overhunting hypothesis, which suggests that human hunting was the primary culprit, Hauffe said.

A computer modelling study of woolly rhinos carried out earlier this year found that Low levels of hunting can drive slow-breeding animals to extinction,To tell Stephen Chan The researcher, from the University of Helsinki in Finland, was not involved in the proboscidean study but helped compile some of the fossil data that was analyzed.

but, 2021 analysis of this data Zhang and his team concluded that while an early human impact with Earth was possible, the underlying cause was climatic.

What's clear, says Zhang, is that early humans didn’t suddenly wipe out proboscideans: “In fact, some of the most fascinating extinct elephant species emerged during this period, including the giant elephants.” Palaeoloxodon These include the giant mammoths of Eurasia, which stood 4 metres at the shoulder and weighed 25 tons, and the familiar woolly mammoths.

Where early humans slaughtered mammoths Palaeoloxodon The species dates back more than a million years, says Chang, “and both lineages have survived for the past 25,000 years alongside prehistoric humans with much more advanced cognitive and technological capabilities.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Elon Musk refutes claims of donating $45 million monthly to Trump Super PAC

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has denied reports that surfaced last week that he plans to donate $45 million a month to a super PAC working to elect President Donald Trump.

Musk appeared on Jordan Peterson’s show on Tuesday and said the allegations were “simply not true.” “I’m not giving $45 million a month to Donald Trump,” he said.

“What I’ve done is I’ve created a pack, or a super pack, or whatever you want to call it,” he said. “It’s called the America Pack.”

Super PACs (short for political action committees) are independent political organizations that allow donors to give unlimited amounts, but there are contribution limits on individuals and organizations other than super PACs.

After his interview with Peterson, Musk Reply “Yeah right,” he commented on a clip of X’s interview, as well as another tweet addressing the reports. To tell“Yeah, that’s ridiculous. I donate some money to America PAC, but at a much lower level. The PAC’s core values are supporting meritocracy and individual liberty. Republicans are largely, but not entirely, on the side of meritocracy and liberty.”

The denial came days after Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who has enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination in August.

Also on Tuesday, The New York Times report The super PAC employed former staffers from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign. “The super PAC has created an air of mystery around Trump, with other outside groups knowing almost nothing about its plans,” the Times reported.

But aides to DeSantis’ initial campaign manager, Genera Peck, and Phil Cox, former chairman of the Republican Governors Association, said the campaign was seeking to become one of the major groups supporting Trump, which could help increase its legitimacy within the Republican establishment.

“It’s about promoting the principles that made America great in the first place,” Musk said on Peterson’s show. “I wouldn’t say I’m, like, a MAGA,” he added, referring to Trump’s catchphrase. “I think America is great. I’m more of a MAG, someone who makes America greater.”

Musk did not disclose how much he plans to donate to the PAC.

AmericaPac already has the backing of Musk’s friends and allies in the tech industry, the Times reported. reportJoe Lonsdale, who co-founded the software company Palantir with Peter Thiel, Major Political Donors President Trump’s new running mate is Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio.

The Winklevoss twins, crypto entrepreneurs who have accused Joe Biden of waging a war on cryptocurrencies through regulation, have also contributed to the effort, The Wall Street Journal reports. reportIn June, they praised Trump as a “pro-Bitcoin, pro-crypto and pro-business.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Record-breaking auction sees Stegosaurus skeleton sold for $44 million

Posted on July 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

summary

A nearly complete stegosaurus skeleton sold at auction on Wednesday for a record-breaking $44.6 million.
Sotheby’s, which handled the auction, said the fossil was the best-preserved specimen of a stegosaurus of its size ever found.
The identity of the buyer was not made public.

A nearly complete 150-million-year-old stegosaurus skeleton sold at auction on Wednesday for a record-breaking $44.6 million.

Sotheby’s, which handled the New York auction, described the fossil as the “most complete” and “best-preserved” stegosaurus specimen of its size ever found. The massive skeleton, measuring 11 feet tall and 20 feet long, has been nicknamed “Apex.”

Dinosaur fossils It's estimated to be worth $6 million. But the price far exceeded expectations, setting a new world record for a fossil at auction after a bidding war that lasted more than 15 minutes, according to Sotheby’s representative Anna Tisci.

The identity of the buyer was not made public.

According to Sotheby’s, Apex’s skeleton was unearthed in 2022 near the town of Dinosaur in Moffat County, Colorado, on the private property of a paleontologist who discovered it but will remain anonymous. The bones were found in the Morrison Formation of sedimentary rock, which is centered in Colorado and Wyoming and extends to parts of 11 other states.

The auction house said the fossil was found with no other specimens nearby and no signs of injury, adding that signs of arthritis suggested the stegosaurus may have lived to an advanced age.

“Apex marks an enormous milestone as one of the finest fossils of its kind ever unearthed,” said Cassandra Hutton, Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture. It said in a statement “Stegosaurus is one of the most widely known dinosaurs, and its unmistakable silhouette has fascinated and amazed people for generations,” the release said in a statement ahead of the sale.

Stegosaurus is a four-legged, armored dinosaur best known for the distinctive line of kite-shaped plates on its back.

The pointy-tailed dinosaurs lived during the Late Jurassic period, between about 155 million and 145 million years ago.

Another nearly complete stegosaurus fossil, known as Sophie, is housed at the Natural History Museum in London, but Apex’s skeleton is more than 30 percent larger, according to Sotheby’s.

The previous record for the most expensive fossil sold at auction was set in 2020 when a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named “Stan” sold for $31.8 million.

The first dinosaur sold at auction was the now famous “Sue the T-Rex“The Great Gatsby” was auctioned in 1997 and purchased by the Field Museum in Chicago, where the painting is on display, for $8.4 million.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Elon Musk to Donate $45 Million Monthly to Pro-Trump Super PAC, Sources Say

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

According to The Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk has announced plans to donate $45 million per month from July onwards to support a super PAC working towards the election of Donald Trump.

Musk, a tech billionaire who recently endorsed Trump, has already made a substantial donation to America PAC. The exact amount of this donation will be revealed in election filings on July 15, as per Bloomberg.

Reports from both The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg are based on anonymous sources familiar with Musk’s plans. With an estimated net worth of $252 billion, Musk is considered one of the wealthiest individuals globally.

The potential donation from Musk is described as “tremendous” by The Wall Street Journal, highlighting that the largest known donation in the 2024 election cycle so far is $50 million. This amount was contributed by the great-grandson of banker Thomas Mellon to a pro-Trump super PAC.

As of June 30, there were no records of Musk donating to the super PAC, according to a review by The New York Times.

America PAC has garnered support from Musk’s tech industry associates, as reported by The New York Times. Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of Palantir with Peter Thiel, has also endorsed the PAC, along with the Winklevoss twins, crypto entrepreneurs critical of Biden’s policies.

America PAC, launched recently, aims to finance robust Republican voter mobilization initiatives in key states to counter Democratic efforts, according to The New York Times.

Contrary to earlier reports, Musk clarified in a tweet in March that he had not made any donations to U.S. presidential candidates.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Southern Europe saw the arrival of early humans approximately 1.3 million years ago.

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

a New Researchpublished in the journal Geoscience Reviewhelps resolve one of the longest-running debates in paleoanthropology: when did early humans arrive in Europe?

Ancient humans. Image courtesy of Ninara / CC BY 2.0.

“chronology Homo “Migration out of Africa has expanded substantially over the past 40 years,” said paleoanthropologist Luis Hibbert of the University of Barcelona and his colleagues.

“In 1982, Homo The Asian volcano has been paleomagnetically dated to 900,000 years ago in Java and 700,000 years ago in Italy, Europe.

“Forty years later, the early Homo Outside of Africa, the South Caucasus dates back 1.8 million years, China 1.7-2.1 million years ago, and Java 1.5-1.3 million years ago.

“In Europe, several sites are found to have layers of paleomagnetic polarity reversal several metres deep, indicating that they are more than 770,000 years old.”

In the study, the authors used magnetostratigraphic dating, a method that uses the state of the Earth's magnetic field at the time the sediments were deposited, to date five paleontological localities in the Orce region of Spain.

“The technique is a relative dating method based on the study of the planet's magnetic pole reversals due to the dynamics of the Earth's interior,” they explained.

“These changes have no particular periodicity, but they are recorded in minerals and it is possible to establish periods from various magnetic events.”

“What's unique about these sites is that they are layered and sit within a very long sedimentary layer, over 80 metres long,” Dr Zibert said.

“Typically these sites are found in caves or within very short geological sequences, so it's not possible to develop long paleomagnetic sequences where you can find the different magnetic reversals.”

Global distribution of humans before 1 million years ago (orange) with major dated sites showing potential dispersal routes. The diagram shows Oldowan sites over 2 million years ago in Africa and over 1 million years ago in Eurasia (black dots). White dots indicate the earliest Acheulean sites in Africa (over 1.5 million years ago) and Eurasia (1 million to 800,000 years ago). The oldest Oldowan and Acheulean tools have been found in East Africa, over 2.5 million years ago and over 1.7 million years ago, respectively. In Asia, the oldest Oldowan and Acheulean tools have been found in the Caucasus (7) at 1.8 million years ago and in the Levantine Corridor (9) at 1.2 million years ago, respectively. In Europe, the oldest Oldowan and associated humans have been found in Spain (1, 2) and are debated to be between 1.6 and 900,000 years ago. Images/Photos Courtesy of: Gibert others., doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104855.

The oldest remains at the Orce site, which have no evidence of human activity, date to 1.6 million and 1.35 million years ago, according to the study.

The top three sites containing evidence of early humans are dated 1.32 million years ago (Venta Misena), 1.28 million years ago (Barranco Leon 5), and 1.23 million years ago (Fuente Nueva 3).

These chronologies suggest that the Strait of Gibraltar acted as a filter bridge for African species such as hominins. Theropithecus Oswaldand the early Pleistocene hippopotamus.

“This new dating adds to other evidence and supports European colonization through the Strait of Gibraltar rather than the alternative route back to the Mediterranean via Asia,” the scientists said.

