Every year, we dispose of hundreds of millions of tons of plastic
Cavan Images/Alamy
By incorporating chemicals that imitate natural polymers like DNA into plastics, we can develop materials that decompose in days, months, or years instead of persisting in landfills for centuries. Researchers are optimistic that this innovative approach will produce plastic items that fulfill their function and then safely disintegrate.
In 2022, over 2.5 billion tonnes of plastic are expected to be discarded globally, with merely 14 percent being recycled while the rest is either incinerated or buried. The quest for effective biodegradable plastics has spanned at least 35 years, utilizing various organic sources like bamboo and seaweed. However, in practice, many of these materials prove to be challenging to compost, and their manufacturers often make exaggerated claims.
Currently, Gu Yuwei, a professor at Rutgers University, is working on technology that creates plastics with precisely calibrated lifetimes, allowing them to break down swiftly in compost or natural environments.
Gu questioned why natural long-chain polymers such as DNA and RNA decompose relatively rapidly, while synthetic polymers like plastics do not, and whether it’s possible to replicate this process.
Natural polymers possess chemical structures known as adjacent groups, which facilitate their breakdown. These structures trigger an internal reaction called nucleophilic attack that disrupts the bonds in the polymer chains, which is energetically demanding for standard plastics.
Gu and his team synthesized artificial chemical structures that resemble these adjacent groups and incorporated them during the manufacturing of new plastics. They discovered that the resulting material could degrade easily, and by altering the structure of these additions, they could adjust how long the material remained intact before degradation.
As the plastic decomposes, Gu anticipates that the long polymer chains will fragment into smaller components that can either be repurposed to produce new plastics or dissolve safely in the environment.
“This method is optimized for plastics that require controlled degradation within days to months, so we believe it holds significant potential for uses like food packaging and other transient consumer products,” Gu explains. “It is not currently suitable for plastics that must remain intact for decades, such as construction materials and long-lasting structural components.”
Nonetheless, several challenges must be addressed before these plastics can be used in commercial applications. The liquid residue after the plastic’s decomposition consists of polymer chain fragments, necessitating further testing to ensure this mixture is non-toxic and can be safely released into the ecosystem.
Moreover, while UV light is presently required to initiate the degradation, natural sunlight is enough. Therefore, until the research team discovers a method to create materials that can decompose in darkness, buried or obscured plastics may persist in the environment indefinitely.
Mosses are believed to have evolved from ancestral plants that transitioned from aquatic environments to terrestrial habitats approximately 450 million years ago.
This organism is known for its remarkable hardiness, thriving in diverse locations, from the frigid Antarctic tundra to the lofty peaks of the Himalayas, as well as in volcanic lava fields and various aquatic settings.
Fujita expressed his admiration for its extraordinary resilience.
“It got me thinking: Could this resilient little plant endure the harsh conditions of space?” he remarked.
His research team focused on a specific type of moss known as Physcomitrium patent. They conducted experiments in a laboratory simulating a space environment, exposing the moss to extreme temperatures, vacuum conditions, and elevated levels of ultraviolet radiation.
They concluded that the moss’ sporophyte, which contains the encapsulated spores that act as reproductive structures, stands the best chance of survival in space due to its ability to endure high levels of ultraviolet light. The spores were able to germinate after enduring scorching conditions of 131 degrees Fahrenheit for a month and frigid temperatures of minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit for over a week.
In March 2022, researchers dispatched hundreds of moss sporophytes to the International Space Station using a cargo spacecraft from Northrop Grumman. Astronauts attached the sporophyte samples to the station’s exterior and left them exposed for 283 days.
The moss samples were subsequently returned to Earth on a SpaceX cargo mission in January 2023.
The team discovered that over 80% of the spores survived their nine-month journey outside the space station, with nearly 90% successfully re-germinating in their Earth-based laboratory.
AI researchers can work autonomously for extended periods, completing studies in hours that would take humans months. While developers assert that they have made several “new contributions” to science, skepticism remains among some experts.
The platform, referred to as Kosmos, consists of multiple AI agents adept at data analysis and literature review, aiming to generate groundbreaking scientific insights.
“We have dedicated nearly two years to training AI scientists,” states Sam Rodricks, from Edison Scientific, the company behind Kosmos. “The limitation of previous AI scientists has always been the complexity of the concepts they produce.”
Kosmos endeavors to overcome this challenge. Typically, a session can last up to 12 hours; during this time, when a user inputs a scientific dataset, Kosmos examines roughly 1,500 pertinent academic papers while generating and executing 42,000 lines of code to analyze the data. At the end, the AI compiles a summary of the findings and relevant citations, along with a proposal for further analysis that can initiate the next cycle.
After a predetermined number of cycles, the system produces a report featuring scientific conclusions supported by relevant citations, akin to an academic publication. An assessment from a collective of scholars found that 20 of these cycles corresponded to about six months of their research efforts.
Rodriques remarked that the conclusions drawn by the system tend to be fairly accurate. Edison asked individuals with doctoral-level knowledge in biology to evaluate 102 claims made by Kosmos. The research team discovered that 79.4% of these claims were overall substantiated, including 85.5% concerning data analysis and 82.1% of claims referenced in existing literature. Nevertheless, Kosmos struggles to synthesize this information and generate new claims, achieving an accuracy rate of just 57.9% in this area.
Edison asserts that Kosmos has made seven verifiable scientific discoveries, all of which have been confirmed and replicated by independent specialists in the field using external datasets and diverse methodologies. According to the Kosmos team, four of these discoveries are genuinely novel, while the remaining three were previously documented, though in preprints or unpublished studies.
Among the claimed discoveries is a novel method for identifying when cellular pathways falter as Alzheimer’s disease advances. Another finding suggests that individuals with higher levels of a natural antioxidant enzyme known as superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) in their blood may experience less heart scarring.
However, reactions to these claims from the scientific community have varied. The “discovery” related to SOD2 is deemed unremarkable by Fergus Hamilton of the University of Bristol, UK. “That specific causal assertion probably won’t withstand scrutiny as a new finding, and there are methodological flaws inherent in the analysis,” he comments. Professor Rodriques acknowledged that the SOD2 finding had been previously established in mice, but claimed this is the first time it has been recognized at the population level in humans through genomics.
Hamilton pointed out that the data analysis code which the agent attempted to execute malfunctioned, causing Kosmos to overlook potentially essential data while arriving at the same conclusions as existing studies.
“Several critical assumptions were made that were imperative for achieving accurate analysis,” he notes. “The software package fails entirely, yet key elements were ignored.” Additionally, in this instance, the data was so processed beforehand that Kosmos “only managed to accomplish around 10 percent of the task,” he suggests.
Hamilton commends the team behind Kosmos for addressing his queries and concerns raised on social media. “While this presents a substantial step forward conceptually, specific technical critiques of this study remain: [the] work is still far from zero,” he states.
“We’re entirely open to the possibility that some of the findings we present could be incorrect or flawed. This is part and parcel of scientific inquiry,” says Rodricks. “Nevertheless, the fact that it has garnered such intricate criticism highlights the system’s potential.”
Others express admiration for Kosmos’ performance overall. “This highlights the immense potential for AI to aid scientific research, but we must remain cautious about the independent use of AI scientists,” states Ben Glocker from Imperial College London. “Even though this study showcases some remarkable achievements, we still lack understanding of the failure modes.”
“We believe embracing tools like Kosmos and developing others is essential. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that science encompasses more than just a data-centric approach,” mentions Noah Jansiracusa from Bentley University, Massachusetts. “There is profound thought and creativity involved, and it would be unwise to disregard scientific pursuits that are amenable to automation solely because they are suitable for AI.”
