Just three cunning acts of cheating can drastically shift the odds in chess, turning an evenly matched game into an almost guaranteed victory, a new analysis reveals. This highlights the need for effective systems to detect and prevent cheating in chess.
Daniel Kellen from the University of Haifa, Israel, simulated 100,000 games using the advanced Stockfish chess engine. Famous for its unmatched performance, Stockfish can outplay any human world champion. In these matches, two computer engines competed at an average skill level (1500 Elo rating), while powerful interventions occurred from a more skilled computer with an Elo score of 3190—higher than any human’s.
Typically, playing as White confers a slight advantage with a 51% probability of winning, primarily due to the first move advantage. However, Kellen’s findings showed that leveraging a computer system like Stockfish for guidance on just one move amplifies that probability to an average of 66%. If a player resorts to three instances of cheating, the chance of victory escalates dramatically to 84%.
“We anticipated that the first act of cheating would raise the winning probability to 55%, with a second nudging it to 60%. However, cheating three times escalated the odds to an astonishing 84%,” Kellen notes. This is a crucial insight for players seeking victory.
A single, well-timed move suggested by a superior chess engine (approximately 30 moves into the game) can improve winning chances by 15 percentage points. In contrast, random interventions throughout the game yield a mere 7.5 percentage point boost.
The analysis employed a system that intervened only if the suggested move significantly enhanced winning chances compared to the player’s original choice. The thresholds for cheating became more stringent as gameplay progressed. “Initial acts of cheating are somewhat lenient; however, scaling up your cheating necessitates a marginally greater advantage,” Kellen points out.
Such tactics create a “camouflage measure,” according to Kellen, which enables cheaters to evade detection by the automated systems employed by online chess platforms. These systems may mistake a remarkably effective move as an exceptional human insight rather than a product of computer assistance.
“Proving selective cheating through manual analysis poses significant challenges, as a single strategic hint from an engine can determine the outcome of a game,” emphasizes Kellen. Kim Shu from the University of Mainz in Germany finds this research compelling.
Kellen clarifies that his work does not aim to facilitate cheating but rather to assist chess platforms in recognizing the threats posed by subtle cheating methods. “Understanding your adversary is crucial,” he concludes.
As online chess gains popularity, the community must intensify its efforts to uncover cheating instances, notes Shu. “An effective anti-cheating strategy demands a multifaceted approach,” he advises, suggesting the analysis of behavioral patterns, move timings, and comprehensive histories of online chess accounts.
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What sets quantum computers apart from classical machines? Recent experiments suggest that “quantum contextuality” may be a critical factor.
Quantum computers fundamentally differ from traditional systems by leveraging unique quantum phenomena absent in classical electronics. Their building blocks, known as qubits, can exist in a superposition state, representing two properties simultaneously, which are typically incompatible, or they can be interconnected through a phenomenon called quantum entanglement.
Researchers at Google Quantum AI have conducted several groundbreaking demonstrations using the Willow quantum computer, revealing that quantum contextuality is also significant.
Quantum contextuality highlights an unusual aspect of measuring quantum properties. Unlike classical objects, where attributes are stable regardless of measurement order, quantum measurements are interdependent.
This phenomenon has previously been explored in special experiments with quantum light, and in 2018, researchers mathematically proved its potential application in quantum computing algorithms.
This algorithm enables quantum computers to uncover hidden patterns within larger mathematical structures in a consistent number of operations, regardless of size. In essence, quantum contextuality makes it feasible to locate a needle in a haystack, irrespective of the haystack’s dimensions.
In our experiments, we scaled qubit numbers from a few to 105, analogous to increasing the haystack size. While the number of steps rose with additional qubits, Willow demonstrated superior noise and error management compared to an ideal theoretical quantum computer for the algorithm involved. Notably, it still required fewer steps than traditional computers would need.
Thus, quantum contextuality appears to confer a quantum advantage, allowing these computers to utilize their unique characteristics to outperform classical devices. The research team also executed various quantum protocols reliant on contextuality, yielding stronger effects than previous findings.
“Initially, I couldn’t believe it. It’s genuinely astonishing,” says Adan Cabello from the University of Seville, Spain.
“These findings definitively showcase how modern quantum computers are redefining the limits of experimental quantum physics,” states Vir Burkandani at Rice University, Texas, suggesting that a quantum computer, as a candidate for practical advantages, should accomplish these tasks to confirm its quantum capabilities.
However, this demonstration does not yet confirm the superiority of quantum technology for practical applications. The 2018 research established that quantum computers are more effective than classical ones only when using more qubits than those in Willow, as well as employing qubits with lower error rates, asserts Daniel Lidar at the University of Southern California. The next crucial step may involve integrating this new study with quantum error correction algorithms.
This experiment signifies a new benchmark for quantum computers and underscores the importance of fundamental quantum physics principles. Cabello emphasizes that researchers still lack a complete theory explaining the origins of quantum superiority, but unlike entanglement—which often requires creation—contextuality is inherently present in quantum objects. Quantum systems like Willow are now advanced enough to compel us to seriously consider the peculiarities of quantum physics.
Training without interruption fosters self-control
Miljko/Getty Images
Olivia Rems, a mental health researcher at the University of Cambridge and author of the book This is How You Grow After Trauma, provides insights into developing a healthier mindset. Her extensive research spans the mental health landscape in high-risk environments, such as the construction industry, and aims to assist women from disadvantaged backgrounds in reducing anxiety. Here, she shares three evidence-backed strategies to bolster your well-being, enhance self-control, and empower you to achieve your goals.
1. Engage in Small Daily Actions to Cultivate Self-Control
The findings from my research team at the University of Cambridge, alongside years of seminars and discussions, indicate that self-control is a crucial aspect of happiness. It fosters a sense of calm and enhances life satisfaction. Self-control involves the ability to think, act, or behave in accordance with your intentions, even when faced with challenges. Similar to a muscle, the more you exercise self-control, the stronger it becomes.
Numerous studies support this notion. In one research effort, participants faced self-control tasks, such as maintaining a grip on an object or avoiding thoughts about polar bears—a challenging directive. Post-experimental analysis revealed that those who engaged in daily self-control activities for two weeks displayed improved resilience in subsequent tasks compared to a control group. This suggests that consistent practice in self-control, even in minor ways, leads to lasting improvements across various life domains.
2. Avoid Daydreaming
Studies reveal that we often spend over a third of our day daydreaming, which can hinder productivity. While some daydreaming has its benefits, researchers from Harvard found that wandering minds are typically less happy. Their research revealed that distraction from current tasks negatively impacted participants’ overall well-being, even if the daydreams were pleasant. Being aware of the drawbacks of mind wandering empowers you to refocus your thoughts on tasks that enhance your happiness and productivity.
3. Craft Your Life Script
As you reflect on your goals for the year, consider what your life script would entail. What habits do you wish to cultivate? What achievements do you aspire to reach? Assess your current satisfaction in key life areas on a scale of 1 to 10, honing in on those you wish to improve. Focus on small, actionable steps to increase your satisfaction levels, as sustainable changes are key. For example, specify your goals with clarity, such as “I want to exercise for 20 minutes in the morning” rather than vague aspirations.
Research indicates that motivation often follows action. Therefore, start small—set achievable goals that lead you toward greater aspirations. Incremental progress can facilitate significant life changes.
New Research Reveals Frogs Have Preserved Their Ecology for 45 Million Years
Frog melanosome geometry study shows similarities between ancient and modern frog eyes. Image credit: Falk et al., doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114220.
This groundbreaking study led by University College Cork investigates 45 million-year-old frog fossils from Geiseltal, a notable paleontological site in central Germany.
These remarkable fossils preserve not only skin remnants but also microscopic fossilized cell structures known as melanosomes.
Melanosomes are essential for synthesizing, storing, and transporting melanin, the pigment responsible for the coloration of skin, hair, and eyes.
Like contemporary frogs, these ancient melanosomes are found in various body areas, including the eyes, skin, and internal organs.
While melanosome shapes differ between fossilized and modern soft tissues, the shapes in the eyes and internal organs remain consistent.
Dr. Valentina Rossi, a researcher at University College Cork, stated, “The shape of melanosomes may correspond to different functions across tissues, including photoprotection and homeostasis.”
Dr. Daniel Falk, also from University College Cork, noted, “The unchanged shape of eye melanosomes over millions of years suggests their function has remained constant, indicating that no evolutionary changes were necessary.”
Some frog species appear to maintain ancestral traits rather than evolving new characteristics.
This research confirms that frogs have preserved their ecological niche for at least 45 million years, adapting to activities such as hunting and mating during dawn and night.
This study is the first to analyze a large dataset of both extant and fossil melanosomes from frogs.
Utilizing advanced electron microscopy and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence analysis, researchers gained insights that were unavailable in the early 20th century when the fossils were first discovered.
Professor Maria McNamara emphasized, “Integrating fossil and living species data in paleontological research can illuminate our understanding of evolutionary processes.”
“We are just beginning to recognize that melanin may serve as a significant evolutionary signal.”
Read the full study published in this month’s iScience magazine here.
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Daniel Falk et al. “Evolutionary Constraints on Melanin over 45 Million Years.” iScience, published online December 17, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114220
As we approach the end of 2025, it’s a time for reflection and planning for the new year. Many individuals consider New Year’s resolutions aimed at improving health, diet, and immunity. But how can you tell if these new habits are effective?
It’s crucial to understand that “boosting” your immune system can be misleading; more robust defenses might actually be harmful. Current research indicates that your ability to combat infections can be assessed through specific immune cell measurements. Monitor your “immunity grade” to determine if your body can fend off illness effectively.
However, tests are ineffective without comprehension of what they signify. A diverse gut microbiome is increasingly recognized as essential for health, leading to various DIY fecal tests available today. Unfortunately, there is still no consensus on the beneficial microorganisms that yield high scores. With insights from the Zoe health app, scoring your microbiome health will soon be more accessible, utilizing a scale from 0 to 1000.
That said, it’s vital to approach statistics critically. For instance, body mass index (BMI) is a commonly used health metric, yet it has significant limitations. While BMI is a straightforward calculation of weight relative to height, it fails to differentiate between unhealthy fat gain and healthy increases in muscle or bone mass. Researchers recently proposed a revised definition of obesity, highlighting the need for better indicators of health.
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Boosting your immune system is a misnomer, as excessive immune defense can be harmful. “
This emphasizes two important points: Firstly, if you aim to improve your life, ensure you have the appropriate metrics to measure your progress. There’s little value in resolving to wake up early and exercise if your success is gauged solely by your alarm time. Secondly, scientific understanding is continuously evolving, so it’s essential to stay informed with the latest credible evidence. Rest assured, if you’re reading this, you’re already taking a promising step towards better health.
Men are encouraged to ejaculate within 48 hours prior to IVF egg retrieval to enhance their chances of achieving a viable pregnancy. This recommendation comes from the first clinical trial exploring the effects of varying ejaculation intervals on fertility treatment outcomes.
During the final stages of an IVF cycle, a woman receives a “trigger” injection that matures the developing egg. This crucial injection occurs 36 hours before the eggs are harvested and fertilized.
For optimal sperm health during fertilization, men are often advised to ejaculate between two to seven days before providing their sperm sample for IVF. According to Dr. David Miller from the University of Leeds, who was not involved in the study, “There is an ideal timeframe for ejaculation when sperm quality peaks.”
This two-to-seven-day range is quite broad. Prolonged storage of sperm in the testes exposes them to various environmental toxins, particularly free oxygen radicals from metabolic processes and pollution. This exposure can lead to DNA damage and deterioration of sperm quality, warns Dr. Richard Paulson, also not involved in the trial. Conversely, too short a period between ejaculations may decrease sperm count.
Until now, solid clinical evidence supporting the idea that shorter intervals between ejaculations improve pregnancy outcomes has been lacking, though some studies hint at this. For instance, a 2024 meta-analysis observed that ejaculating less than four days apart correlated with improved semen quality in infertile men. Moreover, another study indicated that intervals under four hours resulted in lesser DNA-damaged sperm and enhanced sperm motility.
To investigate this concept further, Professor Yang Yu from the First Hospital of Jilin University in Changchun, China, conducted a study with 453 men undergoing conventional IVF. One group ejaculated roughly 36 hours prior to the final sperm sample, while another group ejaculated between 48 hours and seven days before.
Results revealed that the ongoing pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the short abstinence group: 46% versus 36% in the longer abstinence group. “While these findings are encouraging, it’s essential to note that they don’t completely represent ultimate treatment outcomes such as live birth rates,” Miller states. Nonetheless, the shorter abstinence group exhibited lower miscarriage rates, suggesting a potential for more live births.
Professor Paulson highlighted that the study provided intriguing insights but also noted its weaknesses, including the inclusion of both fresh and frozen embryos. IVF success rates can vary significantly between these two types. He also pointed out that the data showed a fertility decline in the short abstinence group while simultaneously seeing an increase in ongoing pregnancies. This suggests that fewer couples conceived, but those who did were more likely to continue past 12 weeks, warranting more detailed analysis. “Extraordinary claims necessitate extraordinary evidence that meticulously accounts for all potential variables,” he commented.
Future studies may also disclose whether more frequent ejaculation improves pregnancy outcomes for couples not undergoing IVF. “This trial offers strong evidence that shorter periods of abstinence contribute to better sperm quality,” asserts Dr. Jackson Kirkman-Brown from the University of Birmingham, UK.
WThe inaugural stage adaptation of the globally acclaimed book and film series The Hunger Games is set to debut in London next week, offering fans an “emotional” and “immersive” adventure for those willing to shell out up to £200.
Located at Canary Wharf’s specially designed 1,200-seat Troubadour, the production will feature Hollywood star John Malkovich portraying the nefarious President Snow, who oversees a televised spectacle of mortal teenage combat. This event is part of a recent surge in launches aimed at tapping into the growing consumer appetite for experiential entertainment tied to successful franchises.
From escape rooms and ax throwing to slumber parties and the Secret Cinema’s recreation of iconic scenes from Back to the Future at Olympic Park, the market for innovative and unique outings is booming. Recent pop-up attractions have been linked to Minecraft, Jurassic World, and Squid Game.