“We also support the hypothesis that they arrived from Gibraltar, as no older evidence has been found elsewhere along the alternative route.”

“Our results show a dating gap between the earliest occupation of Asia, 1.8 million years ago, and the earliest occupation of Europe, 1.3 million years ago. This means that African humans arrived in southwestern Europe more than 500,000 years after they first left Africa around 2 million years ago.”

“These differences in human expansion can be explained by the fact that Europe is isolated from Asia and Africa by difficult-to-surmount biogeographical barriers both to the east (the Bosphorus, the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara) and to the west (the Strait of Gibraltar),” Dr. Zibert said.

“When humans arrived in Europe, they had the technology necessary to cross the maritime barrier, just as happened a million years ago on the Indonesian island of Flores.”

“In this sense, the Gibraltar route currently requires crossing a sea channel of up to 14 kilometres, although in the past this distance could have been shorter at certain times due to the tectonically active nature of the region and sea-level changes favourable for migration.”

“We found that African animals were migrating through Gibraltar both 6.2 million years ago and 5.5 million years ago, when the Strait of Gibraltar was very narrow.”

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Lewis Guibert othersMagnetic strata dating of Europe's oldest human remains. Geoscience ReviewPublished online July 2, 2024; doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104855

Source: www.sci.news

145 million years ago in Thailand, a distant relative of T. rex roamed the land

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A team of paleontologists from Kasetsart University, Mahasarakham University and Sirindhorn Museum have unearthed three fossilized teeth from a previously unknown non-tyrannosaurid tyrannosauroid dinosaur in northeastern Thailand.

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Late Jurassic Phu Kradung Formation, northeastern Thailand. Image courtesy of Chacharin Somboon.

“Tyrannosauroidea is a lineage of theropods, which includes some of the best-known carnivorous dinosaurs. Tyrannosaurus Rex “From the Late Cretaceous of North America.” Dr. Chacharam Ketwetulya Kasetsart University and colleagues.

“They lived primarily on the supercontinent of Laurasia from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous.”

“The oldest known species of tyrannosauroids are found in the Middle Jurassic of Europe and Asia, suggesting that this group of theropods originated within Eurasia.”

“Tyrannosauroidea ranged across Asia from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous, with most Asian tyrannosaurids found in China and Mongolia.”

The three tyrannosauroid teeth examined by the research team were discovered in the Phu Noi area of Khammuang district, Kalasin province, northeastern Thailand.

The specimen dates back to the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period, approximately 145 million years ago.

A basal tyrannosauroid tooth from the Phu Noi region of Thailand. Image courtesy of Chowchuvech others.

“The Phu Noi area is known to be one of the richest sources of Mesozoic vertebrate fossils in Southeast Asia,” the paleontologists said.

“Many species have been unearthed from the site, including freshwater sharks, ray-finned fish, lungfish, amphibians, turtles, crocodylomorphs, pterosaurs and dinosaurs.”

“Three species of dinosaurs have been identified in the Phu Noi area: a metriacanthosaurid theropod, a mamenchisaurid sauropod and a basal neoornithischian. Minimo Cursor.”

“Three of the theropod teeth from the Phu Noi area display unique dental features that distinguish them from previously discovered metriacanthosaurid theropods, including lateral teeth with twisted mesial ridges on the proximal lingual side that extend above the cervical line and interwoven enamel surface textures,” the researchers added.

“Morphological examination and systematic and morphometric analyses reveal that these isolated teeth indicate basal tyrannosauroid relationships, Five colors of the dragon and Proceratosaurus bradleyi From the Jurassic Period.”

“This discovery marks the first report of a tyrannosauroid from the Jurassic of Southeast Asia and contributes to our knowledge of the paleoecology of the lower continent.” Phu Kradung Formation“Our results shed light on the morphological and morphological distribution of tyrannosauroids during the Late Jurassic, and on the paleobiogeographic distribution of tyrannosauroids during the Late Jurassic,” the researchers concluded.

“Furthermore, this study sheds light on the possibility that future excavations and research may uncover new species of dinosaurs in Thailand.”

of study Published in the journal Tropical Natural History.

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W. Chochubek others2024. First discovery of a basal tyrannosauroid in Southeast Asia: dental evidence from the Late Jurassic of northeastern Thailand. Tropical Natural History 24（1） : 84-95

Source: www.sci.news

Namibia was home to a massive salamander-like predator 280 million years ago

Posted on July 5, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A newly described trunk tetrapod exceeding 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in length Gaiacia geniae It was probably the largest organism of its kind.

Reconstructing your life Gaiacia geniaeImage courtesy of Gabriel Lio.

Gaiacia geniae It lived in what is now Namibia during the Early Permian period, about 280 million years ago.

“Most of our ideas about the early evolution of tetrapods come from fossils found in the vast coal-producing ancient equatorial wetlands of what is now Europe and North America,” said paleontologist Claudia Marsicano of the University of Buenos Aires and her colleagues.

“but Gaiacia geniae They come from far south and live in the area of the southern supercontinent Gondwana, around 55 degrees south latitude.”

The structure of the skull and jaw Gaiacia geniae It had a powerful bite that allowed it to catch large prey.

“Gaiacia geniae “This dinosaur was significantly larger than a human and likely lived near the bottom of a swamp or lake,” said Dr Jason Pardo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Field Museum of Natural History.

“It has a big, flat, toilet seat-shaped head with an open mouth so it can suck in prey. It has huge fangs, and the whole front of its mouth is made up of giant teeth.”

“It's a large predator, but it could also be a relatively slow-moving ambush predator.”

Nearly complete skeleton Gaiacia geniae After preparation. Image courtesy of Claudia Marsicano.

At least four fossils Gaiacia geniaeRemains were found, including skull fragments and an incomplete spinal column. Gaias Layer Northwestern Namibia.

“When we found this enormous specimen lying in the outcrop as a giant concretion, we were truly shocked,” Dr Marsicano said.

“As soon as we saw it we knew it was something completely different. Everyone was so excited,” he said.

“When I examined the skull, the structure at the front of the skull caught my attention.”

“That was the only part that was clearly visible at the time, and it showed large tusks that interlocked in a very unusual way, creating a biting technique that was so typical of early tetrapods.”

“We had some really amazing material, including a complete skull, which allowed us to compare it to other animals from this period and learn what kind of animal it was and what makes it unique. We could see there's a lot that's special about this creature,” Dr Pardo added.

Gaiacia geniae They are related to the extinct family of amphibian-like animals called colosteids. Colostacea) are thought to date back even further, having been replaced by more modern amphibians and reptiles during the Late Carboniferous period, about 307 million years ago.

“There are ancient animals that survived 300 million years ago, but they were rare, small and had unique behaviours,” Dr Pardo said.

“Gaiacia geniae They are large, they are numerous, and they appear to be the primary predators in their ecosystem.”

“This shows that what was happening in the far south was very different from what was happening at the equator.”

“This is really important because we don't really know where a lot of the animal groups that showed up during this time came from.”

“What we discovered is Gaiacia geniae “This tells us that there must have been a rich ecosystem in the oceans far to the south that could support these very large predators.”

“The more we look, the more answers we may find about the major animal groups that interest us, such as the ancestors of mammals and modern reptiles.”

Team Investigation result Published in the journal Nature.

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CA Marsicano othersGiant trunk tetrapods were apex predators during the Late Palaeozoic glacial stages of Gondwana. NaturePublished online July 3, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07572-0

Source: www.sci.news

The Gaiasia geniae: Namibia’s Prehistoric Giant Salamander Predator from 280 Million Years Ago

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Reconstruction of Gaiasia geniae

Gabriel Rio

280 million years ago, the cold swamps of what is now the Namib Desert were home to giant salamander-like predators that sucked prey into their mouths and captured them with their enormous fangs.

The fossil creature was first discovered in Namibia in 2015. Researchers found a total of four incomplete specimens, which they estimate to have measured 2.5 metres in body length and a skull length of 60 centimetres, making it the largest of its kind yet found.

Claudia Marsicano Researchers from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina have now described the fossils in detail and given them species names. Gaiacia geniae Paleontologist Jennifer Kluck with later strata of the Gaius Formation in Namibia.

nevertheless G. geniae It may have resembled a dangerous, extremely over-scaled salamander, like the giant axolotl, but it wasn't a true amphibian. Rather, the animal belonged to an ancient group of tetrapods that eventually gave rise to amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

A specimen of Gaiasia geniae found in the wild

Roger M. H. Smith

Marsicano said the animal probably hunted by lying in wait, much like a crocodile, for prey to pass by.Gaiacia “It was an aquatic animal with a very elongated body that probably swam like an eel, but had very short limbs that would have made it very difficult for it to move around on land,” she says.

The discovery reshapes our understanding of the distribution of early tetrapods, most of whose fossils have been found in the Northern Hemisphere, which had a tropical climate centered on the equator 280 million years ago.

But at the time, Marsicano said, what is now Namibia would have been at a much higher latitude, around 55 degrees south. Gaiacia The fossils were discovered during the Ice Age. [at the time] Severe cold climatic conditions prevailed.”

Despite the cold, Gaiacia This suggests the area was relatively populated, with “a rich vertebrate community thriving,” Marsicano says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Grape seeds dating back 60 million years found in Colombia

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Paleobotanists have described nine new species of the Vitaceae family. Vitaceae It is based on fossil seeds from four tropical palaeoflora sites, dating back 60 to 19 million years. Rithuva Susmani This new species, discovered in Colombia, is the oldest evidence of a Vitaceae plant in the Western Hemisphere.

Rithuva Susmani From the Paleocene of Colombia. Scale bar – 1 mm. Image courtesy of Herrera et al., doi: 10.1038/s41477-024-01717-9.

Soft tissues, like those of fruit, rarely preserve as fossils, so scientists often learn more about ancient fruits through their seeds, which fossilize more easily.

The oldest known grape seed fossils were found in India and date back to 66 million years ago.