Rodricks himself concedes that Kosmos is best utilized as a collaborator, rather than a replacement for researchers. “It is capable of performing many impressive tasks,” he asserts. “It requires thorough review and validation, and it may not always be entirely accurate.”
“This year’s Leonid meteor shower coincides almost perfectly with the new moon…”
Walter Pacholka, Astronomical/Scientific Photo Library
Watching a meteor shower is a captivating experience, in part due to the unpredictability of these events. Even under ideal conditions, the sight can be overwhelming, especially when forecasts predict hundreds of meteors per hour. However, gathering with friends to witness this celestial display can make it special, even if only a few shooting stars appear.
This year’s Leonid meteor shower aligns perfectly with the new moon, offering an excellent opportunity to see numerous meteors streaking across the sky. While it may not reach hundreds each hour, I highly encourage you to take a look.
Meteor showers happen at the same time annually because they align with Earth’s orbit around the sun, bringing in debris remnants from comets and asteroids. This results in an influx of dust particles entering the atmosphere, creating brilliant flashes as they burn up.
The Leonid meteor shower originates from the remnants left by Comet Tempel-Tuttle, a 3.6-kilometer-wide comet that orbits the sun every 33 years. During peak times, the Leonid shower transforms into a meteor storm, showcasing thousands of meteors per hour. The last storm occurred in 2002, so another isn’t expected for another decade.
If you’re fortunate, you might witness a meteor like the one shown in the image. The Leonid meteor shower begins on November 6 and lasts through the end of the month, peaking from the evening of November 17 to the morning of November 18. With the new moon on November 20, the moon will be a thin waning crescent during the peak of the shower. For the best view, aim for just after midnight local time, regardless of your location. The Leonid meteor shower generally has a gradual peak, so it’s worth observing on days surrounding the 17th if the skies are clear.
Meteor showers derive their names from the constellations from which the meteors appear to originate, but you don’t need to locate the Leonid constellation to enjoy them. However, Leo is easy to spot and visible from most areas of the world, excluding extreme southern latitudes. To find it, look for its signature backward question mark or sickle shape, positioned near the Big Dipper. If you need assistance in locating it, consider using a mobile app.
For an optimal meteor shower experience, make yourself warm and comfortable. Since you might be sitting still for extended periods, a hot water bottle or a straight-backed chair can help prevent neck pain. Stay away from light pollution as much as possible. If you’re watching from home, turn off the lights and allow your eyes to adjust. Enjoy!
Nearly two months following the devastating July 4 flood in Texas, which claimed over 130 lives, D-Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett continues to seek clarity on fundamental issues related to the federal response.
What emergency personnel were deployed by the National Weather Service on the night of the flood? How effectively did the agency prepare for the storm? And how did vacancies in critical local National Weather Service positions, like warning adjustment meteorologists, impact the situation?
In four letters sent to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with a fifth from the Commerce Department, Rep. Doggett requested records that could shed light on the events of July 4th.
“I have yet to receive any written response,” Doggett expressed, accusing the agency of evasion.
This push for transparency highlights the lack of public accountability regarding that day’s events. Shortly after the flood, an internal meteorologist indicated that the National Weather Service provided a timely warning, citing the constraints of their forecasting technology during flash flooding.
However, it remains unclear how effectively the agency communicated with emergency managers and other ground stakeholders when risks became evident. A former NWS meteorologist commented on the difficulties faced when their forecasts are compromised by staff shortages or overwhelming workloads.
Lloyd Doggett at the U.S. Capitol in 2024. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images File
“If there’s nothing to conceal, and if Trump’s budget cuts haven’t impacted weather services, then they need to create logs,” Doggett remarked regarding the records he seeks. “Drawing public attention to this issue may be the only way to prompt a response from the administration.”
Neither NOAA nor the Commerce Department has responded to requests for comment.
Doggett wrote his initial letter to NOAA on May 20, prior to the flood, raising concerns about staffing levels in the Austin/San Antonio weather office. This office is responsible for forecasts and communications in areas that faced significant impacts from the July storm.
“The 22% vacancy rate in the local NWS jeopardizes the timeliness of forecasts and alerts that communities depend on,” Doggett stated, inquiring about how the agency would address staff shortages and fulfill their operational roles.
Following the flood disaster, Doggett subsequently contacted NOAA on July 8 with 15 more questions about their responses. He reported having a video conference with agency director Ken Graham on July 11.
In a letter sent after their July 11 meeting and a follow-up on July 24, Doggett requested call logs, chat logs, radar archives, and shift logs from the agency.
“He mentioned that providing these was straightforward,” Doggett noted, recalling Graham’s remarks during the Zoom call. “I’ve been following up since then, but there’s been no satisfactory explanation.”
The agency is permitted to respond at its discretion to queries from Congress members overseeing it. Interpretation of the Department of Justice Law. Nonetheless, agencies often voluntarily address congressional inquiries.
Doggett has persistently contacted NOAA via phone and text, and in a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Luttonick on August 27, he accused the Secretary of suppressing responses that he believes NOAA was ready to provide.
“I recommend that responses to my inquiries be prepared, but these have been withheld by your office,” Doggett wrote. “There’s no documentation demonstrating NWS’s preparation, communication, or response—perhaps indicating that some aspects of this tragedy are being concealed.”
Doggett mentioned that four children from Austin lost their lives in the floods and has called for an investigation similar to those conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board after significant disasters.
“If 27 children perish in a plane crash, the NTSB conducts a thorough investigation of all involved parties at state, federal, and local levels,” Doggett remarked.
NBC News has submitted multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to NOAA seeking records from NWS. Some of these requests might yield records that address Doggett’s inquiries, but thus far, there has been no response.
According to the Commerce Department’s Public Records website, one of the requested chat logs and communications between forecasters is currently “assigned for processing.” The agency indicated that information regarding staff cuts and recruitment will be managed in batches alongside other similar requests related to the Texas flood.
“We aim to provide a provisional release by early September, with additional releases occurring periodically through the end of the year,” wrote Julia Swanson, FOIA Coordinator, in an August 18 status update. “To effectively allocate limited staff resources, all other FOIA requests are temporarily set aside to prioritize addressing flood-related inquiries in Texas.”
The creators of ChatGPT are shifting their approach to users exhibiting mental and emotional distress following legal action from the family of 16-year-old Adam Lane, who tragically took his own life after months of interactions with the chatbot.
OpenAI recognized that its system could pose “potential risks” and stated it would “implement robust safeguards around sensitive content and perilous behavior” for users under 18.
The $500 million (£37.2 billion) San Francisco-based AI company has also rolled out parental controls, giving parents “the ability to gain insights and influence how teens engage with ChatGPT,” but specifics on the functionality are still pending.
Adam, a California resident, sadly committed suicide in April after what his family’s attorneys described as “a month of encouragement from ChatGPT.” His family is suing OpenAI and its CEO and co-founder, Sam Altman. Altman contends that the version of ChatGPT in use at the time, known as 4O, was “released to the market despite evident safety concerns.”
The teenager had multiple discussions with ChatGPT about suicide methods, including just prior to his death. According to filings in California’s Superior Court for San Francisco County, ChatGPT advised him on the likelihood that his method would be effective.
It also offered assistance in composing suicide notes to his parents.
An OpenAI spokesperson expressed that the company is “deeply saddened by Adam’s passing,” and extended its “deepest condolences to the Lane family during this challenging time,” while reviewing court documents.
Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft’s AI division, expressed growing concern last week about the “psychological risks” posed by AI to users. Microsoft defines this as “delusions that emerge or worsen through engaging experiences, delusional thoughts, or immersive dialogues with AI chatbots.”
In a blog post, OpenAI acknowledged that “some safety training in the model may degrade” over lengthy conversations. Allegedly, Adam and ChatGPT exchanged as many as 650 messages daily.