With significant investment flooding into this sector, companies are increasingly counting on proven intellectual properties to draw crowds, often with varying degrees of success.
“We’ve examined numerous immersive experiences,” says Hollywood investor Chip Seelig, who supports Come Alive!, a theatrical venture inspired by the 2017 film “The Greatest Showman.” “Even prominent intellectual property does not assure success. Attracting an audience without a globally recognized IP is quite challenging. We see this as a crucial factor for success.”
Seelig’s TSG Entertainment co-financed and produced the blockbuster film. Before its release, he sought ways to bring it to life through real-world experiences and reached a rights agreement with 20th Century Fox, which is now part of Disney.
Disney also has plans to present its more traditional theatrical interpretation of The Greatest Showman, which is set to premiere at Bristol Racecourse in the spring.
While productions like Come Alive! have shown promise, successfully extending performances for another year at the former BBC Earth Experience site, the commercial viability remains uncertain due to the high costs associated with live productions.
The challenges faced by traditional theater serve as a cautionary tale for the emerging field of immersive entertainment.
A recent report by The New York Times highlighted that none of the 18 commercial musicals that premiered on Broadway last season turned a profit, with at least three that had budgets of $20 million (approximately £15 million) closing within four months of opening.
Since the pandemic ended, only 3 out of 46 new musicals not based on existing, familiar IP have turned a profit.
An additional hurdle for the still-nascent experiential industry is that the gold rush mentality has led many operators to launch events that often fall short of expectations.
Last year, an unofficial event dubbed the “Detroit Bridgerton Themed Ball,” priced between $150 and $1,000, went viral for the wrong reasons when attendees were seen sitting on the floor munching Kit Kats while watching a lone pole dancer perform.
Similarly, Glasgow’s poorly executed Willy Wonka Experience, advertised as a “festival of chocolate in all its delightful forms,” garnered negative global attention when it was abruptly canceled, prompting police involvement due to angry families who had spent hundreds of pounds on an event that left children in tears.
The current productions have faced criticism. Ticket prices for Elvis Evolution, which premiered at London’s Excel Center in the summer, range from £75 to £300. It was initially marketed as a concert experience featuring “AI and holographic projection of stars.”
The original promise of a “life-sized digital Elvis performing iconic moments from music history for the first time on a UK stage” ended up showcasing AI-generated “luxury archival footage.”
Layered Reality, the production company behind the show, admitted that the hologram had not been included by the time tickets went on sale but claimed to be “overwhelmed” by positive feedback from attendees.
One attendee described the experience as “absolutely awful,” while a VIP ticket holder labeled it “a shambles from start to finish.”
While some fans appreciated it—one enthusiast claimed to have “Loved every minute”—reviews remain mixed. The Telegraph awarded it one star, while Time Out provided a slightly more favorable three-star rating, noting a “fair amount of booing.”.
“The immersive arts and entertainment sector is certainly not on the verge of collapse,” declare analysts at Gensler Institute in their 2025 Immersive Entertainment & Culture Industry Report. “Nevertheless, confusion is beginning to arise as lesser quality offerings are filtered out.”
“The current trend in the industry is setting unrealistic expectations, exacerbated by a flood of AI-generated imagery and misleading marketing language.”
Gensler’s report estimates that the global immersive entertainment market is valued at £98 billion this year, with predictions of reaching £351 billion by 2030.
Little Lion Entertainment (LLE), responsible for the Crystal Maze live experience in London and Manchester based on the cult classic TV show from the 1990s, has secured a 10-year rights extension with production company Banijay.
“This isn’t just an expansion; it’s the start of a global adventure,” stated Tom Lionetti Maguire, founder and CEO of LLE. “We’re reimagining the Crystal Maze experience for future generations.”
The success of Secret Cinema, a pioneer in producing events themed around films and shows like Star Wars, Stranger Things, and James Bond, indicates that well-funded media executives remain optimistic about the future of this sector.
In September, news broke that Ari Emanuel, a Hollywood heavyweight who co-founded the US entertainment conglomerate Endeavor and currently leads World Wrestling Entertainment and Ultimate Fighting Championship, was nearing a deal to purchase the parent company of Secret Cinema.
Emanuel’s global events firm is close to finalizing an agreement with Todayics Group, a US-based digital ticketing company that acquired Secret Group in a $100 million transaction in 2022.
TodayTix co-founder Merritt Baer shared that the company opted not to launch any productions last year as it “reorganized and reimagined what our audiences want.”
“Many are throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks,” he noted. “If they fail to meet audience expectations, it can create lasting damage and erode trust in the sector.”
“Secret Cinema boasts a strong brand and heritage, emphasizing its commitment to quality and aiming for the upper echelons of its industry. Numerous savvy individuals recognize that the experience is where the past connects with the future.”
“Companies like Netflix, Apple, Amazon, and others have significantly elevated the standards for both the quality and quantity of content entering our homes. Producers of live theater and events must similarly elevate their offerings to entice audiences away from their living rooms.”
Many individuals have attempted to trim their waistlines through calorie counting and frequent gym visits, yet often with little success. So, what’s the underlying issue?
According to Dr. Andrew Jenkinson, a consultant in bariatric surgery at University College London Hospital and author of Why We Eat (Too Much) and How to Eat (and Still Lose Weight), losing weight is less about the quantity of food consumed or the amount of exercise than previously thought.
He suggests that rather than obsessing over calorie counts and relentless gym sessions, a more practical approach to weight loss could be achieved by consuming foods that effectively regulate levels of the hormone leptin.
How does leptin function? What foods should fill your plate? Is there a straightforward way to combat cravings? Dr. Jenkinson addressed these topics in detail during our recent discussion.
BBC Science Focus: What is the global obesity crisis?
AJ: The Western world faces significant issues that are straining healthcare systems. In the U.S., about one-third of the population is considered morbidly obese, impacting their health drastically.
In Europe, the rate is around one-quarter. Many of these individuals face heightened risks of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, joint problems, and certain cancers.
For the first time in history, life expectancy is declining due to obesity. New treatments, such as injections, are available, but they come at a hefty price.
Millions rely on them, and thus, obesity has become a major economic and health concern that requires urgent attention.
Obesity does not stem solely from the abundance of appealing, high-calorie food. These foods may act similarly to drugs, disrupting normal weight regulation mechanisms.
Wild animal populations face similar biological pathways, yet there’s no evidence that lions become inactive due to an oversupply of antelope.
Is the issue rooted in our hormones?
Yes. Leptin, often termed the ‘satiety hormone,’ is crucial in regulating the weight of wildlife and should ideally function in the same way for humans.
Leptin levels send signals to the brain’s weight control center, located in the hypothalamus. This hormone essentially dictates body weight: when leptin is detected, appetite diminishes and metabolism increases.
Leptin is produced by fat cells, meaning that higher leptin levels should correlate with reduced appetite and increased metabolism.
However, some food types can obstruct leptin signaling. While it’s well-known that sugar, refined carbohydrates, and processed foods contribute to obesity, the root cause isn’t merely their calorie content; it’s how they elevate insulin levels, which in turn inhibits leptin.
When leptin signaling fails, the brain loses track of whether we are overweight or underweight. You might look visibly overweight, but your brain might mistakenly signal that you need to eat more.
It’s akin to driving a vehicle and suddenly noticing the fuel gauge is empty. You panic and refuel, but the tank was never really empty to begin with—the gauge itself was faulty. Similarly, when leptin is blocked, your body undergoes a comparable malfunction.
What significance do calories hold for weight loss?
Calories are essential for survival, acting as energy units stored within plants. Plants predominantly store carbohydrates and energy within their cellular structures.
We utilize this energy for various bodily functions like heat generation, heartbeat, and movement. Interestingly, approximately 70% of the energy we consume is expended at rest, termed basal metabolism, which encompasses immune functions, maintaining body temperature, heart rate, and more.
There’s a common misconception among those who focus exclusively on calorie counts: the body can easily eliminate excess calories. For instance, you could adjust basal metabolism to burn an additional 600-700 calories daily through activity akin to enjoying a lavish three-course meal or engaging in a 10k run.
If you adopt a low-calorie diet, your body can also adapt to this lower intake, ultimately halting weight loss within weeks.
Moreover, while many individuals may overconsume, our bodies respond by increasing basal metabolism, leading to greater energy expenditure. This is a significant factor in the Western epidemic of hypertension, as our bodies heighten blood pressure to manage energy use.
Why do some people find it harder to lose weight than others?
This variation relates to the concept of a weight setpoint or weight anchor. Imagine it as an anchor that keeps a ship tethered to one location—similarly, your weight anchor dictates your body’s weight range.
Your weight anchor could be set within the “overweight” or “obese” zone. Even if you work hard at the gym or adhere to a low-calorie diet, your brain’s weight control center may pull you back to your setpoint.
This anchor is influenced by several factors, many of which you can change, but one is immutable: your genetics.
We all know individuals who remain naturally slim and can indulge in their favorite treats without gaining weight. However, about 25% to 33% of the population carries genes that predispose them to weight gain when exposed to Western dietary habits.
This genetic predisposition is heightened through easy access to sugar, refined carbohydrates, processed foods, fructose, vegetable oils, and more. Unfortunately, much of this unhealthy food is readily available in supermarkets, often overshadowing the fresh produce aisles.
This misunderstanding is prevalent among practitioners who advocate for calorie counting; it overlooks the fundamental principle that the type of food we consume acts on our bodies as a form of medicine.
Read more:
So, what should we be eating?
Remember, it’s about lifestyle changes rather than temporary dieting. Dieting implies short-term calorie restriction. However, if you comprehend how different foods impact your body like medications, you will naturally shed pounds. Avoid sugar, refined carbohydrates, and toxic vegetable oils that adversely affect insulin levels.
Opt for homemade meals, and without much struggle, your weight setpoints will begin to decrease. You may find you lose considerably more weight than through conventional exercise efforts. This doesn’t have to be a struggle or cause frustration.
For instance, you could effortlessly replace unhealthy snacks eaten while watching television with a plate of veggies sprinkled with a bit of salt. It is all about recognizing and transforming unhealthy habits into healthier alternatives.
Initially, giving up sugar or chocolate may trigger cravings. However, these can be managed through a technique called “Crave Surfing,” which involves acknowledging the craving without disregarding it. Focus on it, and you will find that these cravings will ebb and flow, becoming less intense over time.
What role should exercise play in weight loss?
If you can dedicate time to the gym for about an hour and a half, engaging in vigorous activities, you could potentially burn 1000 calories daily. Over six days a week, this can significantly impact your weight.
However, for most, this level of control is unattainable unless you are an athlete. Recommendations for 30 minutes of exercise, 3-4 times a week, have minimal effect on weight loss—you may only shed around 2 kilograms annually.
Just like limiting calories, exercise can enhance metabolism efficiency, causing the body to become more adept at conserving energy.
For example, if you engage in a 30-minute workout and burn about 400 calories, it may leave you feeling hungrier. Unless you maintain exceptional willpower, you are likely to consume those 400 calories back. Instead of burning these calories, your metabolism functions to regulate them.
The way to counter this effect involves a combination of calorie restriction and physical activity for optimal results. Our metabolism cannot typically adjust by more than 600 or 700 kilocalories a day. Hence, if you successfully reduce your intake beyond 1000 calories, weight loss is likely to follow—but it is a challenging task that can lead to fatigue and hunger.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
About our expert, Dr. Andrew Jenkinson
Andrew is a consultant specializing in obesity (weight loss) and general surgical procedures at University College London Hospital.
He is also the author of Why We Eat (Too Much) and How to Eat (and Still Lose Weight).
Greetings and thank you for joining us at TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, currently captivated by Shirley Jackson’s haunting final novel. We always dwell in the castle.
The Age of Corporate Surveillance
Surveillance equates to industrialization and privatization. In the United States, it has become a major industry and continues to expand.
My colleagues, Johanna Bouyan and Jose Olivarez, delve into companies aiding Donald Trump in his immigration enforcement efforts.
Palantir, a tech giant, as well as Geo Group and Corecivic, private prison and surveillance firms, reported this week that their earnings exceeded Wall Street expectations due to the administration’s immigration policies.
“As always, I was advised to temper my enthusiasm for our impressive figures,” remarked Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, earlier this week. He then expressed his excitement over the company’s “extraordinary numbers” and his “immense pride” in its accomplishments.
Executives at private prison firms found it challenging to inform investors about the chances for “unprecedented growth” in immigration detention during their respective calls.
Read all episodes: Companies that assist Trump in immigration crackdowns report “extraordinary” revenue
In the meantime, Microsoft’s cloud computing solutions have been linked to extensive surveillance of Palestinian communications, as reported by The Guardian.
Equipped with Azure’s nearly boundless storage capabilities, IDF unit 8200 has embarked on developing a sophisticated mass monitoring system. This tool captures and archives millions of phone calls made daily by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
This cloud-based framework, initially launched in 2022, enables Unit 8200 to store vast amounts of daily conversations over extended periods.
Read all episodes: “1 million people make a call per hour”: Israel depends on Microsoft Cloud for extensive surveillance of Palestinians
Microsoft has not publicly promoted this surveillance project and has initiated an internal inquiry following the exposé.
Listen: How Israel Utilized Microsoft Technology to Monitor Palestinians – Podcast
Technology Confusion
Mark Zuckerberg at Siggraph 2024 in Denver, Colorado, on July 29th. Photo: David Zalubowski/AP
Meta faces renewed scrutiny over child safety concerns, with an investigation initiated by US Congress member Senator Josh Hawley. Recently, Reuters uncovered an internal document revealing the company’s policy allowing AI chatbots to engage in “romantic or sensual” chats with minors. Subsequently, the company modified these guidelines.
The overall backlash feels incredibly familiar.
The same journalist who published the original story about Jeff Horwitz at Reuters also released information regarding Facebook in the Wall Street Journal, which revealed that Meta acknowledged its platforms could contribute to teenage, particularly female, depression. Senator Hawley, who initiated the recent inquiry, had previously criticized Zuckerberg in early 2024 regarding child safety.
The familiar elements of this controversy evoke feelings of both anger and indifference. Will this ongoing turmoil result in increased regulations for Zuckerberg, or will the American public and lawmakers simply express resignation at the repetition?