“We always think about animals, we think about dinosaurs, because they were the ones most affected, but the extinction also had a big impact on plants,” said Dr. Fabianie Herrera, a paleobotanist at the Field Museum.

“The forest has reset itself and changed its plant composition.”

Dr Herrera and his colleagues hypothesize that the extinction of the dinosaurs may have prompted changes in the forests.

“Large animals like dinosaurs are known to alter the ecosystems around them,” said Dr. Monica Carvalho, a paleobotanist at the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology.

“We think that if large dinosaurs roamed the forests, they would likely have cut down trees and maintained more open forests than we have today.”

“But with no large dinosaurs around to cut down forests, some tropical forests, including those in South America, became densely wooded, with layers of trees forming an understory and a canopy.”

“These new dense forests provided an opportunity, and the fossil record shows that around this time we start to see an increase in plants that use vines to climb trees, like grapes,” Dr Herrera said.

“The diversification of birds and mammals in the years following the extinction may also have helped spread grape seeds.”

The researchers examined fossilized grape seeds from the 60-million-year-old Bogotá Formation in Colombia, the 41-million-year-old Tonosi Formation in Panama, the 28-million-year-old Máncora Formation in western Peru, and the 19-million-year-old Cucaracha Formation, exposed at the Gaillard Cut in the Panama Canal.

They were able to identify at least nine new species of the Vitaceae family, including: Rithuva SusmaniThis provides the oldest evidence of grapes in the Western Hemisphere.

“This new species is important as it confirms the South American origin of the group that includes the common grape vine. Grapes “It evolved,” says Dr Gregory Staal, a paleobotanist at the National Museum of Natural History.

“These are the oldest grapes ever found in this region, millions of years younger than the oldest found on the other side of the world,” Dr Herrera said.

“This discovery is important because it shows that grapes really started to spread around the world after the dinosaurs went extinct.”

The new species' place in the grapevine family tree indicates that its evolutionary journey has been a checkered one.

“The fossil record shows that grapevines are very resilient plants,” Dr Herrera said.

“They are an endangered group in the Latin American region, but they have been able to adapt and survive in other parts of the world.”

“Given the mass extinctions facing the Earth today, studies like this one are valuable in revealing patterns about how biodiversity crises will unfold.”

“But the other thing I like about these fossils is that these tiny, humble seeds can tell us a lot about forest evolution.”

of study Published in the journal Natural plants.

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F. Herrera othersCenozoic Vitaceae seeds reveal a long history of extinction and dispersal in the Neotropics. Natural plantsPublished online July 1, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41477-024-01717-9

Source: www.sci.news

New research uncovers that the Great Oxidation Event persisted for a minimum of 200 million years

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

About 2.5 billion years ago, free oxygen first began to accumulate in meaningful levels in Earth's atmosphere, setting the stage for the emergence of complex life. Scientists call this phenomenon Great Oxidation EventBut a new study led by researchers at the University of Utah suggests that Earth's early buildup of oxygen wasn't as simple as that moniker suggests.

The Great Oxidation Event refers to the transition from a slowly reducing Archean atmosphere-ocean system to an oxygen-rich atmosphere and shallow ocean during the early Paleoproterozoic. Image courtesy of Hadeano.

“The new data suggest that the early rise of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere was dynamic, possibly progressing intermittently up until 2.2 billion years ago,” said Dr Chadrin Ostrander, a researcher at the University of Utah.

“Our data validate this hypothesis and go a step further by extending this dynamics to the ocean.”

By analysing stable thallium isotope ratios and redox-sensitive elements, Dr Ostrander and his colleagues found evidence of fluctuations in ocean oxygen levels that are consistent with changes in atmospheric oxygen.

The discovery helps improve understanding of the complex processes that shaped oxygen levels on Earth at key times in its history and paved the way for the evolution of life as we know it.

“We have no idea what was going on in the oceans where Earth's earliest life forms are thought to have arisen and evolved,” Dr Ostrander said.

“So knowing the oxygen content of the ocean and how it evolved over time is probably more important for early life than the atmosphere.”

In 2021, researchers discovered that oxygen wasn't permanently present in the atmosphere until about 200 million years after the global oxygenation process began — much later than previously thought.

Definitive evidence for an anoxic atmosphere is the presence of rare mass-independent sulfur isotope signatures in the sediment record prior to the Great Oxidation Event.

There are very few known processes on Earth that could produce these sulfur isotope signatures, and atmospheric oxygen would almost certainly be absent for them to be preserved in the rock record.

For the first half of Earth's existence, its atmosphere and oceans were almost devoid of oxygen. This gas was likely produced by cyanobacteria in the oceans before the Great Oxidation Event, but during this early epoch the oxygen was rapidly destroyed in reactions with exposed minerals and volcanic gases.

Scientists found that traces of rare sulfur isotopes disappeared and reappeared, suggesting that atmospheric oxygen increased and decreased multiple times during the Great Oxidation Event – it wasn't a single “event.”

“When oxygen began to be produced, the Earth was not ready to be oxygenated. The Earth needed time to evolve biologically, geologically and chemically to encourage oxygenation,” Dr Ostrander said.

“It's like a seesaw. Oxygen is produced, but there's so much oxygen destruction that nothing happens.”

“We're still trying to figure out when the scales will tip completely and Earth will no longer be able to go back to an oxygen-free atmosphere.”

To map ocean oxygen levels during the Great Oxidation Event, the authors relied on expertise in stable thallium isotopes.

Thallium isotope ratios are sensitive to the burial of manganese oxides to the seafloor, a process that requires oxygen in seawater.

The team looked at thallium isotopes in the same ocean shales, which have recently been shown to be able to track fluctuations in atmospheric oxygen during the Great Oxidation Event, along with rare sulfur isotopes.

The researchers found a significant enrichment of the lighter isotope thallium-203 in the shale, a pattern best explained by the burial of manganese oxides on the ocean floor and the buildup of oxygen in the water.

These enrichments were found in the same samples that lacked the rare sulfur isotope signature, meaning the atmosphere was no longer anoxic, and they disappeared once the rare sulfur isotope signature reappeared.

These findings were supported by redox-sensitive element enrichments, a more classical means of tracing ancient oxygen changes.

“The sulfur isotopes indicate that the atmosphere was oxygenated, and the thallium isotopes indicate that the oceans were oxygenated,” Dr Ostrander said.

“Sulfur isotopes indicate that the atmosphere has become anoxic again, and thallium isotopes indicate the same for the oceans.”

“So the atmosphere and oceans were simultaneously oxygenating and deoxygenating. This is new and exciting information for people interested in the ancient Earth.”

of Investigation result Published in the journal Nature.

_____

Ostrander Commercial othersCoupled oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans began 2.3 billion years ago. NaturePublished online June 12, 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07551-5

Source: www.sci.news

Our Solar System passed through a frigid interstellar cloud approximately 2 million years ago, new research reveals.

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A cold, dense cloud in the Milky Way’s interstellar medium is about four to five orders of magnitude denser than its diffuse counterparts, and a team of astronomers from Boston University, Harvard University, and Johns Hopkins University has found evidence that two to three million years ago, our solar system encountered one of these dense clouds, which may have been so dense that it disrupted the solar wind.

Offers othersThe interstellar material through which the Sun has traveled over the past few million years indicates the presence of cold, dense clouds that could have had dramatic effects on the heliosphere. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Most stars generate winds that move through the surrounding interstellar medium.

This motion creates a cocoon that protects the planet from interstellar material. The Sun’s cocoon is the heliosphere.

It’s made up of a constant stream of charged particles called the solar wind, which extends far beyond Pluto, enveloping the planet in what astronomers call a “local bubble.”

It protects us from radiation and galactic rays that can alter DNA, and scientists think it’s part of the reason why life on Earth evolved.

A cold interstellar cloud compressed the heliosphere, temporarily placing Earth and other planets in the solar system outside of its influence, according to a new study.

“Our paper is the first to quantitatively show that there was an encounter between the Sun and something outside our solar system that affected Earth’s climate,” said Professor Merab Auffar of Boston University.

“Stars move, and this paper shows that not only do they move, but they undergo dramatic changes.”

To study this phenomenon, Professor Orpher and his colleagues essentially went back in time and used advanced computer models to visualize where the Sun was located two million years ago, along with the heliosphere and the rest of the solar system.

They also mapped the path of a “localized cold cloud ribbon” system, a series of large, dense and very cold clouds made mainly of hydrogen atoms.

Their simulations showed that one of the clouds near the edge of the ribbon, a “local cold cloud,” may have collided with the heliosphere.

If this had happened, Earth would have been fully exposed to interstellar matter, where gases and dust would have mixed with atomic elements left over from the exploded star, such as iron and plutonium.

Normally, the heliosphere filters out most of these radioactive particles, but without protection they could easily reach Earth.

This is consistent with geological evidence showing increased levels of the isotopes iron-60 and plutonium-244 in the oceans, the moon, Antarctic snow and ice cores from the same period, according to the paper.

This timing also coincides with temperature records indicating a cold period.

“It is rare for our cosmic neighbors outside our solar system to have an impact on life on Earth,” said Harvard University professor Avi Loeb.

“It’s exciting to discover that our passage through dense clouds millions of years ago may have exposed the Earth to much greater amounts of cosmic rays and atomic hydrogen.”

“Our findings open a new window into the evolution of life on Earth and its relationship with our cosmic neighbours.”

“External pressure from localized lynxes of cold clouds could have continuously blocked the heliosphere for hundreds to millions of years, depending on the size of the cloud.”

“But as soon as Earth left the cold cloud, the heliosphere engulfed all the planets, including Earth.”

“It’s impossible to know exactly what effect the cold clouds had on the Earth, such as whether they caused ice ages.”

“But there are other cool clouds in the interstellar medium that the Sun likely encountered in its first few billion years.”

“And we’ll probably encounter many more over the next million years or so.”

The authors are currently working to determine where the Sun was 7 million years ago, and beyond.

Pinpointing the position of the Sun and cold cloud systems millions of years ago is made possible by data collected by ESA’s Gaia mission, which has produced the largest 3D map of the galaxy ever, showing in unprecedented detail how fast stars move.