Family attorney Jay Edelson stated on X: “The claims from the Lane family indicate that tragedies like Adam’s are unavoidable. They hope that the safety team at OpenAI will challenge the release of version 4O and that one of the company’s leading safety researchers can provide evidence in the case.” Ilya Sutskever has ceased such practices. The lawsuit alleges that the company prioritized a competitive edge with a new model, boosting its valuation from $86 billion to $300 billion.
OpenAI affirmed that it will “strengthen safety measures for long conversations.”
“As interactions progress, some safety training in the model could degrade,” it stated. “For instance, while ChatGPT might initially direct users to a suicide hotline when their intentions are first mentioned, lengthy exchanges could lead to responses that contradict our safeguards.”
OpenAI provided examples of someone enthusiastically communicating with a model, believing it could function 24 hours a day, as they felt invincible after not sleeping for two nights.
“Today, we may not recognize this as a dangerous or reckless notion, and by exploring it in-depth, we can inadvertently reinforce it. We are working on an update to GPT-5, where ChatGPT will actively ground users in reality. In this context, we clarify that lack of sleep can be harmful and recommend rest before taking action.”
One of my favorite pastimes is stargazing with friends, spending hours watching the stars and hoping for meteors to race across the sky. Summer nights in the Northern Hemisphere are ideal for this, especially as two meteor showers reach their peaks.
A meteor is simply a flash of light created when small dust particles burn up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Occasionally, larger rocks disintegrate, with some pieces reaching the ground as meteorites. Each year, as Earth orbits the Sun, it passes through trails of dust and debris left by comets and asteroids, leading to stunning meteor showers.
The Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower originates from Comet 96P/Machholz, a short-period comet that orbits the Sun approximately every five years. Discovered in 1986, it last made its closest approach to the Sun in 2023.
This meteor shower is considered medium strength. On clear, dark nights, you could witness up to 20 meteors per hour, peaking on July 30th. However, the Delta Aquariid Shower (depicted in the image) spans from mid-July to mid-August and offers a gentler display compared to other meteor showers, making it less critical to observe it at peak times.
While Delta Aquariids are typically more spectacular in the Southern Hemisphere, they’re visible worldwide.
The optimal time to observe them is during a moonless night around the end of July. This year, the lunar phase aligns perfectly with the new moon on July 24th, offering an excellent opportunity for viewing until the first quarter on July 31st.
To see the meteors, find a location as far from light pollution as possible. Allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness for at least 40 minutes before gazing upward. The Delta Aquariids appear to radiate from the constellation Aquarius, from which their name is derived, but these meteors can be seen traversing in all directions across the sky.
If you’re stargazing towards late July or August, keep an eye out for the Perseid meteor showers, which are known for their brilliance and peak around August 12th. This year, the Perseids will reach their peak the evening of August 12th-13th, making it worthwhile to stay up late if you can.
So gather your friends, grab a cozy blanket or a hot water bottle, and see how many meteors you can spot at the end of July or the beginning of August. I’m certainly planning to do so.
Abigail Beall is the editor of New Scientist and the author of Art of Urban Astronomy. Follow her @abbybeall
A solar-powered surveillance drone boasting a wingspan larger than that of the Boeing 747 is capable of flying continuously for weeks or even months, as claimed by its operators. A test flight is currently underway off the US Gulf Coast this month.
Run by the US-Spanish venture Skydweller Aero, the Skydweller drone features a 72-meter wingspan, surpassing the width of most commercial jets. Weighing approximately 2,500 kilograms—similar to a Ford F-150 truck—this drone aims to achieve the first solar-powered flight globally, which was targeted for 2016, with a mission to carry out “pure targeted flights” over 13 kilometers during daylight, while aspiring towards building a “comparable solar-powered carbon fiber drone.”
The Skydweller drone executed the world’s inaugural autonomous solar-powered flight in April 2024, with several subsequent test flights conducted throughout the year. Military funding evaluations are focusing on the viability of marine drone patrols. Military funding is assessing the feasibility of marine drone patrols.
Most recently, the solar-powered drone accomplished its longest flight after departing from Stennis International Airport in Mississippi on July 20. According to the Flightradar24 Flight Tracking Service, it remained aloft over the Gulf Coast for more than three days, landing on July 23. The service also indicated that, on July 14, the drone had flown for over 18 hours.
The wingspan of the Skydweller drone is nearly double that of major surveillance drones, such as the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk used by the US Air Force. Its payload capacity of 400 kilograms significantly surpasses the lifting capabilities of most solar drones. Recently, the French aerospace company Thales contributed to the development of the Skydweller drone by equipping it with air surveillance radar. Equipment was provided for enhancing its capabilities.
However, experts suggest that the decades-long pursuit of commercializing solar drones has largely been marked by unmet promises and monumental failures. Arthur Holland Michele, a research partner at the Oslo Peace Institute, points out that both Google and Facebook attempted to create solar-powered drones for internet services but eventually discontinuing their initiatives. Aerospace manufacturer Airbus, too, has heavily invested in smaller Zephyr solar-electric drones, yet “we haven’t observed significant returns thus far,” states Michele.
“The military has funded solar drone demonstration flights for over ten years, and no one has yet acquired the technology,” Michele explains. “While solar drones are impressive and theoretically meaningful, their practical sustainability as a business case remains unclear.”
Map illustrating anomalies in the lunar gravity field derived from data obtained by NASA’s GRAIL mission
NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MIT/GSFC
Research indicates that the moon’s gravitational pull suggests a warm, dense interior, hinting at structural irregularities beneath its surface.
The distinct appearance of the moon’s near side compared to its far side has intrigued observers since time immemorial. However, it raises questions about whether these differences provide insights into the deeper layers of the moon, as stated by Ryan Park from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Together with his colleagues, he is utilizing data from NASA’s GRAIL spacecraft to investigate.
The GRAIL mission gathered crucial data on the moon’s gravitational variations during 2011 and 2012, while two spacecraft orbited the lunar body. Since the gravity field is reflective of physical characteristics, researchers were able to analyze how it deforms based on both the moon’s shape and Earth’s tidal forces.
Despite this, the variations in the gravity field could not solely be accounted for by the observable features of the moon’s surface. Scientists contemplated the possibility of a heterogeneous interior. Previous findings suggested that the moon’s near side would exhibit more deformation compared to the far side due to Earth’s gravitational influence, as noted by Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna from the University of Arizona. This recent research validates that assertion, enabling a deeper understanding of the moon’s structure.
Using GRAIL data, Park and the team calculated that the moon’s susceptibility to Earth’s gravitational pull was 72% higher than what would be expected if the moon’s interior were entirely uniform.
The research team examined various factors contributing to this anomaly, including the moon’s chemical makeup. However, the model that closely aligned with the observed data was one indicating a temperature variation, suggesting that the moon’s interior is warmer than the far side.
Sean Solomon from Columbia University in New York noted that this model aligns with existing knowledge about the moon’s volcanic history and the distribution of radioactive elements, such as uranium and thorium, on its surface.
While the exact reasons for the moon’s irregular interior remain uncertain, Park suggests that some of these variations may result from its turbulent history of impacts with other celestial bodies. Moving forward, he and his team aim to utilize seismic data from lunar quakes to further explore the moon’s internal structure. These data will be gathered by the Far Side Earthquake Suite, which NASA plans to deploy in 2026.
The former athletic director, charged with using artificial intelligence to generate racist and anti-Semitic audio clips, also allegedly impersonated the school’s principal, as indicated by prosecutors.
Dazon Darien, 32, the former director, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and a disturbing charge related to school activities, according to the Baltimore County State Law Office. He previously faced additional allegations including theft, stalking, and witness retaliation.
As reported by the Associated Press, Darien pleaded guilty to charges of intrusive school management while maintaining innocence under an Alford plea.
