The existence of something rather than nothing is a profound question that lies at the intersection of science and philosophy. It pushes us to investigate the origins of our existence.
Evolutionary theory traces all life on Earth back to a common ancestor referred to as the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA). The quest to find LUCA captivates scientists studying life’s origins, prompting a deeper exploration into the origins of Earth and the universe.
Cosmologically, the birth of stars, formation of planets, and expansion of the universe reveal a magnificent interplay. This cosmic dance involves the expansion rate of the universe, gravitational collapse of dark matter, and the capture of hydrogen essential for star formation. Without this intricate cosmic ballet, life as we know it would not exist.
The story of our universe begins with a fundamental question: What sparked the universe’s expanding space-time? The prevailing model, known as big bang cosmology, posits that all matter in the universe originated from a colossal explosion at a specific point in the distant past.
Einstein’s general relativity theory supports the concept of an expanding universe, describing space-time as a flexible medium capable of bending, expanding, and collapsing. Rewinding the universe would reveal a moment called the Big Bang Singularity, where the universe condensed into a minuscule point of immense energy and curvature.
Stephen Hawking and his colleagues delved into understanding this singularity, grappling with the notion of time and existence before the Big Bang. Alternative explanations beyond the singularity have been explored, including concepts like the big bounce, quantum gravity, and cyclical inflation.
Cosmologists are actively researching observational predictions to differentiate between these models and unravel the mysteries of our cosmic origins. The rapid formation of supermassive black holes challenges the current cosmological model, hinting at the need for new frameworks to explain cosmic anomalies.
As we continue this intellectual journey, uncovering the enigmatic tapestry of the universe, we inch closer to unravelling the secrets of our existence and shedding light on the age-old question of why there is something rather than nothing.
Despite the growing number of electric and hybrid vehicles on the roads, some individuals remain apprehensive about range and access to charging points, particularly if they rely on their vehicles for work. These concerns persist.
Fleet managers and business owners, with myriad responsibilities, may find the transition away from gasoline daunting. Nevertheless, advancements in battery technology and substantial investments in charging infrastructure have made the switch to electric or hybrid more feasible and potentially cost-effective for businesses than ever before. So, what factors should you consider to extend your battery-powered driving range?
Have you thought about a plug-in hybrid? It’s advisable to explore plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) first. These vehicles feature rechargeable batteries and gasoline engines, with only a few running on diesel. They can be charged at both domestic and public charging points and now offer impressive pure electric ranges.
On the other hand, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) rely on the car’s movement to generate electricity and use battery power to reduce gasoline consumption and emissions. They cannot be charged by plugging into a power outlet.
Modern plug-in hybrids like the Škoda Superb offer impressive range
The latest plug-in models showcase the significant technological advancements, with fast charging capabilities, remarkable range, and battery capacity. “For instance, the Škoda Superb Estate can travel up to 84 miles on pure electricity,” says Alan Barrowman, Skoda’s national contract employment and leasing manager. He also noted that this mileage qualifies for the 5% benefit-in-kind (BiK) tax for company car drivers.
Changes in charging Charging networks are crucial for PHEV drivers looking to minimize their petrol (or diesel) usage. Fortunately, the number of public charging points is constantly increasing. In October 2023, approximately 50,000 points were installed at various service stations, with the installation rate continuing to rise. According to Zapmap, a data firm, there were 68,273 electric vehicle charging points across the UK by the end of August this year, representing a 41% year-on-year increase. Additionally, there are an estimated 700,000+ home and workplace charging points.
Charging points supply either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power. Electric car batteries can only store DC power, so connecting to an AC charger involves converting the current, which can be time-consuming. Vehicles that support both AC and DC charging points, such as the all-new Škoda Superb, can charge even faster. The Skoda www.theguardian.com
K. Miller, R. Hart/California Institute of Technology/IPAC
A strange star that has confused researchers for decades now makes sense. It turns out that it is not a single star, but two companion stars.
“Previously, it was thought that this brown dwarf was meaningless. We wondered if we were doing something horribly wrong, or if our models were horribly wrong. I was worried. But no, everything is fine. I just have friends.” timothy blunt at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland.
Now, two research teams have used instruments from the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the Very Large Telescope in Chile to solve the mystery of the first brown dwarf.
Brown dwarfs are “failed stars” in that they have too little material and are too hot to sustain nuclear fusion. Instead of shining brightly for thousands of years, they dim in the night sky like planets. The first brown dwarf, called Gliese 229B, was discovered in 1995 and had an inexplicably large mass. Jerry Xuan I worked on one of the studies at the California Institute of Technology.