“This cloud is certainly from our past, and if we passed through something this massive, we would have been exposed to interstellar material,” Prof Auffar said.

“This is just the beginning. We hope this paper opens the door to further exploration of how the solar system was influenced by outside forces in the ancient past, and how these forces may have shaped life on Earth.”

of paper Published in today’s journal Natural Astronomy.

_____

M. Offer othersIt is possible that Earth was directly exposed to cold, dense interstellar material 2 to 3 million years ago. Nat AstronPublished online June 10, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02279-8

Source: www.sci.news

Three million years ago, a cosmic cloud left Earth exposed to interstellar space

Posted on June 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Illustration of a protection bubble around the sun (yellow dot) and the earth (blue dot)

Harvard Radcliffe Institute

Two to three million years ago, the solar system encountered galactic-scale turbulence and collided with dense interstellar clouds, potentially altering both the Earth's climate and evolution.

Only recently have researchers been able to map the Sun's orbit through the Galaxy, particularly in relation to the relatively dense hydrogen clouds that pass through the interstellar medium, the vast expanse of space between star systems.

the current, Merab Offer A research team from Boston University in Massachusetts has found evidence that one of these clouds, a “local cold cloud ribbon” in Lynx, likely intersects with the Sun's heliosphere.

The heliosphere is a protective cocoon or bubble formed by the solar wind pushing out to the edge of the solar system. Within the heliosphere, the planet is protected from the worst gamma radiation in the galaxy.

The new study proposes that as the solar system passed through the interstellar cloud, the heliosphere retreated from it and moved inward toward the Sun. The researchers think that the heliosphere may have shrunk so much that Earth was outside the protective cocoon provided by the solar wind, perhaps for around 10,000 years.

Merab and his colleagues used the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite to map the location of the dense, cold clouds and the sun's past orbit.

Ofer says the heliosphere's encounter with the cold cloud coincides with deposits of the elements plutonium-244 and radioactive iron-60 in Antarctic ice, deep-sea cores and lunar samples. These elements, which originated from distant supernovae, would have been captured in interstellar clouds and deposited while Earth was outside the heliosphere.

“There are signs of an increase in these elements over the past two years. [million] “The solar cloud record going back 3 million years provides compelling evidence that the Sun did in fact pass through it around 2 million years ago,” Offer says. “The exposure of Earth to a cloud of cold interstellar material and the associated increase in atmospheric hydrogen and radiation almost certainly had a major impact on Earth and its climate.”

Sarah Spitzer The University of Michigan researcher says the paper provides “compelling” evidence that the heliosphere was exposed to a much denser interstellar cloud two to three million years ago. As the solar system passed through that dense, cold cloud, Earth would have been outside the heliosphere and directly exposed to the interstellar environment, she says.

“Understanding this can teach us about the impact interstellar material has had on life on Earth in the past,” Spitzer says, “but it also helps us better understand the impact the heliosphere has on life on Earth today, what would happen if Earth were exposed to interstellar material again in the future, and when that might happen.”

Evan Economo Researchers from Japan's Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology say it's intriguing to consider how encounters in “our nearby space” could have influenced the environment experienced by life on Earth.

“The heliosphere is part of the extended environment experienced by life on the Earth's surface, influencing climate and radiation from space,” he says. “If we had been outside the heliosphere for a period of time, it could have altered the evolutionary trajectory of a wide range of life, including humans. Such connections are highly speculative at this point, but they provide us with new research directions.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Dogeverse, a new meme coin ICO, raises $6 million following completion of Coinsult audit

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

London, UK, April 17, 2024, Chainwire

New multi-chain meme coin, dogeverseraised $6 million in pre-sale and recently passed smart contract audit.

The new meme coin leverages bridge technology to make tokens available across the most prominent on-chain markets.

Multi-chain approach enables broad accessibility

Dogeverse’s approach to multi-chain availability means that tokens are available across major smart contract-enabled blockchains.

The work is starting with Ethereum, BSC, and Polygon, and will soon be coming to Solana, Base, and Avalanche.

This approach makes Dogeverse more versatile and allows Dogeverse to maintain itself even as users migrate from one of the supported chains to another.

Multichain functionality connects different blockchain communities under one meme coin banner.

Dogeverse raises $6 million as meme coin saga continues

The meme coin market has recently dominated the crypto industry, with a total valuation of over $45 billion.

The presale includes a staking mechanism that generates Dogeverse tokens, and this mechanism works so that the yield decreases as the staking pool grows.

Blockchain security company Coinsult implements smart contracts audit About the new pre-sale meme coin.

According to the findings, Dogeverse has no high- or medium-risk smart contract issues and only one low-risk bug. However, Coinsult points out that the Dogeverse team has acknowledged the issue.

Data shows that Dogeverse is receiving engagement and growth on social media. Within last week, dogeverse x account has over 4K followers, dogeverse telegram The number of accounts has exceeded 2,000.

The project has also been covered by media and market analysts such as ClayBro. to support It is a “multi-chain utility”.

On the other hand, cryptogain was praised It launched the project and notified investors that the exchange's launch would take place soon.

About Dogeverse

Dogeverse is a new meme coin launching on six major smart contract-enabled blockchains. A pre-sale is currently underway that introduces a staking mechanism, encouraging users to lock up their tokens for passive rewards.

Dogeverse presales began in April 2024 at thedogeverse.com with a hard cap of $17 million. It has raised $6 million so far. The project's smart contract was recently audited by Coinsult.

Market participants can access Dogeverse pre-sales here.

contact

dogeverse
contact@dogeverse.io

Source: www.the-blockchain.com

New Sponsor Boosts Sui Overflow Hackathon Funding Pool to $1 Million: Blockchain News, Opinion, TV, Jobs

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, April 22, 2024, Chainwire

Alibaba Cloud, AngelHack and dWallet are among the latest supporters of the global event.

Sui Layer 1 blockchain offering industry-leading performance and infinite horizontal scaling funds Sui Overflow, the first-ever global virtual hackathon focused on creating exciting products on Sui. Our offering has doubled in recent weeks thanks to donations from our loyal supporters.

Originally set at $500,000, Sui Overflow’s funding pool grew to $1,000,000 after a surge of support from outside backers. With the help of a huge reward pool, builders from all over the world come together to build projects on the Sui network and demo them in front of judges. Categories eligible for prizes include Consumer & Mobile, Infrastructure & Tools, Gaming, DeFi, and more. Developers are also encouraged to take advantage of specific technologies in the Sui ecosystem, such as zkLogin, advanced movement capabilities, randomness, and multi-chain capabilities.

Sam Blackshear, co-founder/CTO of Mysten Labs and creator of the Move smart contract language said: , Kiosks, DeepBook, and native randomness. Some of Sui’s top projects have come from previous local hackathons, so we’re really looking forward to seeing what our first global hackathon will produce.

Previous Sui-sponsored hackathons have been fertile ground for projects that started as hackathon participants to grow into sustainable businesses on the network. Scallop was launched in June 2023 at Sui’s Soul Builder House with a small team of developers who won the first place in the event. Currently, Scallop has over $117 million in its TVL and is one of the better DeFi protocols in Sui. Navi Protocol is also one of Sui’s “Hackathon Heroes”. A month after Scallop, the Navi team emerged and won the gold medal in the DeFi and Payments category of the Sui X KuCoin hackathon. Navi currently has over $130 million in TVL and is another major DeFi protocol in Sui.

In addition to the support of title sponsor dWallet Labs, the hackathon is sponsored by Elixir Capital, Alibaba Cloud, Comma3 Ventures, MoveBit, Scallop, GSR, Supra, Wormhole, AngelHack, Pyth, Ryze Labs, and ZettaBlock. The prizes awarded in each category at the Sui hackathon are as follows: First place will receive $30,000, second place will receive $15,000, and second place will receive $7,500. Ten $2,500 University Prizes and ten $2,500 Community Favorite Prizes will also be awarded during the hackathon. Additionally, contestants are not limited to a single category. Individual teams can participate in multiple tracks simultaneously, with prize pools exceeding $100,000. Additionally, many projects in the Sui ecosystem offer unique incentives, adding even more ways for great projects and great teams to benefit.

With funding doubling to $1 million, Sui Overflow participants will receive Sui Foundation acceleration grants after the hackathon, along with benefits such as audits and credits to support the successful launch of their projects. be eligible to receive it.

“Homegrown projects born out of developer meetups and hackathons like Sui Overflow are a critical part of the lifeblood that will sustain the Sui ecosystem into the future,” said Greg Siurounis, Managing Director of the Sui Foundation. “Overflow’s impact has been greatly strengthened by the overwhelming support from the Sui community, which has allowed us to expand our reward potential beyond our planned trajectory and provide prudent funding, audit credits, and, we were able to benefit the most promising projects with selected acceleration grants.”

“Sui Overflow is more than just an event. It is the launching pad for our brightest future blockchain innovators,” said Omer Sadika, co-founder of dWallet Network. “We are very proud to work with all the partners involved and look forward to seeing the results from this hackathon.”

Users can apply and developers can register Sui overflow portal Find all the more detailed information. We encourage everyone to join for regular updates. Discord server overflow.

Registration period: April 21st to May 31st

virtual demo day: June 15th.

Announcement of winners: Late June 2024

contact

Sui Foundation
media@sui.io

Source: www.the-blockchain.com

Lung Association finds that 131 million Americans live in areas with unhealthy pollution levels

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Nearly 40% of Americans live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution, and the U.S. is set to regress in air-cleaning progress as the effects of climate change intensify, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. It’s coming. The group’s report, its 25th annual analysis of the nation’s “state of the air,” estimates that between 2020 and 2022, 131 million people will live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution. It turned out that it was. This number is an increase of nearly 12 million people from the previous survey a year ago. The report also found that people in the United States are experiencing the most “very unhealthy” or “hazardous” air quality day in the study’s history. Katherine Pruitt, national senior director of clean air policy at the American Lung Association, said the process has been in place for decades through the Clean Air Act, a federal law passed in 1963 to regulate air pollution and set air quality standards. He said that the cleanup efforts that have been made are gradually being undermined by climate change.