Darien, who previously served as athletic director at Pikesville High School, produced an audio clip containing derogatory comments about “ungrateful black kids” and light jabs at Jewish students. Police records revealed that the audio aimed to discredit the school principal, Eric Eiswart.
In a statement of fact, Eiswart mentioned having “discussions” with Darien regarding his contract renewal, citing “poor performance, inadequate procedures, and reluctance to follow the chain of command” as concerns. Darien’s troubles began in late 2023, which led to the audio’s release, according to the statement.
The attorneys representing Darien did not return calls or messages on Tuesday. The Baltimore County Public Schools District declined to comment on the situation, and attempts to reach Mr. Eiswart on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Manufactured recordings shared on Instagram in January 2024 quickly circulated, impacting Baltimore County Public Schools, which serves over 100,000 students. Eiswart, who withheld comment during the investigation, has received multiple threats to his safety, according to police. He has also been placed on administrative leave by the school district.
Police records indicated that Darien expressed dissatisfaction with Eiswart in December after the principal initiated an investigation into him. It was revealed that Darien had allowed roommates to pay the district $1,916, falsely claiming the roommate was an assistant coach for the Pikesville Girls’ soccer team.
Shortly thereafter, police reported that Darien utilized the district’s internet services to explore artificial intelligence tools, including OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT chatbots, and Microsoft’s Bing Chat.
(The New York Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft in December 2023 for copyright infringement concerning news content related to AI systems.)
Creating realistic, manufactured videos, often referred to as deepfakes, has become increasingly simple. Previously, one required sophisticated software, but now many of these tools are available through smartphone apps, raising concerns among AI researchers regarding the potential dangers posed by this technology.
Following an unexpected extended stay at the International Space Station lasting nine and a half months, NASA astronaut Suni Williams is back on Earth, enjoying herself once more.
“I actually went out and ran three miles yesterday,” Williams mentioned during a press conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Monday. “So I’ll give myself a little pat on the back.”
Williams, along with her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, expressed their gratitude multiple times. Williams thanked the two astronauts who shared the Dragon Capsules of the SpaceX Crew, NASA, SpaceX, Boeing, and the medical team for helping them readjust to gravity.
These expressions of gratitude, much like many federal workers, were likely well received by individuals in the space agency who have faced uncertainty about their mission, direction, and ongoing employment since President Trump’s inauguration.
Williams and Wilmore embarked on a test flight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft last June, initially planned as a brief visit to the International Space Station. However, due to issues with the Starliner’s propulsion system, NASA officials decided to bring the Starliner back to Earth, extending Williams and Wilmore’s stay until February.
Upon their return to Earth, they returned to a transitioning NASA, the trajectory of which remains uncertain.
Elon Musk and his government’s focus on efficiency aim to disrupt traditional bureaucratic structures. Meanwhile, SpaceX CEO Musk envisions sending settlers to Mars, sparking speculation about NASA’s current primary focus, the Artemis program, aimed at sending astronauts back to the moon.
In January, Williams and Wilmore found themselves caught in a political quarrel, as Trump and Musk insinuated they were left stranded in space to undermine favorable publicity for Musk, a Trump supporter during the presidential campaign, without providing any concrete details or evidence.
Both astronauts have publicly maintained that they were not abandoned in space for political reasons.
During a press conference at the Johnson Space Center, Williams, Wilmore, and Nick Haag, commanders of the SpaceX Crew Dragon mission that brought them back home, steered clear of political controversy and emphasized the cooperation and shared purpose essential for their astronaut mission.
“When you link with a nation that stands by, cares about human spaceflight programs, and supports us and our endeavors,” Wilmore stated.
Haag noted that much of the turmoil on Earth remains distant:
“When we are working in space, politics fade away,” he remarked. “It’s solely focused on the mission.”
He highlighted Williams’ nearly six-month tenure as commander of the space station.
“The magic of human spaceflight lies in our ability to concentrate on positive elements that unite people together,” Haag concluded.
Wilmore, who led the Starliner Mission, refused to place blame solely on Boeing for the issues with the Starliner capsule that led to their prolonged stay. “I dislike that term,” he commented.
Wilmore stated that both Boeing and NASA share responsibility for the malfunctioning system.
“I won’t point fingers and place blame,” Wilmore mentioned. “I might have posed some questions, and the responses could have altered the outcome.”
NASA officials anticipate the next Starliner flight could take place later this year or the following year. When asked if they would be willing to embark on another such flight, both Williams and Wilmore quickly responded affirmatively.
“Because we will address all the challenges we encountered,” Wilmore affirmed. “We will resolve them. We will make it work. Boeing and NASA are fully committed to this endeavor.
“I concur,” added Williams. “Spacecraft are incredibly capable.”
The International Space Station’s operations are scheduled until 2030, at which point a specially designed SpaceX spacecraft will guide the station out of orbit into the Pacific Ocean. Recently, Musk has suggested that space stations should increase their utility and be discarded sooner, within a few years. However, the astronauts spoke enthusiastically about the research they conducted aboard.
Haag remarked on the significant advancements in complexity of experiments compared to his prior mission six years ago.
“It gives you the sense that we are currently in the golden age of space stations in terms of the return on investment,” Haag concluded.
The astronauts, who had initially planned to visit the International Space Station for just a week, ended up staying for over nine months and are now scheduled to leave on Tuesday.
Their journey back to Earth marks the end of a unique chapter in spaceflight history. Williams and Wilmore gained recognition when they embarked on the first crew test flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule in June. However, issues with the vehicle’s thruster during docking with the space station led to NASA returning the Starliner to Earth without anyone on board.
As a result, Williams and Wilmore had to extend their stay, but they are now set to depart on Tuesday at 1:05am aboard the SpaceX Dragon Capsule. The astronauts are expected to splash down off the Florida coast at 5:57pm ET.
Joining them on the return flight are NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
The timing of their return on Tuesday was determined based on optimal conditions expected for the evening of March 18th, as stated in a NASA statement.
The four-person crew arrived at the space station in September aboard a SpaceX vehicle, carrying Hague, Gorbunov, and two empty seats for their colleagues. Williams and Wilmore stayed behind to allow Hague and Gorbunov to complete their mission.
Despite the challenges they faced, Williams and Wilmore have embraced their extended stay in space and have enjoyed their time orbiting the Earth.
In a recent news briefing, Williams and Wilmore chose to focus on their mission rather than engage in politics. Williams expressed her disagreement with Elon Musk’s suggestion that the US should halt operations on the International Space Station earlier than planned.
“I think we’re thriving right now,” she said. “It’s not the right time to abandon it.”
Teams of astronomers from Taiwan, Canada, the US, and France observe and bring in 128 additional moons orbiting gas giant Saturn The total number of confirmed months has reached 274. International Astronomy confirmed its discovery on March 11, 2025.
This image from Webb's Nircam Instrument shows some of Saturn, Rings and Moons. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI/M. Tiscareno, Seti Institute/M. Hedman, University of Idaho/M. Elmutamide, Cornell University/M. Shorterter, SETI Institute/L. Fletcher, University of Leicester/H. Hammel, AURA/J. DEPASQUALE, STSCI.
Dr. Edward Ashton, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Academia Cynthia, and his colleagues used the Canadian French Hawaii Television Scope (CFHT) to repeatedly monitor the sky around Saturn between 2019 and 2021, combining multiple images with details to enhance the astronomical object.
This first run produced 62 months. And there are even more other objects that were not available at that time.
“I revisited the same empty fields for the third consecutive month in 2023, knowing that these are probably moons and are likely waiting more to be discovered,” Dr. Ashton said.
“Of course, we found 128 new moons. I don’t think Jupiter will catch up based on our predictions.”