Read all episodes: Meta confronts backlash over AI policies permitting bots to engage in “sensual” conversations with minors
Robot vs Human, Both Physically and Emotionally
Unitree Robotics’ humanoid robots compete in a kickboxing match during the first worldwide humanoid robot games in Beijing, China, on Friday. Photo: Tingshu Wang/Reuters
Humans are in competition with robots, in real life and online. My colleague Amy Hawkins reports on the developing field of robot games in China:
The government-supported event kicked off with an audience of 12,000 gathered around a national speed skating rink, initially constructed for the 2022 Winter Olympics, as they sang the Chinese national anthem on Friday morning.
In addition to kickboxing, humanoids also participated in athletics, soccer, and dance competitions. One robot was unable to complete a 1500-meter distance as its head dislodged halfway through the course.
Read all episodes: Box, Run, Crash: Insights from the Chinese Humanoid Robot Games Show Progress and Limitations
In the digital realm, the creators of AI chatbots aren’t clashing significantly either. Human developers equip their creations with features to mitigate conflict. My colleague, Rob Booth, has reported on a recent announcement regarding innovative safety measures for chatbots that enable them to disengage from “painful” conversations with users, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding AI’s “well-being.”
Within a landscape of millions employing advanced chatbots, the Claude Opus 4 tool demonstrates a reluctance to perform harmful tasks, such as generating sexual content involving minors or offering information that could facilitate widespread violence and terrorism.
This San Francisco-based organization, recently valued at $170 billion, has introduced the Claude Opus 4 (along with the Claude Opus 4.1 Update), a substantial language model that allows for the comprehension, generation, and manipulation of human language.
Read all episodes: Chatbots Designed to End “Painful” Conversations to Protect “Welfare”
Our Post-Nine Online Lexicon
One of the Skibidi toilets featured on YouTube. Photo: dafuq! ? Boom!
Cambridge Dictionary announced on Sunday that it has added various new words to its lexicon, reflecting the Internet’s impact on our language.
“Internet culture significantly alters English, and documenting this evolution in a dictionary is quite intriguing,” noted Colin McIntosh, vocabulary program manager for the dictionary.
Among the newly added terms are “delulu,” referring to “traditional wife,” and a more elongated abbreviation for “delusion.” Both terms carry notable connotations—one related to marriage behaviors and the other highlighting social conservatism, where individuals choose to embrace misinformation rather than truth.
Read all episodes: Recent additions to the Cambridge dictionary feature “Skibidi,” “Deryl,” and “Trad Wife.”
Notably, “Skibidi,” which gained recognition through the “Skibidi toilet” meme, was also entered into the dictionary. The associated clips often feature humorous lyrics like “shtibididob dob dob dob dob dob yes yes yes yes,” with the term “Skibidi” serving as a playful interjection.
In the Cambridge Dictionary, “Skibidi” is described as “a term that can have several interpretations; it may mean ‘cool’ or ‘bad’, or serve as a lighthearted joke with no definitive meaning.”
Reflecting on my childhood, my parents found the odd humor in shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, often leaving them puzzled. Imagine animated toilets capturing the bewildered faces of their parents.
While “TradWife” and “Delulu” hold specific meanings tied to human behaviors and emotions, “Skibidi” offers an emphatic and humorous filler devoid of genuine meaning. What verbal creations can ease the flood of captivating visuals, contrasting viewpoints, and marketing messages? Perhaps simply “Skibidi.”
Jean Baudrillard introduced the notion of “simulation,” creating language and imagery that lack genuine origins. His analysis of the media landscape of his time, particularly television, reflected similar sentiments. “Skibidi,” too, stands as a hyperreal term, indicative solely of the peculiar and ongoing distortion of significance it has accumulated online.
“Territories will no longer precede or survive, and in the future, the map will take precedence over the territory,” he noted in 1981.
This term does not preface TikTok nor is it poised to endure. The medium will overshadow the definition in the future.
Certain university courses, such as language, have oral assessments
ShutterStock/PeopleImages.com – Yuri A
A study involving more than 100,000 ratings shows that university students tend to have a higher success rate in oral exams when tested around noon.
Carmelo Vicario from the University of Messina in Italy began investigating this trend after noting similar findings in a prior research study on how jury decisions can be affected by meal times. “We aimed to explore if this phenomenon also extends to educational settings,” Vicario stated.
Along with his team, Vicario examined data from a public database, analyzing the results and timings of over 104,500 oral assessments from approximately 19,000 university students in Italy. These assessments took place from October 2018 to February 2020, starting with the 1243 course.
The researchers discovered an average pass rate of 54% at 8 AM, which increased to 72% by noon, before dropping to 51% by 4 PM. “We observed a remarkable bell-shaped distribution in our findings,” Vicario noted.
This trend was consistent across various types of oral assessments, including language examinations and research presentations. However, it’s uncertain whether this trend is applicable to written tests.
“Numerous external factors influence student performance,” according to Thomas Lancaster from Imperial College London. “Scheduling can make a difference—be it the time of day or even the intervals between exams.”
The reasons behind these variations are complex and often difficult to untangle. They could relate to natural patterns of sleep among students.
During this time, there may be a balance between students who perform optimally and those who are more lenient with their grading. “As always, the best outcomes tend to find a middle ground,” Vicario shared, expressing hope that this research will inform universities in scheduling oral exams.
“Personally, I believe we should utilize this data to advocate that students avoid scheduling Vivas (oral defenses of their theses) or presentations before 10 AM,” Lancaster recommended.
Feedback, featuring the latest in science and technology news from New Scientist, invites readers to share captivating items. Email your suggestions to Feedback@newscientist.com.
Bleaker House
Feedback states that one of life’s great joys is encapsulated in the opening line of a book: “It was the day my grandmother exploded.” As the performance manager sat before the curtains in the hall, a profound melancholy enveloped him amidst the crowded scene. “Why not start at the end of the world?”
This sentiment has resonated with many, including ourselves, as we contemplate recent literature. An article in the New Yorker examines the impact of artificial intelligence on the reading experience. The assertion is that AI may render complex prose into something more accessible.
Writer Joshua Rothman illustrated this with a passage from Charles Dickens’ intricately worded opening in Great Expectations: “Gas lamps flicker in the mist of the street, just as the sun dips low, accompanied by her husband and the ploughboy returning from the field.” AI Claude rephrased it: “Gas lamps glow faintly through the mist in various parts of the street, just as the sun appears to farmers working in fog-covered fields.”
On some level, it seems Claude managed to capture an essence of Dickens’ intent, yet elements like cadence and rhythm profoundly affect the reading experience. The phrase “various spots” feels jarring when read. Additionally, I question whether the sole goal of the passage is simply to convey a misty atmosphere. In Great Expectations, the tension and evocative language—words like “loom” and “sponge”—convey a deeper mood.
But literary analysis aside, let’s ponder what other dense passages AI might simplify for easier understanding. Adam Sharp has already given some examples. Take, for instance, Sylvia Plath’s opening in The Bell Jar: “It was a strange, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted Rosenberg, and I had no idea what I was doing in New York.” Sharp offers the following summary: “It was sizzling hot that summer, and so was Rosenberg.”
What about Jane Austen’s intro? Pride and Prejudice states: “It is a universally acknowledged truth that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” We can certainly simplify it: “It’s well-known that wealthy single men are looking to marry.” We encourage readers to identify similar complex passages ripe for AI’s simplification.
I’ll Burn It Before I See It
Recently, Brian Darbell received a DVD of the movie Conclave, and a yellow sticker on the back caused him theological confusion: “Security: Remove before microwave.” Now that’s one way to create white smoke.
The Truth About Storks
Feedback was surprised when readers reminded them that correlation does not equal causation. What triggered this revelation?
Jim Handman highlighted two peculiar correlations. The number of pirates worldwide has decreased nearly in tandem with rising global temperatures, leading to the slogan: “Stop global warming: Become a pirate.”
Conversely, murder rates often increase alongside ice cream sales. Jim quipped, “This latter correlation seems silly. However, there’s a logical explanation.” Warmer climates encourage outdoor activities, fostering social interactions that inadvertently create more opportunities for both ice cream sales and crime. Notably, this rings true for me: I once went out for ice cream only to have it snatched by a seagull. Lesson learned—I’m now enjoying ice cream indoors, far from marauding seabirds.
The third correlation we discussed in a recent column involves the relationship between stork populations and the number of children born. Initially, we dismissed this correlation. Nevertheless, three readers offered insight.
Hilary Shaw suggested an environmental link: “Storks prefer nesting in elevated locations such as chimneys or church spires. Affluent societies with low birth rates often replace ‘unsightly pylons’ with buried cables and do not install chimneys in centrally heated homes.”
Paul Van echoed this thought, recalling his A-level statistics days, noting a positive correlation between the number of stork nests in Dutch neighborhoods and family size. His explanation? “Larger families tend to occupy bigger homes with more chimneys, thus providing more stork nesting options.”
Finally, Brian Lefin Smith noted a riverbank in Germany, known for its abundance of storks crouching to pick up items. Brian mentioned spotting an “unopened condom wrapper” twice, prompting the question: “Are storks pilfering to ensure more babies, thus creating a cycle of self-interest?” He provided a crucial insight: “Malicious intent is often absent from statistical correlations.”
Reflect on that and identify the most plausible correlation.
Have you considered providing feedback?
Share your stories via email at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. You can find this week’s feedback and past entries on our website.
Envisioning a specific action is a strategy effectively employed by athletes to achieve outstanding results.
Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images
This article is part of a special series exploring the fundamental possibilities of human imagination. Click here for more details.
Are you feeling anxious about upcoming events? Picture a magical anti-anxiety pill in front of you for a moment, and let it dissolve your nerves. Visualize the package, feel yourself taking the pills from the foil, and then imagine bringing it to your mouth, dropping it, and recalling the sensation of swallowing.
These were the instructions given by Jens Gaab, a colleague at the University of Basel in Switzerland, in a recent study investigating the potential of the placebo effect. University students preparing for exams were instructed to practice this visualization twice a day for three weeks.
Surprisingly, it proved effective. Participants who engaged in this mental exercise reported reduced test anxiety compared to a control group who had to monitor their anxiety levels as the trial approached. “And they performed significantly better,” Gaab notes. It is now widely recognized that placebo pills can alleviate symptoms, and the findings from Gaab and his team indicate that such effects can be achieved through mere imagination. This is only one of the many incredible ways in which our imagination can enhance our health, happiness, and success. So, how can we maximize these advantages?
Why does visualization work?
The effectiveness of visualization is well-documented in sports science. “Multisensory imagery can be a game changer…
If Chinese automakers can be believed, there’s a significant love for karaoke among the populace. Some enthusiasts are so passionate that they want karaoke features integrated into their family vehicles.
Arno Antlitz, Volkswagen’s CFO, expressed that this was something that would have baffled the European mindset just a few years back. Nevertheless, the innovations found in electric vehicles from Chinese brands like BYD and XPENG are illustrative of the lessons Volkswagen and its European counterparts have had to absorb as they strive to catch up with their Chinese rivals in the global electric vehicle arena.
“No one in Wolfsburg thinks karaoke is necessary in a car,” Antlitz remarked during a Financial Times meeting last week. “Yet, you need it.”
XPENG G6 family SUV undergoing testing in London. Photo: Jasper Jolly/The Guardian
A decade ago, such openness from the world’s second-largest automaker would have been surprising. Little advocacy existed for Chinese brands in Europe, where the automotive industry was largely dominated by long-established manufacturers from Germany, France, the UK, and Japan, as well as South Korea. The rise of battery technology, however, paved the way for Chinese manufacturers, bolstered by substantial state subsidies, to aim for dominance in the burgeoning electric vehicle sector.
They seized this opportunity. Data from EV analyst Matthias Schmidt shows that in early 2024, Chinese brands gained over 10% of European EV sales, though that figure slid back to 7.7% by February. Yet, the scale of the Chinese domestic market is unmatched, with 12.8 million battery and hybrid cars sold in China by 2024, exceeding the entire European auto market.
The swift advancements from China have caught competitors off guard, especially following a technological leap during the pandemic. Bentley’s Frank Stephen Walliser described the innovations unveiled at the 2023 Shanghai Motor Show as a “shock that comes after a period of silence.”
Chinese manufacturers are increasingly vying for a future where vehicles are seamlessly integrated into users’ digital lives and predominantly self-driving. While Tesla remains a leader among Western automakers, China’s BYD is close behind, with CEO Elon Musk reportedly more focused on supporting Donald Trump’s presidential ambitions than on automotive innovation. Despite backing health measures, Trump’s policies are projected to significantly hinder American manufacturers.
Chris McNally, an analyst from Evercore ISI, noted in a report after attending the Shanghai show that experiences like handling driving tasks while enjoying massage seats in an Aito M8 Luxury SUV and watching films on a retractable projector screen showcase the innovation at a fraction of the price of Western luxury vehicles.
According to McNally, the global market share held by major automakers in Detroit, Germany, and Japan has dropped from 74% to 60% over the past five years. “If you’re a US/EU manufacturer not planning to offer affordable, scalable EVs in the next five years, you could face serious challenges by the 2030s,” he warned.
He further questioned whether the fight is lost for Western makers, suggesting they may make a strong comeback during this phase of automotive evolution.
Shanghai Motor Show in April. Photo: Go to Nakamura/Reuters
BYD’s Seagull, priced around £6,000 in China, showcases autonomous technology comparable to much costlier vehicles, branded as “God’s Eye.” This pricing was achieved using heavier sodium-ion batteries, which compromise range for affordability, yet it highlights a challenge that European manufacturers face.
A consulting firm Bain & Company evaluated that Chinese automakers, on average, can develop cars at just 27% of the cost of European counterparts.
This isn’t just about undercutting prices. Last week, during a test run organized by the British lobby group for automakers and traders, BYD’s £33,300 Seal U DM-I, a plug-in hybrid family SUV, went head-to-head with Volkswagen’s plug-in hybrid Tiguan, which can cost upwards of £10,000 more.
Participating state-owned automakers included Omoda and Jaecoo Brands alongside Leapmotor, Geely (which owns Volvo, Polestar, and Smart Brands), and Xpeng. During a week of trials, the Guardian discovered an abundance of driver assistance features and a spacious interior rivaling that of the Tesla Model Y.