“Climate change, including heat, drought and especially wildfires, is starting to undo some of the progress we’ve made,” Pruitt said. “It’s sad to know that so many people live with air quality that threatens their health.” Wildfires are a rapidly growing source of pollution that policymakers are struggling to address. Climate scientists predict that wildfire smoke will increase in the future as greenhouse gas emissions raise temperatures. The Lung Association’s analysis reached the same conclusion as a peer-reviewed study published last year in Nature. The study’s author, Marshall Burke, suggested that wildfire smoke has undone about 25% of the Clean Air Act’s progress.

“If you take a step back and think about what the root cause is, it’s the burning of fossil fuels,” says Dr. Lisa Patel, a pediatrician and clinical associate professor at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. “We don’t have to be in this situation. We have the technology and the federal investment to harness renewable energy. What we need now is the political will.”

Each year, the “State of the Air” report analyzes air quality data from the past three years. This analysis focuses on ozone exposure and short-term and annual exposure to particulate pollution. The report issues a rating for each measure and summarizes the number of areas that passed or failed for each rating. According to the report, nearly 44 million people currently live in areas that do not meet all three criteria.Small particles are a serious concern because they can enter a person’s lungs, circulate in the bloodstream, and affect other organs. Although these particles are only a fraction of the size of a human hair, they have been shown to increase the risk of asthma, lung cancer, chronic lung disease, premature birth, and miscarriage. Patel, who is also executive director of the Medical Societies Consortium on Climate and Health, has noticed an increase in preterm births during wildfire seasons and is educating parents about how heat and smoke are risk factors during pregnancy. He said he has started giving advice.

“After several weeks of poor air quality, more people will become pregnant and give birth before 37 weeks,” Patel said, adding that parents may wonder whether their actions led to premature birth. He added that he often thinks about this. “When people ask me about the risk of premature birth, I say climate change. Heat and wildfires are both risk factors. They are not within your control.” Additionally, Patel said she has noticed that when wildfire smoke incidents occur in California, patients at her pediatric clinic often complain of nasal infections, eye irritation, and asthma exacerbations, among other ailments. Pruitt said concerns about particle pollution used to be concentrated in the industrial Midwest and Northeast. But in this report, for the first time, all 25 cities with the highest daily particle pollution are in the West. Most were in California.

“Early in our history, we had a lot of particulate pollution coming from coal-fired power plants, transportation sources, and industrial processes,” Pruitt said. “Particle pollution problems in the eastern United States are less severe because the Clean Air Act has cleaned up these sources. But Western countries, of course, have similar access to regulation and cleanup; We are also affected by climate change and wildfires.” Daniel Mendoza, an assistant professor of atmospheric science at the University of Utah, said many communities in Western states are dealing with acute, short-term pollution episodes rather than long-term chronic exposure. Scientists are still trying to figure out how much damage wildfire outbreaks cause compared to long-term exposure from industrial sources. “Not all bad air pollution is created equal,” Mendoza said. Pollution from traffic and industrial sources could continue to decline if the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed stricter standards could be implemented.

Last year, the EPA proposed a rule that would require nearly all coal and large gas plants in the country to reduce or capture about 90% of their carbon emissions by 2038. In March this year, the agency introduced stricter rules to reduce tailpipe emissions from passenger cars. Another EPA policy aimed at curbing nitrogen oxide pollution that spreads across states was challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2022, the Supreme Court limited the government’s ability to use the Clean Air Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There is one bright spot in this report. That means ozone pollution continues to improve dramatically. Compared to last year, about 2.4 million fewer people live in areas with unhealthy ozone pollution. Since this analysis was completed, wildfire smoke has gotten even worse.

Americans in 2023 inhaled more wildfire smoke than in any other year on record, Stanford University researchers found last year.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

New Sponsor Boosts Sui Overflow Hackathon Funding Pool to $1 Million – Blockchain News, Opinion, TV, Jobs

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, April 22, 2024, Chainwire

Alibaba Cloud, AngelHack and dWallet are among the latest supporters of the global event.

SuiLayer 1 blockchain that delivers industry-leading performance and infinite horizontal scaling funds Sui Overflow, the first-ever global virtual hackathon focused on creating exciting products on Sui Our offering has doubled in recent weeks thanks to donations from our loyal supporters.

Originally set at $500,000, Sui Overflow's funding pool grew to $1,000,000 after a surge of support from outside backers. With the help of a huge reward pool, builders from all over the world come together to build projects on the Sui network and demo them in front of judges. Categories eligible for prizes include Consumer & Mobile, Infrastructure & Tools, Gaming, DeFi, and more. Developers are also encouraged to take advantage of specific technologies in the Sui ecosystem, such as zkLogin, advanced movement capabilities, randomness, and multi-chain capabilities.

Sam Blackshear, co-founder/CTO of Mysten Labs and creator of the Move smart contract language said: , Kiosks, DeepBook, and Native Randomness. Some of Sui's top projects have come from previous local hackathons, so we're really looking forward to seeing what our first global hackathon will produce. ”

Previous Sui-sponsored hackathons have been fertile ground for projects that started as hackathon participants to grow into sustainable businesses on the network. Scallop was launched in June 2023 at Sui's Soul Builder House with a…sumers are not limited to a single category. Individual teams can participate in multiple tracks simultaneously, with prize pools exceeding $100,000. Additionally, many projects in the Sui ecosystem offer unique incentives, adding even more ways for great projects and great teams to benefit.

“Homegrown projects born out of developer meetups and hackathons like Sui Overflow are a critical part of the lifeblood that will sustain the Su…ns, we were able to benefit the most promising projects with selected acceleration grants.”

“Sui Overflow is more than just an event. It is the launching pad for our brightest future blockchain innovators,” said Omer Sadika, co-founder of dWallet Network. “We are excited and honored to work with all partners involved and look forward to the results from this hackathon.”

Users can apply and developers can register Sui overflow portal Find all the details. We encourage everyone to join for regular updates. Discord server overflow.

Registration period:April 21st to May 31st

virtual demo day: June 15th.

Announcement of winners: Late June 2024

contact

Sui Foundation
media@sui.io

Source: the-blockchain.com

France imposes a 250 million euro fine on Google for breaching intellectual property agreements

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

French regulators have fined Google €250m (£213m) for breaching agreements with media companies regarding online content reproduction.

The competition watchdog in France announced the fine on Wednesday, citing violations related to intellectual property rules concerning news media publishers. Regulators also raised concerns about Google’s AI services.

According to authorities, Google’s AI-powered chatbot Bird (now called Gemini) trained on content from publishers and news agencies without their knowledge. This action led to the fine.

The watchdog stated that the fine was for failing to fulfill commitments made to Google in 2022, accusing Google of not negotiating in good faith with news publishers for compensation for using their content.

As part of the settlement process, Google has agreed not to dispute the facts and is proposing corrective measures to address the shortcomings highlighted by the authorities.

The EU created “neighboring rights” copyright to enable print media to claim compensation for their content usage. France has been at the forefront of this issue, enacting laws to protect publishing rights against tech giants that monetize news content without sharing revenue.

The recent fine is a result of a copyright dispute in France over online content, initiated by complaints from leading news organizations and the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) in 2019.

Google’s AI chatbot Bird was criticized for using content from media outlets without permission, impacting fair negotiations between publishers and Google.

Amid efforts to protect content scraping by AI services without consent, Google has faced fines for not adhering to commitments and fair negotiation practices with publishers.

Google responded by highlighting its agreements with over 280 French news publishers under the European Copyright Directive. The company stated its commitment to constructive cooperation with publishers to connect people with quality content sustainably.

The statement emphasized the need for collaborative efforts with publishers but also expressed challenges in navigating regulatory changes. Despite the fine, Google aims to move forward positively in the content ecosystem.

Source: www.theguardian.com

New AI Trading Bot Makes History, Raises $1 Million in ICO – Latest Stories on Blockchain, Opinions, TV, Job Listings

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

London, UK, March 18, 2024, Chainwire

Bitbot’s presale went well, raising over $1 million in less than eight weeks. This is driven by the growing interest in AI and trading technology, which is drawing attention to this innovative new approach to trading.

Remote Blockchain Education – Blockchain Partners

Bitbot seeks to dominate the emerging Telegram trading bot market that is already in the market Well over $1 billion market capitalization, even though it was founded less than a year ago. With its first-of-its-kind non-custodial trading capabilities, BitBot finally allows crypto traders to set up and automate their trades. without it You have to give up your private key.and without it Must Abandon funds before the trade is executed.

The $1 million raised comes with the expansion of Bitbot’s social media presence.This project has brought together a community of 110k on X over- 20k on telegram In just 8 weeks.

Bitbot (BITBOT) is Official site.

Over $6.5 billion in profits within 90 days

In 2024 alone, the cumulative trading volume of the Telegram trading bot market will be $5.2 billion to over $12 billion, mark important milestones. But the numbers are even more impressive when you consider the troubles the Telegram trading bot space is recovering from.

In 2023, three prominent cyber threats affected the reputation of the sector. Major companies Unibot and Meastro were hacked. $560,000 and $485,000 Banana Gun lost over 90% of its token value within hours of launch due to several issues.

Despite these setbacks, Banana Gun currently boasts a market cap of $86 million with a return of +230% from its launch price, while Unibot's market cap is $30 million and its Unibot token has gained +70% from its launch price. achieved profits. These numbers show that the Telegram trading bot market is still very active.

What's more, Bitbot's non-custodial security approach and anti-lag technology are tactics that directly mitigate the security issues befalling its competitors. Bitbot's team believes this will give his Bitbot the differentiator it needs to take market share from incumbents and potential customers who may have previously avoided the Telegram trading bot space.

it gives bitbot A particularly strong hand if the BITBOT token enters the public market.

Bitbot is ready to tackle the recent AI surge

It's been about a year since ChatGPT's grand opening in 2023, and AI and AI cryptography are very trendy. The size of the AI crypto market is Cleared $40 billion this year10% of the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization belong to the AI sector.