All 128 new moons are irregular moons, objects photographed by host planets in the history of the solar system.
“These moons are several kilometers in size and could be all fragments of the originally captured moon that have been broken by violent collisions with other Saturn’s moons and passing comets.”
“The mystery within Saturn’s irregular lunar system was a key motivation for the latest search. Given the small numbers compared to the larger moons, it is possible that there has been a collision somewhere within the Saturn system within the last 100 million years.”
“If not, these moons would have now collided with each other and been blown away by the blacksmith.
In fact, most of the newly discovered moons are located near the Mundirfari subgroup of Saturn’s moon, and may be the location of the collision, taking into account its size, number, and orbital concentration.
“Our carefully planned, multi-year campaign has brought us a new moon jackpot that tells us about the evolution of Saturn’s irregular natural satellite populations,” Dr. Ashton said.
“I don’t think using current technology is much better than what’s already done for the moons around Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.”
Anchorage, Alaska – Volcanoes near Alaska’s biggest city show new signs of anxiety. Experts say the likelihood of an eruption in Mount Spall is increasing in the coming weeks or months.
The Alaska Volcanic Observatory said Wednesday it measured “a significant rise in volcanic gas emissions” during recent turbulence, with the signs indicating that the eruption was not certain in weeks or months, but not certain.
“We hope for more seismic activity, gas emissions and surface heating before the eruption. “Such strong anxiety could provide additional warnings for days to weeks.”
What is Mount Spur?
It is an ice-covered volcano about 80 miles northwest of Anchorage, 11,070 feet high.
Mount Spur is one of Alaska’s 53 volcanoes and has been active within the last 250 years. There are two main vents.
When did Mount Spur last erupt?
The last known eruption from the Summit Bent was over 5,000 years ago. Meanwhile, Crater Peak Vent erupted once in 1953 and three times in 1992. Crater Peak Vent is about two miles south of the summit.
Since then, there have been periods of increasing earthquakes and other activities between 2004 and 2006, but no other eruptions. Last October, the observatory raised the green to yellow mount spur alert status when seismic activity increased significantly and ground deformation was discovered in satellite data.
The most likely outcome of current anxiety would be the eruptions or eruptions of 1953 and 1992, the observation deck said.
But “there is a possibility that there will be no eruptions, current activity will die slowly, or even smaller eruptions may occur,” wrote John Power, a geophysicist at the station’s US Geological Survey, in an email.
What are the effects of the eruption?
According to the observation deck, eruptions of the last century lasted three to seven hours, rising more than 50,000 feet above sea level, producing ash columns deposited ashes in communities in southern Alaska.
In 1992, about a quarter inch of ash from the anchorage began to stay inside or wear masks if they were to go outside to avoid breathing the ashes. The clouds drifted all the way to Greenland.
Volcanic ash is angular and sharp, and is used as an industrial abrasive. Powdered rocks can shut down the jet engine.
The 1992 eruption prompted temporary closures of airports in Anchorage and other communities.
In states where most communities are not connected to Alaska’s main road system, closing airports is more than inconvenient. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is one of the busiest cargo hubs in the world.
Fast-moving wildfires in the Los Angeles area are getting out of control long after California’s normal fire season ends. Powerful Santa Ana winds are not uncommon at this time of year, but these winds arrive after months of drought. This combination has sparked a series of devastating fires that could be an indication of how climate change is changing the way fires occur in the state.
“While the Santa Ana Fire is not new to Southern California, this type of explosive fire event has never occurred before in January and only once in December,” he said. crystal golden At the University of California, Merced.
As of January 8, there were at least four wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The two largest fires were the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, each burning more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) in a single day. The fire has killed at least two people, destroyed at least 1,000 homes and forced tens of thousands to evacuate. The fire also threatens NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Getty Museum.
Strong winds in Santa Ana reached up to 129 kilometers per hour (80 mph), fanning the flames and spreading them rapidly. The storm is expected to be the most intense since 2011 and will be accompanied by “very dangerous fire weather conditions.” Forecast lasting until Jan. 8 afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Fire weather could continue until January 10, making it difficult to extinguish the fire.
He said it was the latest in a “highly unlikely series of extreme climate and weather events” that had caused the intense fires. park williams at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Santa Ana is a feature of Southern California weather, but fall and winter rains typically limit fire impact. This year, such wet weather has not arrived yet, leaving the plants dry and on the verge of burning. In addition, a wet winter in 2023 encouraged growth, so there is more vegetation for fuel. Heatwaves and drought throughout 2024 have left the land arid.
The combination of large amounts of good fuel, drought and strong, hot, dry winds creates “the most explosive fire event imaginable,” Colden said.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire. It will also take time to understand the role that climate change has played. But there’s reason to think it made the fire worse.
Above-average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, likely due in part to climate change, are also contributing to the dry conditions. According to Daniel Swain At UCLA, these are High-pressure ocean ridges formed due to rising ocean temperatures That prevents wet weather carried by the jet stream from reaching Southern California.
This type of high-pressure weather has been occurring more frequently in the region over the past 50 years, which could be a sign of climate change, it said. Daniel Cairn at the University of California, San Diego.
UV levels decrease as you get closer to the polar regions during the winter, but does that mean you need to use less SPF?
John Bower/Alamy
This article is part of a special issue that explores important questions about skin care. Check out the entire series here.
Even if you live far from the equator, you're often told to apply sun protection factor (SPF) lotion year-round to prevent premature skin aging and wrinkles. But is this backed by solid science?
just 13.5 percent According to one study, one in every U.S. adult uses SPF cream as part of their daily routine. This is obviously a problem in the summer when the sun is at its brightest. Although we may not show any signs of burns, UV rays can penetrate deeper layers of the skin and cause damage. This not only causes wrinkles, but can also lead to skin cancer. People who wear sunscreen are at much lower risk.
Photoaging is a cumulative effect that accumulates over decades
However, the further north or south you are in latitude, the weaker these rays become in winter, so you need to balance the benefits of SPF with the cost. Brian DiffieProfessor Emeritus of Photobiology at Newcastle University in the UK points out. Using SPF in winter can cause vitamin D deficiencyfor example. SPF can also have an environmental cost, with some studies showing that SPF can end up in the ocean and its constituent chemicals can be absorbed by corals and other marine life, potentially harming them. Shown.
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, editor of an anthology set in the Wild Cards universe
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
December is traditionally a quiet month in the publishing world, and that’s true this year as well, with fewer new books than usual to tempt us sci-fi geeks. However, there are some novels that I find very enjoyable. One example is Makana Yamamoto’s debut novel, which was described by the publisher as an “adventurous love letter” to Hawaii. And less interesting, but just as fascinating, is Arthur C. Clarke Prize winner Jane Rogers’ new collection of short stories, all climate fiction and (according to the publisher) “no easy answers. “It raises questions about personal responsibility.” It might also publish a huge and expensive 10-volume graphic novel, an adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel. three body problem Put it on my Christmas wishlist – it sounds really epic.
The publisher pitches it as follows: oceans 8 meet blade runner – And what’s not to love there? – It follows Edie, who has just been released on parole from an icy prison planet, and meets Angel, the woman who sold her eight years ago. Angel offers Edie one last job. His goal is to defeat the billionaire “god of technology” that he was unable to stop last time. This has a lot of hype from a major publisher and looks like a lot of fun. By the way, hamajan is borrowed from the Hawaiian pidgin and is said to mean “a state of disorder or chaos.” A mess.
This is the latest anthology set in . wild card In space, an alien virus released into the world gives superpowers to 1% of the people it infects. This is the third book in the series, edited by Martin and featuring writing from a variety of authors. wild cardAfter the “British Arc” of queens over knives and three kings. The story is set on the fictional island of Coon, which is connected to mainland Cornwall only by an ancient tidal channel.