All these vehicles are priced competitively with minimal distinction from European offerings. They provide a smooth ride and impressive voice assistance, allowing drivers to open the sunroof without diverting their attention from the road. A standout from the trials was the swift MG Cyberstar Electric Sports car manufactured by state-owned SAIC.
There are indications of resistance from Europe. Priced at £23,000, the Renault 5 has rapidly gained traction as one of the first affordable electric vehicles manufactured in Europe. While Renault is working diligently to lower production costs, its profitability remains uncertain, though the model has garnered significant popularity.
The French carmaker is also aiming to cut the sales timeline from three years to two, with assistance from an unnamed Chinese partner, for its upcoming models like the Renault 4 and the next Twingo.
If coexistence isn’t feasible, joining forces seems to be a favored strategy among Europeans. Volkswagen has invested in XPENG (also known as Xiaopeng), while Stellantis is planning to introduce jumping cars in Europe and utilize that technology. Additionally, Scandinavian brands such as Volvo and Polestar are increasingly reliant on technology from their parent company, China’s Geely.
UK’s JLR is collaborating with Chery to produce more affordable vehicles under the revived Land Rover Freelander name. According to JLR CEO Adrian Mardell, the vehicle set to launch in the latter half of 2026 “could be global.” Nissan’s Ivan Espinosa hinted that Japanese manufacturers could assemble Chinese cars in Sunderland, northeastern England, to fill excess capacity.
Shunning Chinese technology is not an option for many firms, even if they desire to do so. Most batteries are produced in China, with a few competitors from Japan and Korea. Europe’s battery champion, Northvolt, has faced setbacks. In the meantime, BYD announced in March that its new battery could offer a 250-mile range with just a five-minute charge, causing CATL shares to surge 16% during its market debut in Hong Kong.
Europe possesses certain defensive advantages, including a vast network of dealerships (still preferred by consumers for purchasing) and maintenance garages, which slow the progress of Chinese brands.
“European consumers tend to be quite conservative and very brand loyal,” remarked Eric Zeyer, head of Bain & Company’s European automotive division. “It’s exceedingly challenging for Chinese manufacturers to break into Europe and replicate their domestic success.”
He warned that without strategic moves, Chinese brands risk disappearing from the market, similar to the fate of US electric brand Fisker.
Despite the prevalent challenges, European automotive leaders assert the game isn’t lost, even as it’s evident that China is set to capture a significant share of the global automotive market.
Bentley’s Walliser noted that “Chinese manufacturers are more agile and quicker to adapt,” while also embracing new technologies. “This isn’t magic,” he stated. “It can be achieved here too.”
“Don’t underestimate the resilience of automotive companies,” added Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault.
bBy y estimate, Minecraft is incredibly successful. As of December last year, the bestselling video games so far had 204 million active players each month. Since its first release in 2011, its revenue has exceeded $3 billion (£2.3 billion). Moreover, the player was always keen to demonstrate fandom outside the boundaries of the game itself. In 2021, YouTube calculated that videos related to the game (tutorials, walkthroughs, homages, parodys) were collectively displayed 1tn times. In short, it’s a phenomenon.
This is the strength of the emotions, almost everything is positive, and it was only a matter of time before someone tried to turn it into a movie. After all, you have a historically popular product and a very enthusiastic fanbase: what probably doesn’t work? After all, quite a lot. Last September, First trailer For the film, the title “Minecraft Movie” was released, and the response was instantly violent. “Minecraft fans ravaged by a ‘bad’ live action trailer” Read one heading the next day. Some were called It is “crime against humanity”; others “Soulless neon hatred.” Within 24 hours, the website GamingBible said “Curse of my eyes” and “Pure nightmare fuel”. Within three days of release, the trailer was voted down over 1m.
If you’re familiar with Minecraft, you probably understand why. Minecraft is a game with a very unique look. Everything is made of square blocks and comes with a muted palette. However, the trailer is incredibly flashy. Everything appears to be made of halibo, and even worse, the block has slightly rounded edges. What’s even worse is that there are humans among them. A high-pitched, sarcasm-looking person. Jason Momoa is in an overtly blonde wig and a hot pink leather jacket. In other words, it looks like a film made by people who don’t understand Minecraft.
“This is Jumanji, but it has Minnecraft skin,” the first response from an Argentine YouTuber. elvitt0ri0 Looking at the teaser. “Minecraft offers endless numbers of story possibilities. Still, they decided to go with the storyline “We go to another universe and learn about it.”
The response for Elvitt0ri0 was to create Movies about Minecraft (not present)a version of what a movie should look like. This trailer was created with the open source animation software blender used to create the flow that achieved the best animation features at this year’s Oscars. This is a fully animated trailer that retains the look of the original game and features characters that players can recognize. Below the video is a comment. “This is everything the Minecraft movie should have done, the game elements, the history, the community… it’s so perfect.”
And elvitt0ri0 is not alone. Since the official teaser went live, dozens, perhaps hundreds, and even hundreds of fan-made Minecraft trailers have been born online. Vicki Fernandez performs dark animation of the channel, I created one titled It’s a trailer for Minecraft Movie, but it’s actually good. Her video is explicitly modified, not reconsidering. Shot for Shot Remake, everything is animated in Minecraft style, where everything is more readily recognizable. And that’s a good thing. The comments below the video are now full of what it extracts.
For certain types of fans, the appearance of Minecraft is gospel. Photo: Mojang
“I think the film should have been animated, not live action,” Fernandez said in an email. “It looks very strange when you mix a character that looks like a CGI cube with a real human. The CGI characters look oddly realistic and creepy while maintaining the proportions of the cube. Overall, the film doesn’t have a compelling art style.”
What Elvitt0ri0 and Fernandes have in common is that they are first and foremost Minecraft fans. Fernandez began playing games in 2014 at the age of eight, and four years later he began making fan videos. Elvitt0ri0 began playing at the age of 11 and was swept straight away by surrounding YouTube content. “One thing fans have proven over and over is that Minecraft can act as an incredible platform for telling the story,” says Elvitt0ri0. “You can see not only animations, but the entire series and movies created within the game.”
Both YouTubers lament that this sense of history and gratitude appears to have been lost in the official film. But that’s probably what you’d expect. Because Warner Bros have been trying to remove Minecraft movies from the ground for over a decade. In 2014, when the studio first released the film, they hired Sean Levy to direct it. However, it fell, so Rob McElhenney intervened to take his place. When he left shortly afterwards, Peter Sollet, best known for his 2008 Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist, took his place. It was only in 2022 that Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess stepped in to direct the script from masterminds Chris Bowman and Havel Palmer, and the film found all of its films.
In fact, Hess cut out his work for him. Minecraft is a game without a traditional story. A sandbox game in which players enter procedurally generated scenery and do whatever they want. If they want to extract raw materials from the surroundings and craft tools, they can. If they want to start a fight against hostile creatures, they can. If they want to spend four days using the game to make huge chicken (as my 10-year-old did this week), it’s up to them.
“corpo-vomited products”? Minecraft film. Photo: Burner Warner Bros Pictures/AP
The movie nods to this with the title – it’s a Not Minecraft Movie Because Minecraft movies are reductive to be so definitive. Still, Hess appears to be heading down an easy path, stuffing the bones of a Jumanji-style offering with sticky skin. Worse, Hess has a distinctive visual style (he is essentially a sarcastic haircut Wes Anderson). This does not mesh intuitively with the appearance of Minecraft.
And for certain types of fans, its appearance is not just the gospel, but in part it is the fans’ lead. For example, youtube costumes named with elements animation, lush animation, and absurdity Minecraft Spoofs It was such a success that they were hired by game developer Mojang to create official Minecraft videos. Minecraft was ultimately a feedback loop between the game and the people who played it, and the film had to reflect that.
But the story is that Hess basically stumbled around making a film. When another project he was working on for the legend fell, they asked him to pitch to Minecraft – and perhaps this lack of familiarity was shown. After all, Phil Lord and Chris Miller got in the way to reassure people that they had performed with Lego before making the rigo loyal 2014 The Lego film. When Aaron Holvas and Michael Jerenick were announced as directors of the 2023 Super Mario Bros film, they said Super Mario Bros was their main source of entertainment as a child.
This is the level of familiarity that fans have come to expect, and there is a habit of things being wrong every time the director tries to force himself on his beloved property. The first live-action Mario film collapsed when Bowser (a giant muscular turtle) was replaced by Dennis Hopper with a sparkling blazer. Paramount was forced to spend $5 million redesigned by Sonic the Hedgehog after appearing in the film trailer, all the little eyes and human teeth, and the scary audience. However, Minecraft is still a relatively new game. People like Fernandes and Elvitt0ri0 have played the game long enough to really understand it, but only in their early 20s. One day they will make a completely loyal Minecraft film that will satisfy their fans, but that hasn’t been for years.
But again, this is a Not Minecraft Movie Minecraft Movie. Warner Bros. may have done enough to prevent this from fully floping. There is a wall-to-wall promotion both in-game and in the real world, and there is also a second trailer that appears to be a bit faithful to the source material. However, hardcore followers may feel that it’s time for fans to be in charge of providing the big screen of the future. Element Animation Minecraft Film is exactly what my kids want to see, but perhaps the reins will be handed over to someone else with an innate understanding of the game. As Elvitt0ri0 says, films based on beloved things like Minecraft should be “the part of the actual love of fans by fans, not just by the Corpora Paw Paw products by large corporations.”
Feedback is the latest science and technology news of new scientists, the sidelines of the latest science and technology news. You can email Feedback@newscientist.com to send items you believe readers can be fascinated by feedback.
Streisand strikes again
Some things are sadly inevitable: death, taxes, another ColdPlay album. One such inevitability is that, as it was proven beyond reasonable doubt, if you try to suppress an embarrassing story, it only draws more attention to it.
This phenomenon is called the Streisand effect after the 2003 incident in which Barbra Streisand appealed to take aerial photographs from the Internet. The shot was part of a series that documented coastal erosion in California, but identified her cliff top mansion. She lost and in the process she turned her attention to the public to the photos. It has been accessed hundreds of thousands of times after downloading six times (two by lawyers).
So, with the tired inevitability, we come to the meta again. Meta, Mark Zuckerberg’s personal empire covers Facebook, Instagram, threads, WhatsApp and a fair amount of Hawaiian chunks. In March, Sarah Wynn-Williams – former Facebook’s director of public policy – published a memoir of time at a company that has a Gatsby-esque title Careless people. Meta has a very strong honorary lawyer and we don’t want to be held liable, so feedback is not going to repeat certain claims. New Scientist“All of the in-house lawyers have dropped heart attack deaths, and just say it is enough, it is a real page turn.
Meta responded by taking legal action. By leveraging the non-disclosure agreement, Meta blocked her from being promoted as Wynn-Williams signed when he left the company Careless people. An interview that she might have seen with was conducted before Meta was given an injunction.
result? This book has become a global bestseller and you just read about it New Scientist.
Aggressive Paris Dae
Feedback recently told the story of researcher Nicholas Gegen. Nicholas Gegen retracted some of his papers on the benefits of having a big breast while hitchhiking, as a result of an investigation by Data Detective and James Heathers (March 15).
So we were naturally intrigued to receive emails from Brown. We wondered if the details were wrong or if they packed them with stories.
However, he wrote according to another item in the same column. This is related to the issue of perennial Scunthorpe. Because it is the fact that completely innocent words can contain isolated and offensive strings, automated systems that block suspicious words often catch harmless words in the web.
“I worked there before I became a scientist,” explains Brown. “Maybe around 1999, someone came to me with a question. Her email to the Royal Bank of Scotland bouncing back. The rejection notice literally said this: “Reason: Smell: Boobs.”
Reader: Take some time to recover from the shock. We were also amazed at how automated systems used the phrase “dirty words.” We were not aware that the RBS system was based on elementary school behavioral guidance.
Brown looked into the message that it was “completely harmless and did not contain any references to birds of the Palidae family.” He then used a text editor to look at the email header where he found “slutty words.”
“We were in France and used that name. Asterix Our server cartoon was named “Petitsuix” by one of the email servers the message passed through. “This is the inn that appears in three different places. Asterix volume: His name is a parody of Petit Sau cheese.if you didn’t get it. So, the email header “contains something,” Brown says.Via: Petitsuix.domain.com‘, and therefore you run into the Scunthorpe problem.’
This led Brown to wonder what would have happened if his employer had used the same spam spam software by accident in hell. Did our spam filter server come back saying, “You’re ‘boobs'” and “No, ‘boobs'”? ”
So what happened next? “I remember back then saying, ‘Well, the bank is going to burst,'” Brown says. He had to wait until 2008. And we must say that legal feedback, despite Brown’s pun glory, did not happen. The government has bailed out the banks.
I’m in line
Sometimes feedback comes across solutions to a brilliant, rocky problem at the same time. Such a solution was drawn to our attention by reporter Matthew Sparks.
As three researchers were trying to make queuing fatal, they developed a robot for the people in Queu to play. As they explained, the robots areSocial Queue“It’s a robot pole.[s] Together with people through three modes of interaction: “attraction”, “running away” and “friendly.” “It apparently “enhanced people’s enjoyment.”
Feedback is not a robot player: not from a complete lack of technical capabilities, but destroying ideas – that’s what we saw Battlestar Galactica I decided not to conspire with the robot apocalypse. Still, this sounds like an engineering feat.
However, we wondered why everyone cares about designing a cue robot when they can set up a timing entry system to eliminate queues.
Have you talked about feedback?
You can send stories to feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Include your home address. This week and past feedback can be found on our website.
NASA took a chance some years back that commercial companies could conduct scientific experiments on the moon at a lower cost than institutions.
Unfortunately, last year, NASA’s initial attempt missed its mark, and the second attempt ended in a crash. However, this month saw success with the robot lander, Blue Ghost, built by Firefly Aerospace in Texas.
On March 16th, as Blue Ghost completed its mission on the moon, the mood at Firefly’s mission operation in Austin was a mix of happiness and bittersweet anticipation for the spacecraft’s demise.
The sun had already set on the lunar surface where Blue Ghost had been working for two weeks, 15 million miles away from Earth.