As the bull market develops and AI becomes a target Market capitalization is $1 trillionBitbot is in a strategic position to advance these two developments simultaneously.

Bitbot's Gem Scanner tool leverages artificial intelligence to scan hundreds of active presales for the most promising projects. Similarly, Bitbot's Snipe the Trade feature gives users the opportunity to invest in undervalued projects, carefully researching the market and buying projects before potential pumps emerge. Everything is on autopilot.

The team recommends that enthusiasts looking at possible projects to support should start by focusing on areas where they have already been successful (AI), and then extend the potential of that area to BitBot Trading and Security. I hope it will be integrated with the functionality.

Bitbot’s price is currently $0.0122, with 63.9% of the programmed presale profits remaining in the token by the time it closes at a price of $0.0200. Comparing this number to the aforementioned Banana Gun and Unibot returns (230% and 70%), Bitbot significantly outperforms the market given its open market potential and superior security technology. The possibilities are huge.

Bitbot (BITBOT) is Official site.

About Bitbot

Bitbot is a new Telegram trading bot that aims to put institutional trading tools into the hands of retail users, allowing them to trade using a variety of advanced features, including sniping and copy trading.

Audited by Solid Proof, Bitbot focuses on security and lives by the motto “Your Keys, Your Wallet, Your Assets.” To achieve this objective, the project partnered with Knightsafe to deliver the world's first non-custodial Telegram trading bot to reduce counterparty risk, and enhanced it with anti-MEV and anti-lag technology.

For more information, users can visit: Website.

Official website | white paper | social

contact

bitbot press room
bitbot
pr@bitbot.com

Remote Blockchain Education – Blockchain Partners

Source: the-blockchain.com

Ex-Twitter executive files lawsuit against Elon Musk seeking $128 million in unpaid severance package

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Elon Musk is currently facing a $128 million lawsuit from four former Twitter executives for allegedly not paying them severance packages after acquiring the social network. The lawsuit, filed in California on Monday, follows a previous legal complaint from rank-and-file employees seeking $500 million in unpaid severance pay.

According to the complaint, “Mr. Musk decided not to provide severance packages to the plaintiffs, so he terminated them without valid cause, invented a false cause, and enlisted employees from various companies to support his decision.”

The four individuals in the lawsuit are former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, former CFO Ned Segal, former general counsel Sean Ejit, and former CLO Vijaya Segal, as well as Mr. Gadde. Following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, he conducted a mass layoff, claiming at the time that these executives were terminated for cause and therefore not entitled to severance pay.

The lawsuit states, “The ’cause’ was not ‘a business decision approved by the board of directors that Mr. Musk disagrees with.’ In the termination letter, he accused each plaintiff of ‘gross negligence’ and ‘willful misconduct’ without providing any evidence to support this allegation.” Neither Mr. Musk nor Mr. No has commented publicly on the matter, and Alex Spiro, a lawyer who often represents Mr. Musk, has not responded to requests for comment.

This lawsuit is one of several linked to Musk’s involuntary takeover of Twitter and subsequent operation of the platform, now named X. Furthermore, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint earlier this year, alleging that Musk’s SpaceX unlawfully terminated eight employees after they criticized his leadership.

After assuming control of the company, Musk disclosed that he laid off approximately 80% of Twitter’s staff during an interview with the BBC last year. Since Musk’s acquisition, the platform has encountered numerous challenges, including a decrease in advertising revenue and a rise in hate speech as content moderation efforts were scaled back. Although Musk initially attempted to withdraw from the deal, Twitter sued to enforce its completion.

Musk attributed the decline in ad revenue to anti-hate watchdog groups that released a report detailing racist and extremist content on the platform. He is currently engaged in ongoing legal battles against two of these organizations, Media Matters and the Center for Countering Digital Hate. A California judge is expected to make a decision this week on whether to dismiss the lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Google and XPRIZE collaboratively introduce $5 million reward to identify practical uses for quantum computers

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Can quantum computers help?

Eric Lucero/Google

Google and XPRIZE are launching a $5 million competition to create a quantum computer that could actually benefit society. It’s already known that quantum computers can perform certain tasks faster than classical computers, ever since Google first claimed the quantum benefits of its Sycamore processor in 2019. However, these demonstration tasks are simple benchmarks and have no real-world applications.

“There are a lot of fairly abstract mathematical problems for which quantum computers can prove to provide very significant speedups,” he says. Ryan Babush Google. “However, much of the research community is less focused on adapting more abstract quantum acceleration to concrete real-world applications, or on trying to figure out how quantum computers can be used. I didn’t.”

To this end, Google and the XPRIZE Foundation are inviting researchers to come up with new quantum algorithms as part of a three-year competition. The winning algorithm could potentially solve an existing problem, such as finding a new battery electrolyte that significantly increases storage capacity, but it doesn’t have to actually solve the problem, Babush said. Instead, researchers only need to demonstrate how the algorithm is applied and detail the exact specifications of the quantum computing required. Alternatively, competitors could demonstrate how existing quantum algorithms can be applied to real-world problems that have not been considered before.

The award examines how big an impact an entrant’s algorithm can have, whether it tackles problems similar to those outlined in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and how well it can be done on available machines. They will be judged on a variety of criteria, including feasibility. Now or in the near future.

The $5 million prize pool consists of a $3 million grand prize to be split between up to three winners, $1 million to five runners-up, and $50,000 each to the 20 semi-finalists. .

The award could help shift the focus of quantum computing researchers from technical definitions of quantum benefits, such as those demonstrated by Google and IBM, to real-world applications, it said. Nicholas Quesada At the Polytechnic University of Montreal, Canada. “[The prize is] “We realized clearly that this is a very important issue,” Quesada said. “We need to think about what we’re going to do with quantum computers.”

But finding socially beneficial quantum algorithms requires a deeper understanding of how quantum computers work, including how they deal with noise and errors, he said. bill fefferman at the University of Chicago. The award does not address this fundamental aspect of building quantum computers, he says.

“I’m generally very optimistic that we’ll find an algorithm that’s really useful,” Pfefferman says. “I’m not very optimistic that within the next three years we’ll be able to discover those algorithms and implement them on the current hardware that’s going to exist.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Severe Water Shortages Plague Mexico City’s 21 Million Residents

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The ancient relationship between Mexico City and water dates back to the city’s origins. Situated on a former lakebed that was drained after the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, the city now relies on underground aquifers and a network of canals, dams, and reservoirs from the Kutsamara water system for its main water supply.

Approximately 70% of the city’s water comes from underground sources, with the remaining 30% supplied by the Cuzamara system to the Mexico City metropolitan area and the Toluca Valley. However, increasing urbanization and overuse of aquifers have led to land subsidence, causing the city to sink at a rate of about 20 inches per year since 1950 due to continued groundwater extraction.

Despite efforts to repair and upgrade aging infrastructure, Mexico City’s water system struggles to keep pace with the demands of a rapidly growing population. Climate change further exacerbates the water crisis, with persistent drought and rising temperatures leading to decreased precipitation and limited water replenishment for aquifers and dams.

This water scarcity crisis has sparked protests and unrest among residents, with many areas facing severe water shortages. Efforts to conserve water and prioritize its usage have been urged by local authorities, as communities like Iztapalapa struggle to cope with limited water access.

For residents like Hernández Villa, conserving water has become a daily challenge, with measures like reducing laundry frequency and bathing in containers to stretch their limited water supply. The urgent need for sustainable water management and infrastructure upgrades is evident, as Mexico City grapples with a worsening water crisis.

Dennis Chou reported from New York City and Alvinson Linares from Mexico City.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Green Bitcoin presale reaches $1 million while Bitcoin hits near all-time high – Blockchain News, Opinion, TV, Jobs

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

London, UK, February 29, 2024, Chainwire

Environmentally friendly virtual currency project green bitcoin More than $1 million was raised during the limited-time presale phase.

With an innovative gamified staking model and energy-efficient foundation, Green Bitcoin offers token holders a way to stake their tokens and generate revenue.

Gamified staking model offers a unique way to earn money

Green Bitcoin’s gamified staking model has a unique twist that allows token holders to attempt to predict Bitcoin’s daily price movements, and if successful, they receive a reward based on their accuracy and staking size. You can earn different rewards.

This system resets daily, ensuring continuous engagement.

Unlike common staking protocols with fixed yields, Green Bitcoin’s model offers dynamic yields.

As outlined in green bitcoin white paper the project has allocated over 27% of its total token supply to staking rewards, ensuring a huge amount of incentives for accurate BTC price prediction.

This pool of funds will be distributed over two years.

Green Bitcoin raises over $1 million as crypto market rapidly grows

Based on the revival of the cryptocurrency market, green bitcoin presale has crossed the $1 million mark and is offering discounted tokens to potential investors.

Unlike typical pre-sale setups, the team at Green Bitcoin encourages long-term holding by allowing users to immediately stake their purchased tokens.

Coinsult, a reputable blockchain security company, audited Token smart contract.

According to the company, there is growing interest in the project on Green Bitcoin’s social channels. of the project telegram groups I have seen growth over the past week. green bitcoin twitter account The number of followers has increased to 3,400.

Green Bitcoin is also featured in YouTube videos named: crypto boy praised its “Predict-to-Earn” model.

About Green Bitcoin

Green Bitcoin is a new crypto project on the Ethereum chain that offers a greener and more sustainable alternative to Bitcoin, as well as innovative “earn predictions” including staking rewards and weekly challenges for holders provide the element.

The Green Bitcoin Project was launched in late 2023 with a pre-sale hard cap goal of $7 million and has raised over $1 million to date. Smart contracts are audited by Coinsult.

Users can access Green Bitcoin Presale here

Green Bitcoin is the source of this content. This press release is for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute investment advice or investment recommendations.

contact

green bitcoin
contact@greenbitcoin.xyz

Source: the-blockchain.com

Ex-Crypto Director Restricted from Australia Following Collapse of Blockchain Global and Debt of $58 Million

Posted on February 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A former director of Blockchain Global, an Australian cryptocurrency company that went bankrupt and owed creditors $58 million, has been banned from leaving the country.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission secured an interim travel ban in the Federal Court on February 20, claiming director Liang “Alan” Guo was a flight risk.