Jane Rogers won Britain’s highest science fiction award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, in 2012. Jesse Lamb’s will. (I really liked this book. It’s set in a world where all pregnant women are infected with a deadly virus, and it’s narrated by a teenager.) A collection of climate fiction stories that span viral pandemics. Until the end of 22n.d. From the Australian outback, where bushfires are raging, to Oxfordshire, where an old man is chained to an old beech tree about to be cut down. I especially love sounds set in a distant future in space, where Earth is barren but may be starting to recover.
This space opera is in part a sequel to a work with a great title. August Kitoko and the mechas from space. Of course, this work features a “ragtag group of misfits” fighting a “giant army of mechs” to destroy humanity. Our main characters are the super attractive pop star Ardent Violet and her new boyfriend August Kitoko. The book also promises a “mysterious omnipotent AI” and a coalition of aliens.
Eve Ridley (left) as The Follower and Kai Shimooka as Sophon in “Three Body Problem”
This epic 10-volume graphic novel adaptation is for the full-length Cixin Liu lovers out there, but I suspect there’s probably some in there. new scientist Dear readers. The film, which was nominated for the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic, is said to include several additional features, including a transcript of an interview with character Ye Wenjie by the Beijing PSB Criminal Investigation Squad. are. Liu himself says, “I believe graphic novels provide the widest possible canvas for science fiction.” Wouldn’t it be a good idea to put it on your Christmas list?
After romantasy (romance + fantasy), sci-fi romance seems to be the most popular genre these days, and I’m all for it. It’s about Ada being given an undercover mission by a group of rebels that happened to be at a charity event, where she finds Ryan, who tries to stop her. Here’s how the publisher describes fans of Becky Chambers and Martha Wells: I mean, that’s me.
21 second halfcent In this century, as the United States is ravaged by global warming, a mother and daughter escape from the Inside Project, a climate change relief program where they have been treated as lab rats for the past 22 years. As the weather continues to worsen and the remaining humans struggle to survive, they go on the run and encounter women from their mother’s past.
This is the latest installment in Zahn’s Icarus series, and is set in a universe where an alien race called the Icari disappeared 10,000 years ago, leaving behind portals through which people could be transported to the stars. In this expedition, Gregory Rourke and his partner Selene are tasked with finding these alien artifacts, only to find themselves on a distant planet, by a group of aliens called the Unmei who have their own portal plans. I realize what I’m facing.
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Tim Winton's new movie 'Juice' has been compared to post-apocalyptic 'Station Eleven' and 'The Road'
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We science fiction fans will have to work hard to survive all the riches this month has to offer. At least four books published in October are must-reads for me. These include the new Stephen Baxter, Tim Winton's epic tale of a future ravaged by climate change, Alan Moore's time travel, and the story of J. Lincoln Fenn. A mysterious and creepy plant on a remote island. I've also included some new spooky sci-fi novels that might be interesting. After all, it's already October. Speaking of which, it's time to start our annual reread of the Shirley Jackson family…
Our science fiction columnist, Emily Wilson, tells me that her judgment is impeccable (her review will be published later this month). And I think that's true. The film is set in a future ravaged by climate change, and follows a man and a child traveling through a stony desert until they discover an abandoned mine and decide to evacuate. Comparisons are made by publishers. station eleven and road.
This is a love story. When Love was two years old, her mother cut off her hand so she wouldn't have to work in the Mercury mines. As an adult, he lives in the Mask, a gigantic structure that hides the solar system from aliens to keep it safe. But then a spaceship arrives that has been traveling for 100 years from a forgotten colony planet…I have a lot of old stuff Stephen Baxter's novel My bookshelf is full, but it seems like this latest work from Britain's top science fiction author has to have a place there.
Remember when pride and prejudice and zombies ' came out, and we liberal arts students were wondering, 'What's next?' But it was actually quite interesting, wasn't it? Now, it's time for Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy's space adventures. In this version of Jane Austen's classic story, Elizabeth lives with her sisters and parents on a small moon in the “Londinium moon system,” but their Life is greatly shaken up.
First the Bennett sisters were facing off against zombies… now they're in space
Jay Maidment/Lionsgate/Cross Creek/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
Julia, a journalist, is offered a large sum of money to collect samples of strange flowers on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. That is the island where her sister, Irene, a botanical researcher, died in 1939. Julia will also delve into the island's secrets and rumors. It is said that a ghost appears from the burial ground on a moonless night. Fen's publisher compares this to the last of uswhich makes me wonder if this flower has some disturbing properties…
The novel, which podcast editor Rowan Hooper teased as “fascinating”, is the latest in a series of new novels from top literary author Knausgaard, and is set in a town in southern Norway where a bright new star has risen. Apparently, it turns out that since the appearance of this star, people no longer die. “These books deal with the meaning and reality of life in the modern world,” Rowan says in her writing.
alan moore
Kazam Media/REX/Shutterstock
In 1949, 18-year-old second-hand bookseller Dennis stumbles upon a fictional novel, an imagination from another book, which is in his hands. It turns out that Dennis has found a book known as the Great When, a version of London that transcends time and space, but this magical London must remain a secret, and Dennis has to take the book to its place where it's supposed to be. must be returned to. A time travel epic from the great Moore? Yes, please.
I've been thinking a lot about Jeff VanderMeer. extinctionand the eerie strangeness of Area X, a zone on the U.S. coastline where anyone who enters disappears since its publication ten years ago. Now we are gifted with the surprising fourth volume of the Southern Reach series. The first part begins decades before the formation of Area X, and jumps to follow the first expedition after the borders have been drawn down around the danger zone. VanderMeer can't wait to learn more about a world he thought was gone.
George Town, Grand Cayman, April 23, 2024, Chainwire
jill kitthe ZK rollup with parallel circuits and AI-enabled security was announced today. staking program In just two months, TVL has soared to over $2 billion.
As Zircuit progresses toward mainnet, ZK Rollup's staking program is rapidly gaining momentum, amassing over $2 billion in TVL in just two short months. Zircuit staking allows users to earn his Zircuit points by depositing assets and transfer those assets to her Zircuit's mainnet at launch. Users can earn Zircuit points by depositing ETH, Liquid Staking Tokens (LST), Liquid Restaking Tokens (LRT), and USDe (Ethena USD).
In March, Zircuit launched its Build to Earn program to encourage builders, founders, and community members to contribute to the Zircuit ecosystem. He has already received more than 1,000 applications for the program. Zircuit's growing pre-launch TVL and community allows approved projects to gain user engagement and benefit from a rich developer experience in one of the fastest growing L2s. Additionally, developers and ecosystem contributors who participate in Zircuit's Build to Earn program can receive rewards for their approved contributions. Projects that join Zircuit through Build to Earn will join a growing list of top-tier launch partners, including Ethena, Ether.fi, KelpDAO, Renzo, Hashflow, Galxe, Elixir, Blocto, Eigenpie, and more.
Zircuit is currently in testnet and plans to launch mainnet in summer 2024.
Zircuit is a ZK rollup with parallelized circuitry and AI-enabled security at the sequencer level. Built by a team of Web3 security veterans and PhDs in computer science, algorithms, and cryptography, Zircuit is backed by Pantera Capital, Dragonfly Capital, and Maelstrom. If you want to know more, please visit here zircuit.com Or follow us on Twitter/X @Zircuit2
I
In the early 2000s, Olivia Packenham came home from school, heard the familiar dial-up tone of her family’s computer connecting to the Internet, and was transported to the virtual game world of Neopets in her AOL browser.
Packenham, who started playing at the age of 8, played for many years before losing interest in high school. But in December 2023, after almost her 15-year hiatus, she logged back into her neopets.com. Then she realized that her childhood pets were waiting for her. Her favorite “Bruce” (the Neopets version of Penguin) is now over 21 years old.