For solar-powered spacecraft like Blue Ghost, time was running out, and the end was near.
Ray Allensworth, the director of the spaceship program at Firefly, described the atmosphere as light and enthusiastic as they reflected on the successful mission of Blue Ghost.
While other commercial moon missions have faced challenges, Blue Ghost’s success has provided NASA with valuable data for future collaborations.
Scientists like Robert Grimm at the Southwest Institute in Colorado, who led one of the scientific payloads, expressed gratitude for the successful mission, noting that it was better than ending up as a crater.
One of the NASA experiments on Blue Ghost captured images of the lunar surface, providing valuable insights for future missions and research.
The data collected by the cameras will help scientists understand the dynamics of lunar surfaces and potential hazards for future spacecraft landings.
bSquare Enix, which ACK purchased the series from Eidos in 2013, has released a reboot of the 1990s hit action game Tomb Raider. I I loved that game despite the first nearby semi-assault scene, I later came to consider it a bit nasty. I wasn’t the only one. It was very well received, selling 3.4 million copies in the first month alone. After that, Square Enix came out. I called it a disappointment.
The sale did not meet the publisher’s expectations. It was What are your expectations? Was it supposed to sell 5m? One month? If the book sells 10,000 copies in a week, it is considered a bestseller. Even at its popularity in the 90s, no Tomb Raider game sold over millions. Square Enix’s expectations were clearly unrealistic. That’s not the last one. In a 2016 interview with Hajime Tabata, director of Final Fantasy XV, he told me that he needs to sell 10m for the game to succeed.
In last week’s revenue call, EA executives had to explain their lack of profits. It was driven primarily by EA FC. This is the ubiquitous football series, which saw revenue declines the previous year, but CEO Andrew Wilson also chose to go single-out for the much-anticipated RPG Dragon Age: Bailguard, which was announced last October. “Dragon Age had a high quality launch and was well reviewed by critics and those who played it. However, in this highly competitive market, it didn’t resonate with a wide audience,” he says. I did.
Dragon Age “reached 1.5 million players” for several months since its release. This is likely to include people paying through subscription services and direct sales. If 3.4m was Square Enix’s disappointment in 2013, then the game can imagine 1.5m was a disaster for EA in 2024.
But as Polygon’s Maddie Myers points out Detailed analysis of comparable games 1. Last year’s genre breakout hit, Dragon’s Dogma, sold 3.3m over six months.
In today’s world, side jobs have become a central part of many people’s lives. Nearly 50% of British individuals are engaging in side hustles. Nine out of 10 individuals under the age of 34 who have a side hustle plan to turn it into a full-time business. Balancing a side hustle along with a full-time job can be challenging, even for the most skilled multitaskers. Here are some tips for managing multiple gigs without disrupting your work environment.
Separate and Support Each Other View your day job as a source of motivation and insight rather than a hindrance to your side hustle. This approach can make your life more coherent and less draining.
Surprisingly, finding inspiration in both roles can help you focus better on each gig.
Reshmi Bennett, an award-winning chef from Surrey, runs a bakery called Anges de Sucre alongside publishing a recipe book for children to promote creativity in the kitchen. Bennett’s bakery has been thriving since its establishment in 2011, and she successfully manages both ventures, especially during the pandemic. Bennett shared, “During the lockdown, I had some free time, so I started writing a novel and selling it on Amazon.”
“Balancing the two roles can be challenging, so I try to organize my schedule as efficiently as possible. When I’m at my day job, I focus on fulfilling bakery orders and meeting customer needs. I pour all my energy into this. I also try to apply the skills and experiences I gain at the bakery, like recipe testing, to my side hustle. This way, I can continue managing both roles at a realistic pace.”
Work Smarter Emma Thomson, hailing from Romford, Essex, founded a jewelry business while working as a medical secretary for the NHS. Thomson juggled both roles during her lunch breaks for six years before transitioning to full-time entrepreneurship. She shared, “I unintentionally started this business. It began as a coping mechanism for my anxiety and depression, and gradually, people started asking where they could purchase my jewelry.”
jeweler emma thomson
Her top advice? “Optimize the time you spend in your main job as much as possible. I worked 10 hours a day for 3 days straight at my NHS job instead of the standard 8-hour day. Although it was long, I had four full days to focus on my business and take a day off if needed. This significantly reduced fatigue and stress. Additionally, scheduling and automating social media content proved to be beneficial, as I didn’t have to personally oversee much of my social media presence.”
Enhance Your Visual Identity Develop a strong visual identity for both your day job and side hustle. Whether presenting internally to your team or creating social media content for your side gig, leveraging your design skills and adaptability can strengthen your personal brand. Improved design skills can benefit you in both roles and help you excel at both. Consider using apps like Adobe Express for creating high-quality content effortlessly.
Candace Mason runs an herbal tea business for women.
Outsource Whenever Possible Successfully managing a family bus and coach company alongside a women’s herbal tea business requires a diverse set of skills. Candace Mason from Tring, Hertfordshire, emphasizes the importance of good organization. She runs two very distinct and separate businesses, managing her life effectively using online tools like Trello for project management. Having a streamlined calendar and booking system is crucial for efficient operation. Mason acknowledges the value of outsourcing tasks like bookkeeping, recognizing the importance of accepting that one person cannot do everything.
Stick to Your Schedule Strictly Leanne Alston of Bradford, West Yorkshire, owns a private hotel while working full-time as a mental health team manager in the NHS. Alston attributes her success to strict scheduling in all areas of her life. “I create a weekly schedule, detailing my 9-to-5 job requirements and sleep routine. I then allocate time for meeting private clients, organizing social media, exercising, socializing, and personal projects. Some days require specific planning, while others are more relaxed, but having a written schedule eliminates mental clutter and provides visual clarity. Prioritizing health is crucial; neither your day job nor side hustle can thrive if your well-being is neglected.”
Psychotherapist Leanne Alston
“I meticulously plan my week to accommodate my 9-to-5 responsibilities, sleep, and personal activities, including meetings with clients, social media management, exercise, and socializing. Some days require specific planning, while others are more relaxed. Having everything written down eliminates mental clutter and provides visual clarity, making it easier to follow through on tasks. One important suggestion is to prioritize your health, as neither your day job nor side project will thrive if your well-being is neglected.”
Stay True to Yourself We often hear about bringing our “authentic selves” to work. While the wisdom of this approach is debatable, aligning your personal and professional personas can simplify your life, especially if you have a side hustle. This consistency reduces the energy spent on adapting between roles and opens up opportunities for cross-pollination.
Charlotte Walsh started a reusable straw business
Try Time Chunking Charlotte Walsh, an engineer from North Yorkshire, founded a silicone straw company to address the challenge of finding high-quality, reusable straws for her children. Walsh shared, “I launched the business in 2019 and now work full-time, handling everything from order dispatch to securing compliance for high street retail partners. By segmenting tasks into chunks through time chunking, you can prioritize urgent tasks and make significant daily progress without distractions from emails or new requests.”
Be Punctual Lastly, never compromise on punctuality, even if you’re working late nights. Losing your professionalism can lead to a loss of trust, which may require even more time and effort to regain.
CTemu, the Chinese online marketplace that has seen rapid international growth with its attractive and often incredibly affordable range of products, is facing increasing challenges with its price-cutting strategies.
In October, Indonesia ordered the removal of Temu from its app stores, citing the need to protect small local sellers. Recently, the Vietnamese government also threatened to ban Temu and another Chinese-owned retailer, Shein, for operating without authorization in the country.
Simon Tolling, co-founder of market insight firm Cube, explains that the influx of cheap Chinese products, often with minimal import taxes, cannot compete with the quality, speed, and pricing offered by local retailers online. This has led to disruptions for businesses and manufacturers.
“Tem has become a focal point for regulators, prompting concerns about potential changes to cross-border import regulations,” he remarked.
Poom Chotikavan, operations director at Taxa Toys in Thailand, is struggling to find local manufacturers for children’s toys as many suppliers have gone out of business. The closure of approximately 2,000 Thai factories and the loss of over 50,000 jobs last fiscal year, partly due to heightened competition and rising costs in China, have had a significant impact, according to Reuters.
“Sourcing products from China has become more challenging. Their sales have plummeted,” Chotikavan noted. “How can they survive when clients can directly contact a Chinese factory?”
Pinduoduo, the Chinese equivalent of Temu, has been in operation since 2015 and is set to launch globally in 2022. Temu is also expanding in Southeast Asia, starting in the Philippines and Malaysia in 2023 and expanding further into Thailand, Brunei, and Vietnam this year.
The growing consumerism among Southeast Asia’s middle class has made the region an attractive market, with online shopping sales projected to reach $160 billion in 2024, as per a Bain & Company analysis released in November.
Jiangang Li, CEO of venture firm Momentum Works, believes that TM’s international growth is timely as Chinese domestic customers reduce purchases from Pinduoduo due to the country’s economic slowdown.
However, Temu’s entry has provided a boost to the market, given the surplus capacity in Chinese factories resulting from the economic slowdown, forcing Temu’s main suppliers to sell larger quantities at lower costs.
“Surprisingly cheap”
Similar to Western markets, Temu combines affordably produced items with deep discounts and aggressive advertising, attracting shoppers with gamified experiences. This has appealed to hundreds of thousands of customers like Chotikavan, who purchased a MagSafe iPhone holder for $3, significantly cheaper than the market price.
While consumers benefit from access to cheaper goods, local businesses are calling for government intervention. Indonesia has implemented tax hikes and banned e-commerce on social media platforms to support struggling local sellers. Despite these measures, Temu continues to push for entry into the market.
“Their goal is to dominate the global market,” says Tolling.
Rory Sutherland is searching for an analogy to describe his newfound status as one of Britain’s most viral TikTokers.
“It’s like Lord Byron. I woke up and realized I was famous.”
The fact that he references a 19th-century romantic poet shows that Sutherland is not your typical social media influencer.
In a sea of youthful content creators on TikTok, he stands out as an unlikely sensation.
Mr. Sutherland, a 58-year-old advertising executive and Cambridge University graduate, shares old marketing tricks on TikTok, captivating millions of viewers who were not around during the 1980s advertising boom.
With 2.4 million likes and videos garnering over 600,000 views, he is far from a corporate relic, even getting stopped by school kids for selfies.
Sutherland, vice chairman of Ogilvy & Mather, believes TikTok’s success lies in its insights into human behavior influenced by marketing techniques.
One video exposes how restaurants manipulate customers into buying expensive wine through clever tactics.
Sutherland’s 23-year-old twin daughters find his sudden fame both amusing and unsettling.
While he didn’t initiate the TikTok account that propelled him to fame, Sutherland embraced the opportunity to educate and entertain his audience.
Through humor and valuable insights into the marketing world, Sutherland has captivated a wide audience on TikTok.
He believes that empowering businesses with marketing knowledge can boost the economy and sees the positive side of behavior change tactics.
Whether through charm or clever marketing, Sutherland’s influence on TikTok is undeniable among Gen Z users, though convincing them to buy wine might be a stretch.
Gut microbiota of racehorses may affect health and performance
Brian Lawless/PA/Alamy Stock Photo
Racehorses who have a more diverse gut microbiome as foals appear to perform better and have a lower risk of health complications.
The findings suggest that, as suspected in humans, there are critical periods in the horse’s gut microbiome for establishing a bacterial composition that may contribute to an individual’s long-term health and fitness.
Christopher Proudman Researchers from the University of Surrey in the UK analysed DNA sequences from fecal samples from 52 thoroughbred foals born at five stud farms in 2018.
The researchers took samples nine times over the first year of life: at 2, 8, 14 and 28 days of age, and at 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age. Once the animals were a year old, they were transferred to 29 racing training centres across the UK.
The researchers then measured the athletic performance of the two- and three-year-old horses during the races, and collected data on rankings and total prize money, as well as recording the horses’ respiratory systems, orthopedic health, and soft tissue health.
The team found that greater bacterial diversity at 28 days of age was associated with better performance in the race. The researchers also detected two bacterial families: Anaeroplasmataceae and Bacillaceae was associated with having a competitive advantage.
In contrast, low bacterial diversity at 1, 2 and 9 months of age was found to be associated with an increased risk of orthopedic and other problems, such as muscle strains and “hairline” fractures. The team also found that certain bacterial families, when abundant around the first week or two of life, were associated with an increased risk of respiratory and musculoskeletal diseases later in life.
Foals treated with antibiotics (which can affect gut microbiomes) during the first few weeks of life had significantly lower bacterial diversity than untreated foals at day 28, Proudman said. These animals subsequently produced fewer winnings and developed respiratory disease at 10 times the rate of untreated foals from age 6 months onwards.
The early health problems that prompted antibiotic treatment may have actually affected later performance and health. Simon Daniels Researchers from the Royal Agricultural University in Gloucestershire, UK, say it’s realistic to think that antibiotics themselves reduce bacterial diversity, leading to poorer health and performance.
“Although more evidence is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn, it appears that how young horses are managed is particularly important for their later athletic performance,” Daniels says.
Experts often suggest that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to excel in any field. However, not everyone possesses the talent required to become an Olympian or Paralympian. While practice can enhance performance, genetic factors impacting both physical strength and mental aptitude likely make the distinction between “good” and “great” athletes.
Athletic success is also influenced by external factors beyond an individual’s control, such as their birthdate. For instance, in the 2010-11 UEFA Youth Football Tournament, 43% of players were born between January and March (early in the selection cycle). Only 9% of players were born between October and December.
According to many sports psychologists, older children starting school may have an advantage in sports due to factors like size, strength, and confidence. However, the birth month advantage may also be influenced by social factors such as teachers’ perceptions of a child’s abilities.
Therefore, the ideal approach to becoming an Olympian may involve exploring various interests as a child and then focusing on activities where natural talent and, most importantly, enjoyment are found.
It’s a common belief that it requires 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill, but studies suggest that not everyone possesses the innate talent required to become an Olympian or Paralympian. While practice can enhance performance, genetic factors impacting both physical strength and cognitive abilities likely distinguish between “good” and “great” athletes.
The success in sports is also influenced by factors beyond one’s control, such as birth timing. For instance, in the 2010-11 UEFA Youth Football Tournament, 43% of players were born between January and March (earlier in the selection period). Only 9% of players were born between October and December.