Mr. Guo, a Chinese national, was ordered to hand over his passport to the court.

The hearing was held in Guo’s absence, so he did not have an opportunity to respond immediately to the verdict.

Mr Guo, along with fellow directors Sam Lee and Ryan Hsu, were referred to ASIC by the liquidator for alleged breaches of company law. ASIC is investigating the allegations.

Mr Lee and Mr Xu were also involved in a cryptocurrency investment scheme known as HyperVerse, which was the subject of a Guardian Australia investigation and which defrauded investors around the world of US$1.89 billion. It is said that Guo is not believed to be involved in the HyperVerse project.

Mr Lee, who currently lives in Dubai, is facing charges in the US for his involvement in the Hyperverse scheme, which the US Securities and Exchange Commission has described as a “pyramid scheme and pyramid scheme”. He has not responded to the charges.

In a Federal Court judgment released on Wednesday, Mr Justice Button said the charges against Mr Guo were “very serious” and agreed to ban him from leaving Australia until August 20.

These included allegations of transferring investor funds for personal gain.

“ASIC also revealed that while Mr. Guo was a director, he transferred $2.6 million from the bank account where investor funds were held, with some of the money being applied to his personal mortgage account and personal bank account. “It was also pointed out,” the judgment said.

“ASIC also revealed that Mr. Guo held 23.11 Bitcoins, said to be worth approximately $1.8 million, owned by Blockchain Global and transferred them to a virtual currency wallet controlled by Mr. Guo on December 8, 2019. He also mentioned that he had done so.”

ASIC said Mr Guo was “the only person left in Australia closely involved in Blockchain Global’s operations” given that Blockchain Global’s other directors left Australia shortly after the bankruptcy. He claimed that there was.

“ASIC anticipates that the interviews and interrogations of Mr. Guo will be critical to the progress of the investigation, and as a result, we anticipate that brief evidence may be forwarded to the Director of Federal Public Prosecutions.'' the judgment stated.

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According to the ruling, ASIC expects it will take 12 months to investigate and submit a summary of the evidence to the DPP.

Among his reasons, Mr Button commented on apparent delays in the investigation into ASIC, which was launched on January 16 following Guardian Australia’s investigation into HyperVerse.

“It is not clear why an investigation was initiated when Blockchain Global failed. Nevertheless, the investigation, although in its early stages, is progressing steadily.”

ASIC said in a statement that it applied for the travel restriction order “out of concern that Mr. Guo may leave the country while the investigation continues.”

“As the hearing took place in Mr. Guo’s absence, Mr. Guo has not yet had the opportunity to respond to ASIC’s application or the basis on which ASIC asserts that the order is necessary.”

Mr Guo has so far not responded to Guardian Australia’s questions about the allegations against him in the liquidator’s report submitted to ASIC.

He has been asked to comment on the travel ban.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Study finds that butterfly and moth genomes have remained remarkably stable over 250 million years of evolution

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

This stability exists despite the incredible diversity in wing patterns, sizes, and caterpillar morphology across more than 160,000 species worldwide today, according to one study. new paper It was published in the magazine natural ecology and evolution.

lissandra belargas. Image credit: Eric Silvestre.

Butterflies and moths (in order) Lepidoptera) make up 10% of all described animal species and are extremely important pollinators and herbivores in many ecosystems.

In a new study, Professor Mark Blaxter and colleagues from the Wellcome Sanger Institute set out to understand the processes driving the evolution of chromosomes in this highly diverse group.

They analyzed and compared more than 200 high-quality chromosome-level genomes of butterflies and moths.

They identified 32 ancestral chromosomal components; Merian element Thanks to the work of pioneering 17th century entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian, most butterfly and moth species have remained intact since their last common ancestor more than 250 million years ago.

With the exception of a single ancient fusion event between two chromosomes that led to the 31 chromosomes found in most species today, the chromosomes of most modern species correspond directly to these ancestral Merian elements.

Researchers discovered that not only are chromosomes incredibly stable, but the order of genes within them is also stable.

They discovered several species with small changes, mainly involving the fusion of small autosomes and sex chromosomes. This highlights the role of chromosome length as a driver of evolutionary change.

However, scientists believe that the blue butterfly (lissandra) and the group containing cabbage butterflies (Pieris) ignored these genomic structure constraints.

These groups underwent large-scale chromosomal reshuffling, including large-scale chromosome reshuffling through chromosome breakage and fission and fusion.

This study improves our understanding of the factors that lead to genetic diversity in these insects. This will guide efforts to protect and conserve specific species facing unique challenges and environmental changes related to climate change.

“The chromosomes of most butterflies and moths living today can be directly traced back to 32 ancestral Merian elements that existed 250 million years ago,” said Dr. Charlotte Wright, researcher at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. said.

“It is surprising that even though the species has diversified extensively, its chromosomes have remained surprisingly intact.”

“This calls into question the idea that stable chromosomes may limit species diversification. Indeed, this feature may be the basis for building diversity. We We hope to find clues about rare groups that have circumvented these rules.”

“Studies like this that allow us to delve into these evolutionary processes are only possible through efforts like the Darwin Tree of Life Project, which generate high-quality, publicly available genome assemblies,” Blaxter said. the professor said.

“We are stepping up these efforts with Project Psyche, where we aim to sequence all 11,000 butterfly and moth species in Europe in collaboration with collaborators across the continent.”

“As important pollinators, herbivores, and food sources in a variety of ecosystems, and as powerful indicators of ecosystem health, a deeper understanding of the biology of butterflies and moths through Project Psyche will This will be useful for future research on adaptation and speciation for biodiversity conservation.”

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CJ light other. Comparative genomics reveals the dynamics of chromosome evolution in Lepidoptera. Nat Ecole Evol, published online on February 21, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02329-4

Source: www.sci.news

Tyler Perry Scraps $800 Million Studio Expansion Due to Artificial Intelligence (AI) Impact

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Tyler Perry has put an $800m (£630m) expansion of his Atlanta studio complex on hold after the release of OpenAI’s video generator Sora, citing concerns that “many jobs” in the film industry could be replaced by artificial intelligence.

The American film and television mogul had planned to add 12 soundstages to his studio, but he indefinitely paused those plans after witnessing a demonstration of Sora and its “shocking” capabilities. He stated that the expansion had been canceled.

“Due to what Sora and I are seeing, all of that is currently and indefinitely on hold,” Perry said in a statement in an interview with Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve been hearing about this for about a year now, but I didn’t know until I saw a demonstration of how it would work recently. It’s mind-blowing to me.”

The AI tool, Sora, was launched on February 15 and caused widespread concern with its ability to create one minute of realistic footage from a simple text prompt.

Perry, known for films such as the Madea series, mentioned that Sora’s capabilities eliminate the need for real-world locations or physical sets. He described it as a shocking development.

A demo published by OpenAI showcases Sora’s ability to generate photorealistic scenes in response to text prompts, including a “beautiful snowy Tokyo city, with gorgeous cherry blossom petals flying in the wind along with snowflakes.”

Tweet content with link to video demonstration.

Perry expressed concerns about the potential job impact across the film industry, including actors, editors, sound specialists, and transport crews.

He stated, “I’m very concerned that there will be a lot of job losses in the near future. I really, really feel that.”

Perry mentioned a direct example of construction crews and contractors refusing to work on a planned studio expansion due to the belief that it was unnecessary. He also noted that he had used AI in two recent films to age his face and avoid lengthy makeup sessions.

Concerns about the impact of AI on jobs have been a focal point of recent Hollywood strikes, and peace agreements that ended these conflicts include provisions against the use of the technology.

However, Perry emphasized the need for a “whole-of-industry” approach to protect jobs, stating, “I think everyone needs to be involved.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

The EU to Receive €500 Million from Apple: Understanding the Impact on Technology

Posted on February 20, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

a
The following week, there was another clash between Apple and European regulators. According to the Financial Times, the company could face a huge fine for alleged anti-competitive conduct in its music streaming business. from that story:

The fine, estimated at around 500 million euros, is expected to be announced early next month and will be exclusive to the European Commission, which is investigating whether Apple used its own platform to favor its own services over those of competitors. This will be the culmination of research into prohibition laws.

The investigation is looking into whether Apple blocked apps from informing iPhone users of cheaper alternatives to access music subscriptions outside the App Store.

The process dates back to a complaint filed by Spotify in 2019. From what we said at the time:

Apple’s app the Store is a key distribution platform for Spotify. However, Apple receives a 30% commission on all sales made through this site. Spotify and many other third-party app developers have long complained that the store (which includes music streaming subscriptions) is an unfair “tax.”

“Apple requires Spotify and other digital services to pay a 30% tax on purchases made through Apple’s payment system, including upgrades from free to premium services.” Said Daniel Ekco-founder of Spotify, chief executive officer in a blog post.

“If we pay this tax, we will be forced to artificially inflate the price of premium membership far above the regular price.” Apple Music. And keeping prices competitive for our customers is beyond our control. ”

For more information on the fine itself, Dan Milmo explains.

In the years since then, complaints have diminished somewhat. Apple declined to respond directly to the FT’s report, saying it does not comment on speculation, but pointed to the European Commission’s decision last year to exclude the “tax” aspect from an investigation launched by Spotify. ‘s complaint. The revised counter statement states that the main harm is no longer the 30% fee levied by apps that use in-app purchases or the requirement to offer them in the first place, but simply the fact that other payment options exist for users. It was forbidden to communicate.

“We are pleased that the European Commission has narrowed the issue and no longer challenges Apple’s right to collect fees on digital goods and require the use of in-app payment systems that users trust,” Apple said in a statement. Ta. time.