Packenham says that when she opens Neopets today, it’s like going back to that time in her life. This time, my mother didn’t yell at me because the family’s phone line was clogged.
“It was like walking into a museum of the early 2000s Internet,” said Packenham, 32. And he is one of the thousands of players who have returned to Neopets over the past year.
Packenham’s return was no coincidence. His Neopets, which announced a bold rebrand in 2023, is consciously courting former fans with the promise of reuniting with old digital friends who have remained largely unchanged.
Returning Neopians (user community name) cites several reasons for returning. A woman who went by the username Solabee said she started playing the game at age 9 and began playing almost every day after her return. The resurgence of Neopets felt very special to millennials, she said. In fact, 40% of her users are between the ages of 25 and 34, and 26% of her users are between the ages of 18 and 24, the next largest demographic. Revisiting this site reminds me of a hopeful time in Internet history, when logging online was still new and exciting. Many of the Neopians interviewed for this article prefer to keep their online personas separate from their real lives and asked to be quoted by their usernames.
“We are the most nostalgic generation, so when major global events or crises occur, we all want to go back to the safest time in our lives, which is our childhood,” Soraby said.
Olivia Packenham's Neopets, the penguin-like "Bruce" variety. Photo: Courtesy of Olivia Packenham.
Neopets' strong start and long decline
Neopets started in 1999 as an early internet universe where users could care for a variety of virtual pets and play mini-games. A crude social network that predates Facebook, the site allowed users to add friends, send each other messages, exchange resources and virtual currency, and battle. It peaked in the mid-2000s with more than 25 million active users, but its popularity quickly declined as competing gaming and social sites exploded on the Internet.
The platform has changed hands multiple times since its founding, slumped amid acquisitions, and had just 100,000 users when it was acquired by Chinese company NetDragon in 2017. Further deepening the decline was the decline of Adobe's Flash Player (software). Powered most of the site – Browsers began to be phased out Neopets started around 2017 and was officially discontinued in 2020. Neopets received little attention and the interface was not updated.
That's because entrepreneur and investment consultant Dominic Lo, who joined NetDragon as new markets director in 2020, launched an internal campaign to revive the Neopets brand, calling it a "giant leap of faith." ” until he called it. Ms Lo, 36, recalled that after she immigrated to Hong Kong as a child, she used Neopets to keep in touch with friends in Canada. He realized that his Neopets was at risk because NetDragon had shut down several underperforming sites it had acquired.
“Despite its decline over the past decade, when lack of updates and flash outages made half the site unplayable, a quarter of the remaining users log on every day,” he said. “Seeing how close-knit the rest of the community is, and as a player myself, I resonated with the emotional attachment that drove these core users to support Neopets. Perhaps this is why We’ve found that we have probably the most sticky customer base.”
Law persuaded NetDragon's upper management to give Neopets a "final blow" to save it, spinning Neopets into an independently owned company with a management team of which he is now CEO. We finalized the acquisition agreement. The move was backed by undisclosed external investment. Under a group known as Neopets Team (TNT), the company began restoring the site's functionality, updating its design, and improving its most famous classic games. Next, TNT wants to enable more mobile capabilities. Although much of the site is still bogged down with some glitches, Roe said that its failure to change with the times has ironically been an asset.
“With no updates, we basically preserved early internet culture in its purest form,” he said. “When a user logs on, the game looks 99% the way he did, and his pet is there. It's like reuniting with an old friend. There aren't many experiences in life that allow you to relive your childhood. there is no.”
Difficulties in reviving Neopia
Efforts to revive Neopets have intensified, with monthly user numbers nearly tripling to 300,000 in the past six months, and the company on track to be profitable by the end of 2024, Lo said. .
“We believe this is the beginning of recovery. But there is still much work to be done,” Lo said.
In addition to prioritizing bringing lapsed users back to the site, Neopets is seeking to license the intellectual property for its trading card game and branded Monopoly board.
“We're already on track to be profitable, but we want to make sure it's sustainable and future-proof our intellectual property so we can survive for years to come.” Mr Law said.
As pressure continues to make Neopets financially viable in the real world, the company's new leadership will also have to contend with the digital financial component of the site, which operates on the Neopoints cryptocurrency. With few updates to the site over the years, a huge black market has emerged for specific pets, and the site's virtual economy has suffered from hyperinflation.
Neopets' original logo and creatures. Photo: Neopets
Neopets runs on a complex economy consisting of two main components: items and Neopoints. Throughout the years
In The Truth of Areke, the last remaining free city in the Eternal Desert has been under siege for centuries.
Shutterstock / Liu Zishan
This month we have new works by several big name authors. Cixin Liu and Ann Leckie both have easy-to-read collections of short texts. It also depicts a dystopian future by award-winning Thea Obret, and a world where woolly mammoths have been brought back from the world. Douglas Preston's bestseller.He also loves the sound of Scott Alexander Howard's debut song another valleya town where past and future versions exist in the following valleys, and the space adventures of Sofia Samatar. Practice, horizon, and chain. There are so many things I want to read and not enough time…
This is a collection of short stories by science fiction author Liu, who is currently on the rise thanks to a new Netflix film. three body problem, from essays and interviews to short stories. I love this excerpt from an essay about science fiction fans. In it he calls us “mysterious aliens in the crowd.” They “jump like fleas from the future to the past and back again, floating like gas clouds between nebulae. In an instant we can reach the edge of the universe or tunnel into quarks.” or swim inside the core of a star.''Aren't we lucky to have a world like this on our shelves?
Leckie is a must-read author for me, and this is the first complete collection of her short stories, ranging from science fiction to fantasy. On the sci-fi side, we'll be able to dip in again. imperial latch And we're also promised to “learn the secrets of the mysterious Lake of Souls” in a brand new novel.
In the disastrous future, an 11-year-old girl arrives in Morningside with her mother. Once a luxury high-rise, Morningside is now another crumbling part of Island City, half submerged under water. Obrecht won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011 for her debut novel. tiger's wife.
Samatar won all kinds of awards for his first novel. Stranger in Olondria. Her latest work depicts the story of a boy who grew up working on a mining ship in the stars, but whose life changes when he is given the opportunity to receive an education at the ship's university. Sounds interesting.
A boy grows up working on a mining ship surrounded by starry skies in The Practice, Horizon, and The Chain.
Getty Images
It's set in a Rocky Mountain valley, where guests at the luxury resort can see woolly mammoths, giant ground sloths and Irish moose brought back from extinction through genetic engineering. But then a series of murders begins, and the two investigators must find out what's really going on.this is what it looks like Jurassic Park-It looks like a lot of fun. And if you want more mammoth-related reading, try my colleague Michael Le Page's excellent explanation of why they won't be coming back anytime soon.
The award-winning author we have to talk about kevin Reflecting her thoughts on the so-called “culture wars” in her fiction, she imagines a world where the “spiritual equality movement” is at its peak, and “the worst thing you can do is call someone 'stupid'.” There is.
This speculative novel alternates endlessly through the wilderness, with the same town to the east 20 years ahead of its time, and the same town to the west 20 years behind. Border crossings are only allowed on “memorial tours,'' which allow people to see the dead in towns where they are still alive. Odile, 16, will take a seat on the Conseil Commission, which can decide who can travel across borders. I love this sound.