Gliese 229B is estimated to have about 71 times the mass of Jupiter, and a star born at that size, even if it were as old as the universe, would cool down and become faint enough to see us. That would have never happened, said participant Brandt. One of the research team. This has led some researchers to suggest that Gliese 22B is a very faint pair of stars, but until now there has been no conclusive evidence.
Xuan said this was because two fellow brown dwarfs, Gliese 229Ba and Bb, were unusually close together, and very precise observations were needed to see them both. However, observations by both teams confirmed that they exist separately, orbiting each other every 12 days, and are always about 16 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
He says that revealing the dual identity of Gliese 229B may be the start of a trend. samuel white book He was part of a research team at the California Institute of Technology. “There are probably a lot of binary systems that have been hiding in front of us all this time,” he says.
Xuan said he has already selected several other brown dwarfs to study more precisely. Brown dwarfs resemble both exoplanets and stars, so understanding how many of them are actually twins could shed light on the formation of these other objects as well. Maybe.
Back in 1830, what would eventually become one of the most renowned novels in French literature was just an empty page. Victor Hugo had been tasked with writing The Hunchback of Notre Dame the year before, but instead of focusing on it, he was preoccupied with other obligations. His publisher informed him that he was running out of time to finish the book, giving him a strict six-month deadline.
To force himself to deliver, Hugo resorted to working in the nude – except for a large knitted shawl. Unable to go out in public, he had no choice but to stay at home and focus on writing. This wardrobe tactic proved successful, as The Hunchback of Notre Dame was completed and published two weeks ahead of schedule on January 14, 1831.
Procrastination is a common challenge that people face when they struggle to find the motivation to complete tasks. Piers Steel, a prominent researcher in the field of procrastination, defines it as “the act of delaying tasks even though you know it will worsen your situation.” Hugo’s experience highlights how overthinking rather than taking action has been a prevalent issue for centuries.
References to procrastination can be traced back to ancient times, with examples found in early Roman, Greek, and Egyptian texts. Hesiod, an ancient Greek poet, warned against procrastination and laziness in his works, emphasizing the importance of diligence. The Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita also addresses the consequences of procrastination, highlighting its detrimental effects.
While procrastination has always existed, modern factors like social media and technology have exacerbated the problem. With numerous distractions, the way we approach work has evolved, making it easier to procrastinate when tasks are not immediately vital. Companies are now grappling with challenges like “cyber loafing,” where employees waste time online instead of working.
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The conventional view that procrastination stems from poor self-control has shifted to emphasizing emotional regulation. Research indicates that procrastination often results from avoiding negative emotions associated with tasks, leading to a cycle of procrastination and negative feelings.
Technology, while contributing to procrastination, also offers solutions. Apps like Forest promote focused work by rewarding users with virtual trees. Generative AI can help overcome creative blocks, providing tools to combat procrastination.
It’s important to acknowledge and address procrastination with self-compassion. Occasional distractions can boost self-esteem and curiosity, ultimately enhancing motivation. Starting with small tasks and gradually progressing can help overcome the discomfort of returning to work after procrastination. Remember, even delayed progress eventually leads to completion.
Gravity is one of the four fundamental forces that bind matter in the universe. The other three forces (electromagnetic, weak nuclear, and strong nuclear) are explained through the exchange of force-carrying elementary particles, leading theorists to believe there is a similar quantum explanation for gravity.
The force carriers for the electromagnetic force are photons, while the weak nuclear force has W-, W+, and Z0 bosons as force carriers, and the strong nuclear force has eight types of gluons. On the other hand, the hypothetical carrier of gravitational force is known as the graviton.
The properties of the graviton are deducible in quantum theory. The amount of energy required to summon a force-carrying particle from the vacuum determines how quickly it must be recovered. Since gravity has an infinite range and does not require energy to create a graviton, the mass of the graviton must be zero.
Additionally, gravitons are expected to have a spin of 2, as only spin 2 particles interact with all matter, which is characteristic of universal gravity. This is in contrast to quarks and leptons, which have a spin of 1/2, and the non-gravitational force carriers, which have a spin of 1.
While gravity may not be fully explained by the exchange of gravitons, most physicists believe it can be quantized. String theory offers a potential framework where fundamental particles are envisioned as vibrations of mass-energy strings, with each vibrating string having the properties of a graviton.
However, string theory faces challenges due to its complexity and inability to make testable predictions. Detecting gravitons is difficult due to the extremely weak nature of gravity and the rare interactions gravitons have with matter.
Despite the challenges in detecting gravitons, recent advancements in experimental exploration, such as the discovery of spin-2 particle properties in a liquid analogue system, provide hope for a better understanding of gravitons and the eventual unification of fundamental forces into a single theory.