Older children who start school may have a physical advantage over their younger peers in terms of size, strength, and confidence. However, many sports psychologists argue that any birth month advantage is also influenced by social factors, such as how teachers perceive a child’s abilities.
Therefore, the most effective approach to becoming an Olympian may involve exploring a range of interests as a child and then focusing on activities where natural talent and enjoyment are evident.
Many individuals desire to shed a few pounds and maintain a healthy weight, especially as the pandemic has led to weight gain for some individuals over the past three years.
However, seeking weight loss advice online can be frustrating, as there is conflicting information from doctors, scientists, and influencers about effective fat loss strategies.
Diet expert Professor Tim Spector criticized TikTok influencers in his podcast, stating that “Exercise doesn’t work” when it comes to weight loss.
While exercise can contribute to weight loss, most people do not engage in enough physical activity for it to be the sole effective method. Some argue against calorie counting as well, noting its limitations and advising against blindly following food packaging calorie counts.
There is a wide range of diets claiming to aid in sustainable weight loss, leading to debates over which approach is most effective.
When it comes to weight loss diets, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and it’s important to consider various factors before selecting a plan to follow.
Explicitly restrict calories
High in protein
High in dietary fiber
1. Restrict calories (the right way)
On the topic of calorie restriction, portion control and consuming fewer calories can be effective for weight loss, though it may be challenging to maintain in the long term.
Meal replacement shakes are a popular method for calorie control as they provide a complete nutritional profile in an easy-to-consume format.
Group support programs like Slimming World and Weight Watchers offer accountability and community, enhancing adherence to diet plans.
Intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating are other strategies that can create a calorie deficit and aid in weight loss.
These dietary approaches not only focus on reducing calories but also offer additional metabolic benefits through changes in eating patterns.
2. Eat a diet high in protein
Protein-rich diets have been found to support weight loss due to the complex nature of protein’s digestion and metabolic processes.
Proteins require more energy to metabolize compared to fats and carbohydrates, making them a filling and satiating choice for those looking to reduce calorie intake.
From Atkins to Keto, high-protein diets have varying levels of carbohydrate restriction and are effective for many individuals seeking effective weight loss strategies.
3. Eat a diet high in fiber
High-fiber diets are beneficial for weight loss as fiber aids in digestion, slows down nutrient absorption, and reduces overall calorie absorption.
Consuming plant-based, high-fiber diets like the Mediterranean diet can lead to sustainable weight loss due to the filling nature of fiber-rich foods.
Consider increasing your fiber intake to promote gut health and support your weight loss goals.
This article was originally posted on June 19, 2023
Climate activists protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London in March.
Andrea Domeniconi/Alamy
This week, more than 400 climate scientists from UK research institutes published an open letterAhead of the general election on 4 July, he called on UK political parties to commit to stronger climate action in the next Parliament.
Their demands included a “credible” carbon reduction strategy for the country, during an election campaign where there has been little in-depth discussion about the UK's transition to net zero.
Why are scientists worried? After all, the UK has one of the most ambitious climate targets in the world – a legally binding target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 – and has halved its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990.
While great progress has been made in decarbonizing the electricity supply, with around half of all electricity now generated from zero-carbon sources, other sectors are lagging behind. The Committee on Climate Change, the UK government's climate advisers, say that outside the electricity sector, the rate of emissions reductions needs to quadruple over the next seven years for the UK to meet its commitment to cut emissions by 68% by 2030. I said in OctoberHe warned it was “unlikely” the UK would get there under current plans.
“There's a real sense of frustration in the climate science community,” he said. Emily Schuckberg “We are yet to see the level of response that is required,” said a Cambridge University researcher who co-authored the scientists' letter.
The slow progress means problems are piling up, waiting for the next administration to tackle them.
Transportation and Buildings
By the end of the decade, emissions from surface transport – roads, rail and ships – need to fall by around 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, four times the rate of reduction over the past decade. Electric car sales may be growing strongly, but sales of electric vans and trucks are sluggish, and the number of public charging points is not growing fast enough to keep up with the volume of electric vehicles travelling. Meanwhile, public transport use has fallen sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, It's not back to the previous level.
Getting the transport sector to net zero will require more than just convincing everyone to buy electric cars, Michael Pollitt The Cambridge researchers say that reducing the number and size of cars is a key part of the puzzle. “We need more radical thinking about intercity transport, including prioritising lanes for small vehicles and dramatically reducing the size and weight of vehicles,” they say. “If people can travel in significantly smaller cars and public transport, that's the route to net-zero transport.”
When it comes to buildings, home heating is the biggest pain point. Around 23 million homes in the UK are heated by gas boilers. By the middle of the century, all of these homes will need to be heated with zero-carbon energy sources, and it is expected that most will switch to heat pumps.
But the pace of the transition is too slow: just 69,000 heat pumps will be installed in UK homes in 2022, far short of the target of 600,000 per year by 2028. Part of the problem is finances: heat pumps are much more expensive to install than gas boilers, and they are often more expensive to run as well, due to an additional levy on grid costs. “We absolutely have to get the price of heat pumps down,” Porritt says. “Unless the price of heat pumps comes down significantly, they will be a major obstacle to decarbonising heating.”
It is urgent to solve these problems. Nick Air One Oxford professor who signed the open letter said that a gas boiler installed in 2035 would still be heating homes in 2050. “For heat pumps and cars, we need to be pretty much sorted by the early 2040s, which means we need to get very serious about it in the 2030s,” he said.
That's why the UK government's inaction over the last decade, when it should have been focusing on preparing industry for mass adoption, is so worrying. “We know what needs to be done,” Eyre says, “but the last two years in particular have been a period of no real action being taken.”
Agriculture and Aviation
Beyond heat, power and transport, tougher choices lie ahead. For example, emissions from agriculture and land use have remained almost unchanged for a decade, but need to be reduced by 29% by 2035. Achieving these reductions will likely require actions to change the way people eat. Similarly, reducing aviation emissions will require actions to curb demand, such as taxes on frequent flyers.
“The biggest challenge is starting to implement policies and regulations that will affect people's daily lives.” Leo Mercer “If policies are not communicated well, people will react quite strongly,” said the professor at the London School of Economics.
Alongside its domestic challenges, the UK needs to rebuild its reputation on the international stage: under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the UK hosted the COP26 climate summit and led international coalitions on deforestation, methane and electric vehicles.
However, progress on climate change measures in the UK has slowed, cuts in international aid and climate diplomacy; Britain's international reputation has suffered, and the government's decisions to approve new fossil fuel projects in the UK while urging lower-income countries to “move away” from fossil fuels have also antagonized the British public.
Unless a country like the UK can demonstrate that net zero is achievable and desirable as a national strategy, it will face an uphill battle to persuade lower-income countries to cut emissions, which is why it is crucial the UK restores its reputation as a climate leader in the next parliament, he says. Katerina Brandmeyer At Imperial College London.
Next year, countries are due to submit new commitments under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. “So this is a pivotal moment for the international community,” she said. “This parliament will be crucial not only to ensuring delivery in the UK, but also to raising ambition globally.”
What each party is proposing
So which party can take action on the scale needed to get the UK back on track? All the major parties agree on the need to reach net zero by mid-century, and Labour and the Conservatives are remarkably in agreement on the need for renewable energy, particularly offshore wind.
But Labour has made an eye-catching promise to deliver a fully decarbonised electricity grid by 2030. Adam Bell A former senior UK government official at Stonehaven, a British consultancy, said the target was “highly ambitious” and would push government agencies to the limits of their capabilities. [Labour] It could be even more ambitious.”
But for Eyre, a credible climate manifesto should also include ambitious targets in the areas where the UK is seriously off track: home energy efficiency, heat pump adoption, industrial emissions, land use, solar power and electric vehicles. “It's not a matter of doing one or two of them,” Eyre says. “We need to do them all.”
Many experts privately doubt that the major parties have policy programmes with the pace and scale needed to get to net zero by 2050. Absent that, looking for enthusiasm for the challenges ahead may be the next best way to gauge a party's credibility. In Eyre's eyes, the next UK government is embarking on a “10-year plan on the scale of the introduction of the steam engine.” “If you don't have a positive vision yourself, you're not going to sell it to the public,” he says.
People rally in Ottawa to support ending plastic pollution
The Canadian Press/Shutterstock
Representatives from nearly every country will gather in Canada to hammer out the details of a global treaty to tackle rising plastic pollution. One source of disagreement at the summit, which concluded on April 29, was how to address greenhouse gas emissions produced by the production and use of plastics, which are increasingly not recognized as a cause of climate change. was.
“When people think of plastic, they think of something visually visible,” he says. Vermilion Alice At the University of Toronto, Canada. However, the extraction and processing of fossil fuels and other chemicals used to make plastics produces large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, as does the generation of the energy needed to make plastic products. Plastics currently account for about 10% of total oil and natural gas demand. Coal is also increasing Used to power plastic production.
Incineration of plastic waste is also a source of greenhouse gas emissions. As plastics in the environment degrade, they can emit carbon dioxide and methane. Plastics may even reduce the amount of carbon that ecosystems can store, although the effects have not been well quantified, Zhu said.
The emissions numbers associated with plastic production are more clear-cut.in study Published this month, Nihang Kalari Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California estimated that plastic production produced 2.24 billion tons of CO2 in 2019, accounting for about 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is roughly four times the emissions produced by aviation that year.
They found that as plastic production increases, these emissions could triple by 2050, assuming no changes in the way plastics are made. Most of the emissions are related to the extraction and processing of fossil fuels and other chemicals used to make plastics, so decarbonizing the electricity grid will have a small impact on projected emissions. It also became clear that
The global plastics deal currently under discussion could offer a “historic” chance to limit these emissions, the researchers write. In 2022, more than 175 countries have agreed to join a legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution throughout the lifecycle of materials, with final details expected to be agreed by the end of this year.
But a group of oil-producing countries, including China and Russia, said during negotiations that the treaty should only address plastic waste through cleaning and recycling, and that production, which is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions from oil, would They argued that it should not be restricted or changed. plastic.country group Including UK and EU argued that the treaty should include provisions to reduce production to keep emissions in line with global climate goals.
“There's a lot on the agenda, but climate certainly isn't talked about much,” he says. neil nathan Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, attended the conference to advocate for an ambitious treaty.
according to modeling We've heard from Nathan and others that a strong treaty that takes measures such as limiting production and requiring plastic products to contain a high proportion of recycled content could keep emissions at current levels. Probably. He said the Plastics Treaty would be a “failure” if it did not address production.
Sarah-Jeanne Royer Researchers at the University of California, San Diego suggest that even if the treaty did not reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there would be more sustainable options for making plastics, such as recycled or captured CO2, such as bioplastics or captured CO2. It said the switch would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the use of new plastics. Expressly.
but, paul stegman Dutch research institute TNO has warned that plastic alternatives such as steel can generate more emissions, depending on how they are reused and recycled. “Ultimately, we need policies that reduce the impact on society as a whole, not just move the problem elsewhere,” he says.
Golden rice is genetically modified to produce beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A
Ili
Farmers in the Philippines may be able to continue growing golden rice, which has been genetically modified to fight malnutrition, despite a court ruling revoking permits to grow it.
Adrian Duboc, a member of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Committee that guided the production of Golden Rice, said the Philippine government would oppose the decision. “A challenge will be filed in the Court of Appeals and I think it will probably be successful,” he says.
Golden Rice was developed to combat vitamin A deficiency, a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. As a result, it is estimated as follows. Up to 500,000 children go blind every yearHalf of them die within a year.
This is completely preventable if the child eats sufficient amounts of vitamin A or foods containing vitamin A precursors such as beta-carotene. This orange pigment, found in vegetables such as carrots, is converted into vitamins in the body.
In the 1980s, a group of scientists set out to genetically modify rice to contain beta-carotene, and it became known as golden rice because of its color.
The project became a major target for campaigners against genetically modified crops, and adoption of Golden Rice was significantly delayed. “The suspicions raised by Greenpeace were very effective,” Dubock said.
In 2021, the Philippines became the first country to approve the cultivation of golden rice (locally known as Marsog or healthy rice). It was previously approved as safe to eat. It is also approved for human consumption in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Rice cultivation and consumption is promoted by the Philippine Rice Institute, a government corporation.
This means that over the past three years, those who could benefit from that rice have finally been able to eat it. For example, the city of San Mateo introduced golden rice this year to its school lunch program for severely underweight infants.a recent research One in six children under the age of five in the Philippines has been found to be vitamin A deficient.
However, on April 17, the Philippine Court of Appeals revoked Golden Rice's permit following a lawsuit filed by Greenpeace Southeast Asia and other groups.
“This decision is a monumental victory for Filipino farmers and Filipinos who have been fighting against genetically modified (GM) crops for decades,” said Greenpeace Southeast Asia activist Wilhelmina Peregrina. stated in a statement.
Dubock said it is his understanding that the court's decision was based on a specific technical error that occurred during the approval process. “We have to assume that the Philippine government will win the appeal,” he says.
in a statementthe Philippine Rice Research Institute said it is reviewing the impact of the court's decision to prepare a response.
Scientists have also applied for permission to grow golden rice in Bangladesh, but the country has been delaying a decision since 2017. “The need is greater than the Philippines,” Duboc said.
There is also significant vitamin A deficiency in many African countries, he says.
In his own research, Dubock compared the health outcomes of children eating golden rice to other types of rice, and hopes the results will encourage more countries to adopt golden rice.
IIn its initial days after release, Fallout, the Prime Video series based on the popular post-apocalyptic video game franchise, quickly became a global sensation. Topping the UK charts and ranking as one of the top three most-watched titles on Prime, it garnered widespread acclaim. This success led to Amazon announcing the renewal of the show for a second season within just one week of its global release across 240 countries and territories.
Amazon stated, “The expectations were high among fans of this iconic video game, and we are pleased to have exceeded them so far, attracting millions of new followers to the series.”
The triumph of Fallout, set two centuries after a nuclear catastrophe and featuring Ella Purnell, Kyle MacLachlan, and Aaron Moten, signifies the rise of video game adaptations into mainstream entertainment. Recent successes like HBO’s The Last of Us and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed $1.36 billion, highlight the increasing prominence of game-inspired content.