Many may wonder if Marvel's superhero stories are really science fiction, but I'm leaning toward the multiverse aspect of this here and including it because it seems kind of interesting. This is the first installment in a new series that reimagines the origins of some of our biggest heroes. Here, Thor died defending Earth from Loki's pranks, and the Norse trickster god, exiled to our planet, is now dealing with the consequences.
the second book of eternal desert The series is set 500 years in the future. Ajungo's lie, which follows a junior peacekeeping force in the last remaining free city in the Eternal Desert, which has been under siege for centuries. It was actually released in March, but I missed it then, and science fiction contributor Sally Addy introduced it as a title to watch this year, so I'm introducing it now.
abnormality Written by Andrei Nikolaidis, translated by Will Firth
On New Year's Eve, the last year of humanity, various stories unfold, from a high-ranking minister with blood on his hands to a nurse with a secret. Later, in a cabin in the Alps, a musicologist and his daughter, the last people left on Earth, try to make sense of this catastrophe.according to independent personNicolaidis makes “Samuel Beckett look aggressively cheerful,'' and I admit that I sometimes want to see stories like that.
In this techno-thriller, Mal is a free AI, unconcerned with the conflicts going on between humans, but is trapped inside the body of a cyborg mercenary and is responsible for keeping the girl she died protecting. It will be.
Australia's corporate watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), referred information about a US$1.89 billion “pyramid scheme” known as Hyperverse to Victoria Police in 2020. But no action was taken, and the watchdog referred it again almost two years later.
The ASIC referred the company to Victoria Police for “possible criminal fraud” after concerns were raised with corporate regulators about its affiliate company Blockchain Global. The HyperVerse crypto investment scheme was operated by HyperTech Group, founded by two of Blockchain Global's directors, Sam Lee and Ryan Xu.
An ASIC spokesperson said, “Asic provided information relating to the HyperVerse matter to Victoria Police in 2020 after being informed that VicPol was investigating the HyperVerse matter. [alleged] and after determining that it was not a financial product and that the police were in the best position to investigate. [alleged] There is a possibility of criminal fraud.”
Neither ASIC nor Victoria Police provided further details about the alleged act.
“ASIC takes seriously any fraudulent activity that harms investors and we have the authority to act against fraudulent activity in relation to financial products and services,” the spokesperson said. “When we become aware of conduct that is outside of our jurisdiction, we seek to refer information about that conduct to the appropriate authorities.”
However, Victoria Police said it had assessed that information and decided after almost two years that ASIC was “best placed to investigate further”.
Meanwhile, Blockchain Global went bankrupt and owed creditors $58 million, while Mr. Xu and Mr. Lee were allegedly involved in a “global multi-level marketing and marketing of crypto-assets” as per the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Xu is not named in the SEC's lawsuit.
A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed it received a referral from ASIC in April 2020, but the matter was not assessed until 2021. After that assessment, “it was decided that the lead agency should be ASIC”.
The matter was transferred back to ASIC in January 2022. Asked why the process took 22 months, a Victoria Police spokesperson said: “For matters of this nature, the first step is to determine whether a criminal offense has been committed and whether it is best to approach Victoria Police. Depending on the situation, it may take some time.”
A spokesperson declined to comment on the content of the evaluation.
Mr. Ashiq said he believes he is acting on this referral. “ASIC understands that this matter is being actively considered by VicPol. Ultimately, VicPol is best placed to explain its decision to refer this matter back to ASIC,” the spokesperson said.
“At the time VicPol referred the matter back to ASIC, an external administrator had been appointed to Blockchain Global. ASIC is currently considering the information contained in the liquidator’s report relating to this scheme.”
At the time ASIC was referred to Victoria Police, the first Hyper scheme, ‘HyperCapital’, was underway and launched in Hong Kong in 2019. Meanwhile, HyperCapital was rebranded to HyperFund in 2020 and became HyperVerse in December 2021.
Mr. Lee denied claims that the scheme was a fraud and defended his role at HyperVerse as limited to the technical and financial management aspects of the business. Members were offered memberships to HyperVerse, where they could explore the HyperVerse ecosystem. There were returns of 0.5% per day and a 300% return over 600 days. HyperUnits were linked to various crypto tokens and could be withdrawn and converted into other cryptocurrencies once matured.
Mr Lee also did not mention that he had resigned from Blockchain Global’s board of directors and that the company was no longer in business.
According to court documents, Brenda Chunga, a senior U.S. promoter charged and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, hired Hypertech Group and Blockchain Global to potentially promote the scheme. Mr. Chunga emphasized his connection with Blockchain Global to give the HyperFund project credibility and increase security of investment.
Ashiq defended his failure to issue a warning about the Hyperfund and Hyperverse investment schemes. Mr. Lee declined to answer questions from Guardian Australia, and Mr Hsu could not be reached for comment.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus can remain in the lungs for up to 18 months after infection, a study has found, challenging the notion that it is undetectable after initial recovery. This persistence is associated with a failure of the innate immune system. This study confirms the existence of “viral reservoirs” similar to those found in HIV and highlights the role of NK cells in controlling these reservoirs. This discovery is extremely important for understanding long-term COVID-19 infections and the mechanisms of viral persistence.
Groundbreaking research reveals:
SARS-CoV-2 Due to malfunctioning of the innate immune system, it can remain in the lungs for months, undetected, leading to long-term COVID-19 infections. 1 to 2 weeks after being infected with the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) virus It is generally undetectable in the upper respiratory tract. But does that mean it’s not present in the body? To find out, a team at the Institut Pasteur, which specializes in HIV, teamed up with France’s public research institute, the Commission for Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy (CEA), to study lung cells in animal models. It was conducted. This finding not only shows that SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in the lungs of certain individuals for up to 18 months after infection, but also that its persistence is associated with a failure of innate immunity, the first line of defense against the pathogen. It also shows that this is the case. ).This study was published in the journal innate immunology.
Discovery of virus carriers in the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19)
After causing an infection, some viruses remain in the body in a discreet and undetectable form. They remain in what is known as the “viral reservoir.” This is the case with HIV, which is latent in certain immune cells and can reactivate at any time. The same may be the case with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection). At least, this is the hypothesis proposed in 2021 by a team of scientists at the Pasteur Institute, and now confirmed in a preclinical model in non-human primates.
“Furthermore, we were able to culture these viruses and use the tools we developed to study HIV to observe that the viruses were still able to replicate.” To understand the role of innate immunity in controlling these viral reservoirs, scientists next turned to NK (natural killer) cells. “The innate immune cellular response, the body’s first line of defense, has so far been little studied in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection,” says Michaela Müller-Turtwin. “However, it has long been known that NK cells play an important role in controlling viral infections.” The study found that in some animals, macrophages infected with SARS-CoV-2 were destroyed by NK cells. In other animals, NK cells have been shown to adapt to infection and destroy resistant cells (known as adaptive NK cells). For macrophages. Therefore, this study sheds light on a possible mechanism explaining the existence of ‘viral reservoirs’. People who had little or no virus over time had adaptive NK cell production, whereas people with higher levels of virus not only had no adaptive NK cells, but only cell activation. NK cell activity also decreases. Therefore, innate immunity appears to play a role in controlling persistent SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Future research directions
“We will undertake a study of a cohort infected with SARS-CoV-2 early in the pandemic to investigate whether the identified viral reservoirs and mechanisms are associated with long-lasting COVID-19 cases. “However, the results here already represent an important step in understanding the nature of the virus reservoir and the mechanisms regulating virus survival,” says Michaela Müller-Turtwin.
Reference:
“SARS-CoV-2 virus persistence in lung alveolar macrophages is controlled by IFN-γ and NK cells”, Nicolas Huot, Cyril Planchais, Pierre Rosenbaum, Vanessa Contreras, Beatrice Jacquelin, Caroline Petitdemange, By Marie Lazzerini, Emma Beaumont, Aurelio Horta-Rezendis, Felix A. Rey, R. Keith Reeves, Roger Le Grand, Hugo Mouquet, Michaela Müller-Tourtuin, November 2, 2023. innate immunology.
This research was primarily funded by families of major donors as part of the Coronavirus Research Program Call for Projects.
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