About our experts
Tony Rothman: A theoretical physicist who has taught at Princeton and Harvard Universities, he has published non-fiction and fiction novels and written various stage plays outside of his academic career. He has contributed to publications like Physics Basics, European Journal of Physics, and Astrophysics and Space Sciences.
Neolithic people appear to have understood advanced concepts from sciences such as physics and geology, and used this knowledge to build megalithic monuments in southern Spain.
The dolmen, called Menga Dolmen, was built between 3600 and 3800 BC and is one of the oldest megalithic structures in Europe. The covered enclosure is made of 32 large stones, some of which are the largest ever used for such a structure. The heaviest stone weighs over 130 tonnes, more than three times the heaviest stone at Stonehenge in England, which was built more than 1000 years later.
“[In the Neolithic Period]”It must have been an impressive experience to experience these huge stone structures,” he said. Leonardo Garcia San Juan He studied at the University of Seville in Spain. “It still moves me. It still makes an impression on me.”
García Sanjuan and his colleagues are now conducting a detailed geological and archaeological analysis of the stones to deduce what knowledge Menga's builders needed to construct the monument in the city of Antequera.
Paradoxically, they found that the rock was a type of relatively brittle sandstone, meaning that it was at high risk of breaking, but the team found that they could compensate for that risk by shaping the rock, locking it into a very stable overall structure.
Neolithic people would have needed some way to make the stones fit together very snugly, Garcia-Sanjuan says. “It's like Tetris,” he says. “The precision, and how tightly each stone is fastened to each other, forces you to think they had some concept of angles, even if it was just rudimentary.”
The researchers also discovered that the 130-ton stone, laid horizontally on top to form part of the roof, has a raised surface in the middle and slopes down at the edges, which helps distribute forces in the same way an arch does and strengthens the roof, Garcia-Sanjuan says. “To our knowledge, this is the first time the principle of the arch has been documented in human history.”
The purpose of the mengas is unknown, but they were positioned to create unique light patterns inside them during the summer solstice, and the stones are protected from water damage by layers of carefully pounded clay, supporting evidence of their builders' knowledge of architecture and engineering.
“They knew about geology and the properties of the rocks they were working with,” Garcia San Juan says. “When you put all of this together — engineering, physics, geology, geometry, astronomy — you get what you call science.”
There are other Neolithic structures in France of a similar size to Menga, but less is known about how it was built, Garcia San Juan said. “To date, Menga is unique both in the Iberian peninsula and in Western Europe.”
“What's surprising is how sophisticated it is.” Susan Greaney “This architectural understanding of how weight is distributed is something I've never seen anywhere before,” says Professor David Schneider of the University of Exeter in the UK. But, she adds, this may be a testament to an understanding of architecture and engineering rather than an understanding of science.
Health workers assess a suspected case of MPOX in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Arlette Basij/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is currently in the midst of an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries, with the surge in cases being blamed in part on a new variant that is thought to be more deadly than the variant of the Mpox virus that caused a global outbreak in 2022. But there are treatments that may help.
How deadly is MPOX?
Studies have shown that the mortality rate among people infected with the currently circulating lineage I variant of MPOX is approximately 1-2%. 11 percentThe variation in reported mortality rates is probably due to differences in affected populations and problems with disease surveillance, Lilith Whittles At Imperial College London.
For example, infants and children with underdeveloped immune systems may be more likely than adults to develop serious, even fatal, infections, and people with suppressed immune systems, such as those with HIV, may also be more susceptible, she says.
Additionally, some areas have little access to health care and limited surveillance for MPOX. As a result, health care providers only catch the most severe cases and miss milder cases, making the death rate appear higher than it actually is. If MPOX symptoms are increasingly misdiagnosed as other illnesses, like measles or chickenpox, more cases will go undetected, Whittles says.
In fact, most deaths from MPOX occur due to complications such as sepsis, where infection enters the bloodstream and causes organ failure, and inflammation caused by the MPOX virus that damages the lungs, he said. Piero Oriaro At Oxford University.
What are the MPOX treatment options?
In the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries where the current outbreak is occurring, there are few treatments specific to MPOX. Instead, doctors focus on treating symptoms, which usually last two to four weeks, such as reducing fever and headaches with paracetamol (acetaminophen) and cleaning skin lesions to prevent bacterial infections, he said. Jean-Claude Udahemka At the University of Rwanda.
In the UK and US, doctors can use the antiviral drug Tecovirimat to treat people with severe smallpox. Originally developed to treat smallpox, its use against the disease was based on animal studies in which it improved survival rates compared to a placebo. Tecovirimat works by binding to a protein on the surface of both variola and smallpox that the virus uses to attack. Freeing itself from infected cells spreads to other cells.