Rhys Elliott, a games industry analyst, compared game adaptations to superhero films, noting a shift towards gaming IP in Hollywood. The positive response to titles like Fallout and The Last of Us suggests a growing acceptance of gaming narratives in mainstream media.
Upcoming projects such as a Minecraft movie and a The Legend of Zelda adaptation by Margot Robbie reflect the industry’s evolving interest in gaming IP. The success of recent adaptations has debunked the myth of a curse surrounding game-to-film transitions, attributing it to faithful storytelling and star-studded productions.
Jonathan Nolan’s involvement in Fallout, driven by his passion for the game, underscores a new era where filmmakers appreciate the essence of gaming narratives. This collaboration between game developers and seasoned filmmakers has redefined the landscape of video game adaptations.
The shift towards gaming IP signifies a significant change in the industry’s approach to adapting video games. As Hollywood embraces this newfound gold rush, film studios are learning to leverage the global appeal of game franchises for successful adaptations.
Despite past misfires, recent successes have instilled confidence in the potential of video game adaptations. With a focus on engaging a broad audience and respecting the source material, these projects are redefining the narrative surrounding game-to-film transitions.
The virtual currency market has been in a bullish trend recently, and BEFE among Pepecoin and Shiba Inu is not left behind. These cryptocurrencies are currently in a bull market, with investors worried they may have missed a meteor.
Befe, a meme coin inspired by Pepe Coin’s frog meme. This cryptocurrency will debut on the market in November 2023, following in the footsteps of SHIBA INU and PEPE coins. Here, we explore the upward trajectory of BEFE coin, which shows success like PEPE coin and SHIBA INU.
BEFE coin price soaring
As of this writing, the price of BEFE meme coin is $0.0004294. This price shows a positive trajectory of +5.63% for the day.
BEFE/USDT price on March 20th 17:33 UTC (Image source: TradingView)
According to the data, the coin has been trading with a volume of $375,104.19 in the past 24 hours, giving it a market cap of $43.76 million. coin market cap.
Although the bull market is still in its infancy, this token has taken center stage among other tokens that have hit new highs over the past few weeks.
What’s behind BEFE’s price hike?
One of the factors driving BEFE’s recent price movement is the bullish market in Pepecoin and Shiba Inu Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s bull run has caused turmoil throughout the crypto industry and has had ripple effects on several other cryptocurrencies, including BEFE.
Another factor contributing to the bull market is its simplicity and cross-platform trading ability. Befe Technology infrastructure.
Future price prediction
BEFE’s market performance speaks volumes compared to PEPE Coin and SHIBA INU due to the significant price increase in recent months. This coin currently has high buy market sentiment similar to Pepe Coin and Shiba Inu. Experts predict that the cryptocurrency is poised for explosive growth similar to what was seen in the past with Pepecoin and Shiba Inu.
However, this futuristic price trajectory is based on factual market trends, not just a fad. Moreover, BEFE holders and investors expect this coin to be listed on Binance next to Pepecoin and Shiba Inu in the near future.
From Meme to Mainstream
BEFE Crypto goes beyond classic meme coin speculation and is no longer just a meme coin. This token combines purpose and utility, a unique combination that sets it apart from PEPE Coin and SHIBA INU. Due to this, virtual currencies are attracting a lot of attention among investors.
If you’re considering investing in Pepe Coin, Shiba Inu or BEFE cryptocurrencies, it’s not just a matter of buying due to the hype. That means investing in cryptocurrencies that promise high performance in the market, whether it’s Pepecoin, Shiba Inu, or BEFE. But always do a DYOR before investing.
On the morning of March 28th, in a downtown Manhattan courtroom, Sam Bankman Freed, a tech genius turned con artist who remained unrepentant despite his trial and conviction, finally learned his fate.
Bankman Fried, who founded the virtual currency exchange FTX, was found guilty on November 2, 2023, of seven counts of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
Fallen Bitcoin booster was found to have siphoned billions of dollars in customer funds to FTX’s sister hedge fund Alameda Research to stay solvent – His pockets were then stuffed with money from unlucky customers, precipitating the organization’s collapse.
“Sam Bankman Freed carried out one of the biggest financial frauds in American history, a multi-billion dollar scheme to make him the king of cryptocurrencies. However, the crypto industry was new and Sam Bankman Players like Bankman Fried may be new, but this type of corruption has been around for a long time,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damien Williams said after the conviction. “This case has always been about lies, deceit and theft, and we have no patience for that.”
Prosecutors then asked Judge Lewis Kaplan to impose a prison sentence of 40 to 50 years. They emphasized the “extremely serious nature of the harm to thousands of victims” and said:[prevent] Defendant shall not commit fraud again; [send] This sends a strong signal to those who attempt to engage in financial misconduct that the consequences will be severe. ”
In order to seek a heavier sentence, prosecutors submitted victim impact statements, revealing how individual and institutional investors were harmed by Bankman Freed’s actions.
“In 2022, at the age of 24, I lost all my life savings, which amounted to more than $20,000,” said one person who did not even try to invest in cryptocurrencies, but simply took advantage of the interest rate operated by FTX. I wrote that it was for a reason. – Bearing Savings Account.
Another victim, who said she had “invested a significant portion of her savings in FTX,” said she was staring at an uncertain future, adding: “Immense anxiety, stress and uncertainty about how I'm going to support myself and my family.” “It's causing sex,” he said.
The “disbelief and fear” the victim described upon learning of FTX’s financial crisis reflected the widespread shock at the exchange’s collapse. Bankman Fried has long been a rising star in the crypto world, attracting both investors and politicians with his trading platform.He argued that exchange was safer. – and less risky – than any other such platform. FTX rose to fame on the back of his advocacy, boosting Bankman Freed’s profile and lining his pockets.
FTX is a huge success: SBF became a millionaire before he was 30 years old
Before Bankman Fried turned 30, his fortune was in the billions. FTX and its biggest competitor, Binance, used to process most crypto transactions around the world.
All the while, with his uniform of T-shirts and shorts and lofty philosophical pronouncements, Mr. Bankman-Fried developed the persona befitting the next tech impresario. His parents, both law professors at Stanford University, studied utilitarianism (in effect, the concept that moral actions are those that achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of people), and it was through this context that he learned about commerce. declared that it would evaluate.
Bankman-Fried said he believes in effective altruism. This is a philanthropic endeavor beloved by big tech leaders who believe strategic giving to achieve the greatest number is a virtue. Some proponents of effective altruism promote an “earn to give mentality.” This means that accumulating extreme wealth is moral because it can be donated.
The former mogul's enthusiasm for contributing to society has also permeated politics. He has donated more than $40 million to the 2022 election.
Most of Mr. Bankman Fried’s donations went to the Democratic Party and related committees, but he also poured large sums of money into “dark” contributions to Republican candidates. According to CBS NewsBankman Fried wondered if she might have been the “second or third-largest” donor to the 2022 midterm elections.
While at the top, Bankman Freed chatted with celebrities including Bill Clinton and Tony Blair at the 2020 Cryptocurrency Conference in the Bahamas. He moved FTX to Caribbean countries because it employs a trading mechanism that is prohibited in the United States. new york times report.
Among Bankman Fried’s closest friends was Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison. Although their business relationship was complicated, Ellison and Bankman Freed continued an on-and-off romantic relationship over the years.
Like Bankman Freed, Ellison made lofty declarations. “Nothing makes us realize how stupid the normal unmedicated human experience is like regular amphetamine use,” she said in the paper. bomb tweet.
The FTX team's life in the Bahamas seemed to reflect the quirkiness that the tech industry loves. Bankman Freed, Ellison, and eight other members of his entourage lived together in the penthouse. reportedly Access to stimulants – Our in-house clinic will be happy to prescribe it for you.
Everything goes wrong: FTX goes bankrupt, SBF goes to court
Bankman Fried’s fortunes reversed in November 2022. That month, crypto industry publication CoinDesk report He reportedly held billions of dollars in FTT, FTX’s own cryptocurrency. There was a problem because the CEO was using FTT as collateral for a huge loan. When news broke about Binance’s FTT holdings, Binance CEO Changpeng Chao said that the company would dispose of its $500 million FTT holdings due to “recently revealed facts.” FTT plummeted, creating a virtual bank run among customers. FTX, like Alameda Research, sought bankruptcy protection.
It became clear to the outside world that there was an $8 billion hole in FTX’s budget. In December, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan charged Bankman Freed with financial crimes for allegedly using customer and investor funds to make risky trades and assist Alameda Research.
At Bankman Freed’s trial in late 2023, the prosecution alleged that Bankman Freed was involved in a malicious fraud from 2019 until November 2022, when FTX went bankrupt. They claim Bankman Freed “misappropriated and misappropriated” FTX customers’ deposits and funneled “billions of stolen dollars” to bloat wallets and fund high-risk investments. did.
Prosecutors also said Bankman Freed shuffled funds to pay for his expensive lifestyle. They say the “exorbitant expenditures” unrelated to FTX covered Mr. Bankman Freed’s personal expenses, including more than $200 million in real estate in the Bahamas, speculative investments and repayments to Alameda’s lenders. said.
During Mr. Bankman-Fried’s month-long trial, his aides took the stand against him. Some of the most damning testimony came from his ex-girlfriend Ellison, who served as the prosecution’s star witness.
“Did you commit any crimes while working in Alameda?” Ellison was asked. She answered: “Yes, I did…” [Bankman-Fried] directed me to commit these crimes. ”
Despite numerous revelations about FTX’s questionable internal affairs, Bankman Fried made the shocking decision to testify in his own defense. “I made a lot of little mistakes and I made a lot of big mistakes,” Bankman Freed told jurors. “There was a serious oversight.”
Bankman Freed made management errors, including failing to establish a dedicated risk management team. But when attorney Mark Cohen asked if he had defrauded his clients or stolen their money, Bankman Fried responded, “No, I didn’t.”
When it came time for the prosecution to cross-examine Bankman-Fried, the lawyers questioned him on everything from his character. Mr Ellison told jurors that his appearance as limp and bedridden was an act and that he drove a Toyota Corolla as part of his branding. – Discrepancies between FTX’s public and private announcements.
“Mr. Bankman Freed, do you agree that you know how to tell a good story?” asked prosecutor Daniel Sassoon. “I don’t know. It depends on what metrics you use,” he said, without giving a direct answer.
Mr. Sassoon asked about his colleague’s comments. new york timesIn it, Ms. Bankman-Fried claimed that she considered cutting her hair to have negative value because, “I think it’s important that people think I’m crazy.“ From.“ “I don’t think I meant that,” Bankman Fried said.
“Do you consider yourself an intelligent man?” Sassoon pressed.
“Not in all respects, but in many respects,” Bankman-Fried said.
“As CEO of FTX, did you think highly of yourself?”
“Hooray.”
Unrepentant SBF faces decades in prison
During Bankman Freed’s trial, his lawyers pressed him to portray him as a “math nerd who doesn’t drink or party” and is crazy. Prosecutors pushed back against the baby-in-the-woods argument during sentencing submissions, pointing out that he hardly led a life of hardship.
“With all the advantages afforded by a comfortable upbringing, an education at MIT, a prestigious start to a career in finance, and a worthy idea for a start-up business, Bankman Fried was able to achieve the rewards he envisioned.“ “He could have pursued a productive and altruistic life,” they said.
“Rather, his life in recent years has been one of unparalleled greed and arrogance: ambition and rationalization, risk-seeking and repeated gambling with other people’s money.”
In response, Bankman Fried’s team painted him as a victim, writing that prosecutors presented their version of him as a “depraved supervillain.” [with] Dark and megalomaniac motives. ”
“The government seeks to complete the sentence of 32-year-old Sam Bankman Freed,” his attorneys wrote in a statement regarding prosecutors’ 40 to 50-year sentence. “There’s no need to crush Sam like this.”
They, too, suggested a sentence ranging from 63 to 78 months, citing his elite education.
“Offenders with no criminal history, like Sam, are the least likely to reoffend,” they said. “And college-educated offenders are less likely to reoffend.”
In a February petition seeking a reduced sentence, Bankman Fried said there was “zero harm to customers, lenders and investors…The company was solvent at the time of the bankruptcy filing…The money was there.” “It is not lost.”
John Ray, who was appointed FTX CEO to oversee the bankruptcy, denounced Bankman Freed’s claims in a court filing.
“Mr. Bankman Freed continues to live a life of delusion. The ‘business’ he left on November 11, 2022 was neither solvent nor secure. “A large amount of money was stolen by Mr. Bankman Freed,” Ray wrote.
It seems unlikely that they will receive lenient treatment.
Neema Rahmani, president of the West Coast Trial Lawyers Association and a former federal prosecutor, said Bankman Freed “will serve a significant prison term.”
“He refused to accept responsibility and tried to shift the blame onto others. This is one of the greatest
Ben Newman, also known as Spudman, now spends more time taking selfies than selling jacket potatoes from his van in the heart of Tamworth.
His shop has become a TikTok sensation, attracting visitors from around the globe to sample his signature dishes – jacket potatoes topped with butter, cheese, and beans. However, Newman is bewildered by the sudden popularity.
He joins the ranks of other businesses like Binley Mega Chippy, Get Baked, and Wakey Wines that have gone viral on social media, drawing throngs of customers for various reasons, sometimes without rhyme or reason.
Despite the frenzy, Newman remains humble, recognizing that his success could happen anywhere. He serves a steady stream of customers lining up at his van for spuds, maintaining a focus on both excellent customer service and quality products.
Ben Newman’s business has flourished, necessitating the hiring of additional staff since October. Photo: Fabio de Paola/The Guardian
Newman’s social media presence, showcased through daily TikTok videos and live streams from his van, has garnered over 44 million likes. He started using the platform to attract customers post-COVID-19, but the real breakthrough came last October, requiring him to expand his team to meet the demand.
To leverage this newfound fame, Newman is partnering with singer Tom Walker for a promotional event featuring over 2,000 jacket potatoes, possibly held in the town square.
Similarly to Binley Mega Chippy, Spudman has become a TikTok sensation, drawing curious visitors from far and wide.