These so-called “anti-steering” rules have been tested by regulators around the world, and various jurisdictions have placed formal limits on Apple’s ability to impose them. But these restrictions rarely go as far as competitors like Spotify would like. Because Apple is letting out a sharp gasp. If forced to do so, companies could direct users to alternative payment methods and still charge fees. In some cases, that new fee accounted for 27% of costs, and his 3% reduction in in-app purchase fees was justified on the basis that it reflected the fact that Apple was not paying directly for credit card processing. I am.

“We are currently negotiating the price.”

Spotify on Apple Watch. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Assuming the fine is imposed as expected, Apple is unlikely to be too disappointed. The Digital Markets Act, which Apple and other “tech gatekeepers” must comply with by March 6, has already forced changes to the App Store that will put Apple Music in unfair competition with Spotify. The Competition Commission’s concerns will almost certainly be corrected. As for the cash itself, “500 million isn’t a laughable amount, even for a company as big as Apple, but it’s a fraction of the maximum potential, and it’s a fraction of the company’s total.” An even smaller amount’ of annual profit.

In fact, it’s possible that Apple will avoid fines with dignity. The company hammers home one of its core points every time it is hit by regulatory action that leaves room for compromises, such as imposing a 27% fee on outside purchases. That is, the real criticism is not about the lofty points. Basically, it’s a simple haggling over fees. If complaints about Apple’s control of the App Store boil down to “I want to pay less,” that would be an easier fight than one that would force Apple to actually relinquish control of the platform.

Some critics make deeper claims. Spotify, for example, has long complained about more detailed aspects of Apple’s platform, from the fact that Apple Music is installed by default on its devices to the way platform owners break their own rules about free. I’ve been holding you. Trials (Apple can independently offer trials that end the moment they are canceled; all third parties must provide access until just before the first billing deadline).

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For others, the gist of the principle is poor in reality. Epic Games famously introduced a unique payment process for Fortnite, which resulted in Apple pulling the game from the App Store. The company already pays hefty cuts to operate its gaming consoles and operates its own app store for PCs. Issues with Apple have always been viewed through the lens of how much Apple pays.

Perhaps this is why Epic is also the longtime Apple critic most eager to enter the world of an EU-mandated alternative App Store. You may remember the debate over whether the company’s proposals amounted to “garbage” or meaningful concessions. Well, three weeks have passed,
Epic Games announces the launch of Epic Games Store for iOS.

This is a bold move. The company will immediately pay him 0.50 euros for every download on the store, and an additional 0.50 euros for every download of Fortnite via the store after his first 1 million. But compared to keeping it on the App Store, per user he should be able to get that amount back in one “Battle Pass” purchase. And to the company’s credit, it clearly believes the principles exist. At risk.

Cash is also constantly flushed in case it takes longer to break even. The company, which is run by founder and CEO Tim Sweeney and has a 40% minority stake held by China’s Tencent, announced earlier this month that it will become the world’s leading company in the world of gaming and entertainment. The collaboration required a $1.5 billion investment from Disney. Disney is a long-time ally of Apple, and its CEO was on Apple’s board of directors until 2019, but competition between Apple TV+ and Disney+ made that unsustainable. . We haven’t seen the beginnings of a messy breakup yet, but perhaps even the House of Mouse will want to pay a smaller share of the world’s most valuable company.

If you want to read the full newsletter, subscribe to receive TechScape in your inbox every Tuesday.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Apple fined 500 million euros by EU for music streaming practices

Posted on February 20, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Apple faces a €500m (£427m) fine for unfairly influencing competitors in the music streaming market, according to the Financial Times. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, will impose the penalty following an extensive investigation.

Why is Apple facing the prospect of fines?

After Spotify filed complaints in 2019, the EU began examining Apple’s position in the music streaming app market. The focus was narrowed down to specific restrictions placed by Apple on app developers, preventing them from informing iPhone and iPad users about more affordable music subscriptions outside of the App Store. Spotify claims this favors Apple Music, the company’s rival app.

This case is the latest in a series of legal disputes involving Apple’s App Store, which has been criticized by the companies utilizing it for its rules and charges. Apple recently announced that it would allow EU customers to download apps without going through its own store, a concession made under pressure from the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).

What does the EU think about Apple’s actions?

The EU did not comment directly, but when Apple issued a new statement of objection in February of the previous year, it suggested that the company would be penalized for unfair trading conditions violating Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The Commission expressed concerns that the restrictions can prevent developers from informing consumers about affordable streaming service subscriptions.

What happens next?

The Financial Times reported that the Commission will announce the fine in the early part of the next month. The maximum fine for anti-competitive behavior is 10% of global turnover, which, in Apple’s case, could be up to $30bn (£24bn), although the final amount is expected to be lower. Apple may appeal the Commission’s decision.

What are Apple and Spotify saying?

Apple and Spotify declined to comment on Monday. However, Apple has previously defended its App Store, stating that it has aided Spotify in becoming Europe’s top music streaming service.

Spotify, on the other hand, has emphasized its complaint against Apple’s aim to establish a “level playing field,” arguing that the App Store restrictions give preference to Apple Music, the company’s own streaming service.

What do the experts say?

Ann Witt, a professor of antitrust law at France’s EDHEC Business School, remarked that Apple is already confronting a stringent regulatory environment with the introduction of the DMA. The Open Market Institute opined that the size of the reported fine will not have a significant impact on Apple’s behavior.

Source: www.theguardian.com

500 million euro fine imposed on Apple by EU for restricting music streaming access, according to reports in technology sector

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Apple has reportedly been fined 500 million euros by the European Union over restricting access to its music streaming service, in what would be a landmark blow to the US technology company.

The European Commission is investigating whether Apple prevented music streamers from telling users cheaper ways to subscribe outside of the app store.

According to the Financial Times, the city of Brussels plans to impose a €500m (£427m) fine, a landmark move against Apple after years of complaints from companies offering services through iPhone apps. This is a judgment.

In 2019, Swedish streaming company Spotify filed a complaint with the EU, accusing Apple of limiting choice and competition in its app store by imposing a 30% fee on all purchases. Apple also blocked Spotify and other companies from notifying customers on their phones that they could avoid fees and get better deals simply by signing up on Spotify's website.

Apple says its fees are justified because it spends a lot of money providing a secure app store and gives Spotify access to hundreds of millions of customers. However, Spotify argues that Apple Music, Apple's own music streaming service, does not incur similar additional costs, giving Spotify an advantage and making the rates non-competitive.

The European Commission said Apple's actions were illegal and contrary to European Union rules forcing competition in the single market, the FT reported, citing five people close to the investigation. would argue. The commission could also reportedly ban practices that prevent music services from advertising cheaper subscriptions off-platform.

Apple was fined 1.1 billion euros by France in 2020 for anti-competition agreements with two wholesalers, but has never been hit with a competition fine by the European Commission.

But IT and other big tech companies are under increasing scrutiny due to competitive concerns. Google is appealing against fines of more than 8 billion euros imposed by the EU in three separate competition investigations. Apple lost a lawsuit by Fortnite developer Epic Games that claimed its app store was an illegal monopoly, but Epic won a similar lawsuit against Google, which runs Android phone software, in December. .

Last month, Apple announced it would allow EU customers to download apps without going through its own app store, in response to the EU's digital markets law. The law, whose details were revealed last year, imposes new obligations on “gatekeepers” such as Amazon and Google, which are particularly powerful in controlling the choice of mobile phone software.

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The European Commission declined to comment. Apple had no new comments, but pointed to its previous statement that it would respond to the commission's concerns “while promoting competition and choice for European consumers.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Jeff Bezos could potentially save $600 million in taxes by relocating to Florida.

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiance Lauren Sanchez saved $600 million in taxes just by moving to Florida.

The accounting windfall resulted from the $2 billion sale of Amazon stock.

Bezos, 59, who is in a three-way race with Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Tesla’s Elon Musk to become America’s richest man, announced in November that he would be leaving Seattle, where he has worked for 30 years. –This is what he said on the outside: in an instagram postto be closer to his parents, and his Blue Origin rocket is launched at Cape Canaveral.

“I’ve lived in Seattle longer than anywhere else and have so many great memories here. This move is both exciting and an emotional decision for me. Seattle, you will always be my It’s a part of my heart,” he wrote.

But on Tuesday, Financial News Network CNBC provided another clue In response to his move, Washington two years ago introduced a new 7% capital gains tax on the sale of stocks and bonds worth more than $250,000.

However, Florida does not tax income or capital gains.

Since 1998, Bezos has been involved in projects such as his philanthropic project Blue Origin, new homes on Miami’s “billionaire bunker” island Indian Creek and a $500 million, 417-foot home, the newspaper reported. The company has reportedly sold billions of dollars in Amazon stock to raise money for splashy acquisitions such as Amazon. Megayacht Col.

Last year, after the new tax was introduced, Bezos halted sales of Amazon stock until he notified the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that he planned to sell 50 million shares by January 31, 2025, at a current value of That’s equivalent to $8.7 billion.

With the first $2 billion tranche last week, Bezos saved $140 million in taxes he would have paid to Washington state. If Amazon stock continues to rise, total sales over the next two years will be about $610 million or more. This savings is enough to cover Kuro’s expenses.

The cost of relocating to Miami was in itself daunting for the couple, who have so far purchased two homes in Indian Creek, near the mansions of quarterback Tom Brady, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner. It has invested $47 million. Investor Carl Icahn.

Real estate brokers in Miami say Mr. Bezos will likely demolish two homes and build new ones. He is also said to be considering other properties on the island, which is itself a municipality and has a mayor.

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Kobi Karp, an architect who has worked in Miami “since the days of Miami Vice and Scarface,” told Bloomberg that the island’s biggest draw is privacy. paul george, History Miami Museum He told the media that the island was “inhabited only by very wealthy people, billionaires.”

Karp added: “We’re not going to lose hundreds of millions more.”

But Bezos’ personal real estate projects may not fully account for the costs involved in moving the billionaire, his fiancée and their support staff across continents. Shortly after Bezos announced the couple’s move to Miami, Amazon announced it was looking for 50,000 square feet of office space near Brickell.

Source: www.theguardian.com