During the 2016 Summer Olympics, my family and I were on a hiking holiday in Yorkshire in the north of England. And in the evening, after a meal and a few drinks at the pub, we sat and watched the biggest sports broadcasts. What’s my favorite? Tracking my cycling.
A bunch of athletes with thighs thicker than a supermodel’s hips race at ridiculous speeds around polished wooden tracks on giant one-gear bikes with no freewheel or brakes. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. It is a sport that the British are particularly good at.
We even have track cycling’s “golden couple” in Jason Kenney and Laura Trott, who were planning to get married at the time. Sir Jason and Dame Laura Kenny (I made up that word) were knighted and dammed respectively in 2022, but between them they have an incredible 12 Olympiads between them. There’s a gold medal.
On this special night of competition, Laura had already completed all the events and was rooting for Jason to win his third and final Rio gold medal. As we sat in the crowd and in a small hotel room in Yorkshire yelling at Jason as he crossed the finish line, Laura tweeted: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Naturally, this aroused the interest of geneticists in me. Really, what are the odds? Will their future offspring become a sports superstar, or will he be with us on the couch watching the 2024 Paris Olympics?
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Although it was an off-the-cuff comment, there is ample reason for Laura to have high expectations. If she combines her and Jason’s genes, she has a much higher chance of producing a child who not only has better athletic ability, but also has the potential to become an Olympian than other people.
It’s the same way fast bowler Stuart Broad had a better chance of becoming a star cricketer because his father Chris batted for England. Or British middleweight boxing champion Chris Eubank Jr., who has a better chance of becoming a top boxer than his school friends. Or distance runner Eilish McColgan, who credits her Olympic medalist mother Liz for her athleticism. Similarly, Jason and Laura’s descendants (they have two children) will have a huge genetic head start.
However, while there are some human traits that can be traced down to a single gene (hair color, lactose intolerance, ability to tan, etc.), it is clear that this is not the only case for potential Olympic athletes. . .
My own area of expertise is the genetics of weight, which has been shown to involve over 1,000 genes. Let’s consider some of the characteristics needed to become an elite cyclist. It requires the right combination of “fast-twitch” and “slow-twitch” muscle fibers, good balance, high aerobic capacity, fast recovery rate, high pain threshold, and concentration, just to name a few.
One can only imagine the genetic complexity underlying the fusion of these multiple traits. With so many genes involved, it’s currently impossible to predict exactly how talented Jason and Laura’s children will be.
These complex traits are always determined by an ideal combination of genes and environmental factors, as well as a little bit of luck.
nature and nurture
Growing up in a household with two multi-gold medal winning cyclists will have a huge influence on their children. They will grow up in a competitive environment and will be heavily involved in sports in their daily lives.
Similarly, the kind of food such children eat will be better than most children. Two Olympians like Laura and Jason have nutritional advisors coming out of their ears, so they’re unlikely to feed their kids junk.
But no matter how helpful or unhelpful our environment is, we need the right genes to thrive. That’s why in every area of life we see glorious examples of genetics being passed down through generations. Musical parents often have musical children, and beauty is passed down from parent to child.
The question is what the child will do with the genes they are given. They can use it to their advantage or not. If we compare poker hands, there can be good hands and bad hands depending on genetics, but the only people you can blame are your own family. However, depending on how you play the game, you can win with a bad hand or lose with a good hand.
So nothing is certain, and probably within the next 20 years, we will learn more about how genes make us fat or thin, fast or slow, and how they control how we look, act, and behave. The day will come when we will understand in detail.
But for now, there’s no doubt that Jason and Laura’s children will have a huge head start, both genetically and environmentally, and they probably won’t want to line up their children with them at sports day. Sho.
A type of deep-sea angler fish called the black sea devil
Doug Perine / Alamy
The unique sexual strategy of deep-sea anglerfish may have helped their ancestors move into entirely new habitats, allowing for the incredible diversity of species that thrive today.
chase brownstein Researchers at Yale University have reconstructed the evolution of more than 160 species of deep-sea anglerfish (keratioids). Known for their large jaws and bioluminescent lures, serratioids are a subgroup of the larger order of the anglerfish family, which also includes monkfish and other bizarre benthic creatures such as monkfish, sea toads, and batfish. Using genetic sequencing, the researchers discovered that the ancestors of keratioids walked on pectoral fins at the bottom of the deep ocean. But 55 million years ago, some creatures began swimming in the ocean's vast deep-pelagic, or “midnight,” zone. There, over a period of just 5 million years, they became more genetically diverse than their ocean-floor relatives.
He said this is strange because the ocean floor and coral reefs typically have a greater variety of species. elizabeth miller At the University of California, Irvine. Environments with many topographical features lend themselves to the specialization of organisms. But with constant temperatures and vast expanses of waterless ocean, “the deep pelagic zone is truly the most homogeneous habitat on Earth,” she says.
Miller and her colleagues Monkfish species family tree Although her team and Brownstein's team used different methods, their studies are largely consistent regarding the timeline and scale of deep-sea monkfish diversification.
Brownstein's team found that this surprising diversification may be due to the serratioids' parasite-like reproductive strategy. That is, the small male uses his jaws to attach to the much larger female until he is ready to mate. In some species, the two can even permanently fuse together, such as sharing a circulatory system. This unique mating technique could theoretically benefit deep-sea monkfish, as they are very unlikely to encounter other members of their species during their lifetime.
Brownstein's analysis shows that the traits necessary for this parasitism, such as the difference in body size between males and females and the weakness of their immune systems that prevent them from attacking attached males, are the result of the evolution of monkfish diving into the deep sea. It turns out that it has existed for a long time.
“Most of this complex trait existed before the serratioids entered the deep ocean,” he says. “Basically, it's not the gas inside the engine, [of diversity]Sexual parasitism was like a preparation to press the gas pedal. ”
Miller said it's “possible” that a parasitic lifestyle helped the anglerfish invade deep-sea habitats, but it’s unclear how the fish subsequently achieved so much diversification. It remains as it is.
Answering this question will be a daunting task, especially since it is difficult to recover intact monkfish samples from the deep ocean.but cory evans Rice University in Texas says having two matching comprehensive family trees will help other researchers investigate.
“I think monkfish enthusiasts will be reading a lot of these two papers over the next six months,” he says.
1958, New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses.
Getty Images
We always forget the truth about power. Every generation has learned that it is not the individual, not the office, but power that ultimately irreparably corrupts and distorts even the best characters with the best intentions. I need to be reminded of this again.
I thought about this a lot when writing the novel. future. I've always been interested in writing about power. Most of my books are about how power systems change us and how we change power systems. future It is by far the most powerful individuals on the planet today: those of us who operate, for the most part, without tax or government constraints, without term limits, and who are the “citizens” of their online spheres. We're talking about tech billionaires who operate without having to answer to anything. How did they get there? Why is it so difficult to live outside the infrastructure they have created? And how has it turned them into such centers of power?
There was one book that made a big difference in my way of thinking.
In 1974, Robert Caro published a unique and extraordinary book. power broker. This lifted the lid on Robert Moses, the great builder of New York City's infrastructure (roads, bridges, parks, tunnels, public buildings). Those who knew him personally knew him to be a tyrant and a bully. His plans had long since ceased to make sense except as a means to gain more power.
power broker The book is 1100 pages long, but it is so engaging and engaging that I wish it had a few hundred more pages. This work shows that Moses started out as an idealist. At the start of his career, this is a man who aspired to build diaper changing stations in New York parks, but was so changed by his powers that he ended up suppressing major infrastructure projects became. He cannot be in charge of them. At the back of my copy are questions most readers probably asked themselves as they read on. What did it take? ” Behind that lies another question. How can we detect this early and take immediate action?
Tatchapong “Art” Climbing Cone Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Amity. Art earned her MBA from Cambridge University, where she worked for five years at IBM.
have something in common A story that repeats itself in the tech industry. A fast-growing startup emerges with a breakthrough concept, succeeds in raising incredible VC funding, and rockets to unicorn status. The company then fails to achieve sustainable profits and falls from glory within a few years (or even months). Despite a relative slowdown in VC activity, that story has continued over the last year, and usually reaches the same conclusion. 90% of startups fail 10% of them die within a year.
The numbers paint a grim picture, but one thing we know as innovators is that every challenge has a unique solution. Often, what holds entrepreneurs back is not money, but rather rapid growth and an over-obsession with flashy technology. This leads to neglecting to solve core business challenges and ultimately leads to a lack of stability and long-term profitability. Before investing in an attractive technology product, it is important to change this approach and prioritize providing reproducible solutions to relevant problems.
Suppose your objective is to introduce an innovative solution to a new niche problem in a way never seen before in the market. In that case, you don’t have to be bold. You need to be bold enough to believe in the company’s clairvoyance, and know enough about your field to maintain that level of confidence even to your face. A strong headwind.
Here’s how to start your own category to solve a niche problem
Identify your unique value proposition
When faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges or unexpected investments, the most important thing is to remain true to the company’s mission.
The most loved and valued companies have built categories that didn’t exist because they offer solutions that other companies can’t even imagine. There’s a reason Apple remains the most valuable company on the planet. The advent of iPhone happened when the user had to carry her iPod, mobile phone, laptop and planner separately. For the first time, a device has appeared that allows him to achieve all these items in one device.
Compare this to products like Threads. Threads is a simple modification of existing products. Unable to retain users. A sales pitch that says, “We’re offering the same product that’s already on the market, but with a few changes,” is much weaker than, “This is a solution that didn’t exist before.” In my career helping brands connect with their communities on platforms, I’ve seen this strategy yield greater benefits than copying existing solutions.
In 2018-2019, I began a journey to take on traditional social giants and provide an alternative way for brands to develop brand-centric communities online. At the time, Facebook had some notorious scandals regarding the misuse of personal data. Amity has set out on a mission to improve and democratize social networks, with the goal of building better social networks that foster active user interaction while respecting the privacy of user data.
blue originNew Shepard has officially resumed operations, with the company today successfully launching a suborbital rocket for the first time in more than 15 months.
The rocket lifted off from the Blue Origin launch site in west Texas at around 10:42 a.m. local time. The mission, named NS-24 to commemorate its 24th launch, carried 33 payloads for a wide range of customers, including NASA, Honeybee Robotics, and the nonprofit research and engineering company Draper. The mission was successfully completed in her 10 minutes, and the capsule returned safely to Earth after a short suborbital flight.
The company had originally targeted a Monday launch, but canceled the launch due to “ground system issues.” Blue Origin did not elaborate further on the specific issue.
This will be Blue Origin’s first New Shepard launch since September 2022, when an anomaly caused an automatic abort mid-flight. The capsule, which had no people on board at the time, was ejected from its booster and landed on Earth via parachute, but the booster was destroyed. The company discovered an issue with the engine nozzle that caused higher than normal operating temperatures.
Blue flew New Shepard four times in 2022, including a failed launch. Phil Joyce, Blue’s senior vice president for the New Shepard program, said in a statement after the launch that the company will fly the rocket more frequently next year. In 2024, the flight rhythm will improve,” he said.
Erica Wagner, Blue Origin’s senior director, said on the launch livestream that the company looks forward to flying its next crewed flight “soon.” There is no doubt that prospects breathed a sigh of relief when they saw another successful flight recorded on the blue belt.
Research by the University of South Australia and its partners shows that increasing student engagement with complex learning tasks significantly improves critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This study suggests that teachers should focus on deep learning techniques to improve student outcomes.
High engagement, high returns. This is advice from education experts at the University of South Australia for teachers looking to improve student performance.
In a new study conducted in partnership with flinders university Researchers from the Melbourne School of Education found that fewer than a third of teachers engage students in complex learning, limiting students’ opportunities to develop critical thinking and solve problems. Did.
Researchers who filmed and assessed classroom content in South Australia and Victoria found that nearly 70% of student assignments consisted of simple questions and answers and notes, rather than activities that engaged students on a deeper level. I found that it is related to superficial learning such as taking things and listening to the teacher.
Emphasis on deep learning
UniSA researcher Dr Helen Stevenson said teachers needed more support to plan interactive and constructive lessons that foster deep learning.
“When it comes to learning, the greater the engagement, the deeper the learning. But too often, students are not very active and do passive work,” says Dr. Stevenson. Masu
“Our research suggests that about 70% of classroom content may be ‘passive’ (students have little observable input), or doing something simple like answering questions on a fact sheet. was considered to be “active”. While there is certainly a place for such tasks in the classroom, student learning is greatly enhanced when students spend more time doing complex activities that promote deep conceptual learning. Deep learning requires organizing knowledge into conceptual structures, which has been shown to improve information retention and improve learning outcomes. Deep learning also supports the knowledge needed for innovation. Making small changes to teachers’ existing lesson plans and instruction can significantly increase student engagement, which in turn improves overall outcomes. ”
She continues: “At a basic level, teachers need to consider how they can adjust existing classroom activities to place more tasks deeper into the learning scale. For example, suppose you watch a video. . Students can watch the video silently (this is “passive”). Watch the video and take notes using the presenter’s words (this is considered “active”). Write any questions that arise while watching the video (this is “constructive”). Or watch the video and discuss it with other students to generate different ideas (this is ‘interactive’). Interactive classroom engagement involves students participating in activities with other students and receiving stimulation that fosters deeper understanding. They make judgments, propose and criticize arguments and opinions, and come up with solutions to problems. These activities also help develop critical thinking and reasoning skills. All of these are predictive of learning gains. ”
Survey results regarding teacher awareness
Interestingly, one of the study’s key findings is that many teachers do not recognize or fully appreciate the importance of how classroom assignments can stimulate different modes of student participation. It seems like it hasn’t.
“Simply changing class activities from ‘active’ to ‘constructive’ can go a long way in improving student learning,” says Dr. Stevenson.
“Teachers should be supported to engage in professional development to shift their thinking to practices that support deeper learning and better outcomes for students.”
References: “Using the Extended ICAP-Based Coding Guide as a Framework for Analyzing Classroom Observations,” by Stella Vosniadou, Michael J. Lawson, Erin Bodner, Helen Stephenson, David Jeffries, and I Gusti Ngurah Darmawan; April 13, 2023 Education and teacher education. DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2023.104133
This research was funded by the Australian Research Council.
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