Doctors in the United States and the United Kingdom can also treat MPOX with other antiviral drugs, such as brincidofovir and cidofovir. Protecting mice from lethal doses of the mpox virus. Both brincidofivir and cidofovir Interfering with enzymes Used by viruses to replicate their genome.
Another treatment, known as VIGIV, involves injecting people with smallpox with antibodies against smallpox taken from people who have had the smallpox vaccine, thus strengthening their immune response to the virus.
How effective is mpox treatment in humans?
Animal studies suggest that these treatments may be effective against MPOX, but their effectiveness in humans is unknown. Early results from a recent randomized controlled trial (best medical evidence) in the Democratic Republic of Congo suggest that tecovirimat does not accelerate the progression of MPOX. Healing of painful lesions in children and adults infected with lineage I variants of MPOX.
Nonetheless, the researchers found that the MPOX mortality rate for participants who received the antiviral drug was 1.7 percent, an improvement over the 3.6 percent mortality rate typically seen in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But this can be partly explained by the fact that participants in the trial received close care in hospital, Oriaro says.
Ultimately, better treatments and a better understanding of MPOX's lethality will be essential to protect people, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo, from the ongoing epidemic. Lucille Blumberg She is a researcher at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. “There's a lot of work to be done,” she says.
aAmong those quickly convicted and sentenced recently for their involvement in racially charged riots were: Bobby Silbon. Silbon exited his 18th birthday celebration at a bingo hall in Hartlepool to join a group roaming the town’s streets, targeting residences they believed housed asylum seekers. He was apprehended for vandalizing property and assaulting law enforcement officials, resulting in a 20-month prison term.
While in custody, Silbon justified his actions by asserting their commonality: “It’s fine,” he reassured officers. “Everyone else is doing it too.” This rationale, although a common defense among individuals caught up in gang activity, now resonates more prominently with the hundreds facing severe sentences.
His birthday festivities were interrupted by social media alerts, potentially containing misinformation about events in Southport. Embedded in these alerts were snippets and videos that swiftly fueled a surge in violence without context.
Bobby Charbon left a birthday party in Hartlepool and headed to the riots after receiving a social media alert.
Picture: Cleveland Police/PA
Mobile phone users likely witnessed distressing scenes last week: racists setting up checkpoints in Middlesbrough, a black man being assaulted in a Manchester park, and confrontations outside a Birmingham pub. The graphic violence, normalized in real-time, incited some to take to the streets, embodying the sentiment of “everyone’s doing it.” In essence, a Kristallnacht trigger is now present in our pockets.
A vintage document from the BBC, the “Guidelines Regarding Violence Depiction,” serves as a reminder of what is deemed suitable for national broadcasters. Striking a balance between accuracy and potential distress is emphasized when airing real-life violence. Specific editorial precautions are outlined for violence incidents that may resonate with personal experiences or can be imitated by children.
Social media lacks these regulatory measures, with an overflow of explicit content that tends to prioritize sensationalism over accuracy, drawing attention through harm and misinformation.
Is it in the way we live, laugh, love? Or is it our aversion to clichés? Deep inside each of us, there must be something that makes us human. The problem is, after centuries of searching, we haven’t found it yet. Maybe it’s because we’ve been looking in the wrong places.
Ever since researchers began unearthing ancient hominin bones and stone tools, their work has held the tantalizing promise of pinpointing the long-ago moment when our ancestors transformed into humans. Two of the most important fossil discoveries in this quest reach an important milestone this year: 100 years since the first “near-human” was found. Australopithecus Fossils have been discovered in South Africa that have upended previous ideas about human origins, and it’s been 50 years since the most famous fossil was found. Australopithecus Lucy, also known as humanity’s grandmother, emerged from the dusty hills of Ethiopia, and the two fossils have led researchers to believe they can pinpoint humanity’s Big Bang, the period when a dramatic evolutionary wave led to the emergence of humans. Homo.
But today, the story of human origins is much more complicated. A series of discoveries over the past two decades has shown that the beginning of humanity is harder to pinpoint than we thought. So why did it once seem like we could define humanity and pinpoint its emergence, thanks to Lucy and her peers? Why are we now further away than ever from pinpointing exactly what it means to be human?
In her laboratory, Jessica Nowicki can often be found pinching and plucking the legs of tiny female poison dart frogs, then returning the frog to its terrarium home with its male partner, waiting for signs that the male is sharing his pain — a grimace, a flinch, or a small leap toward his injured partner.
Nowicki, a neurobehavioral scientist at Stanford University, has yet to see such overt signs of anxiety, but she has found a similar phenomenon: When male frogs are reunited with a stressed mate, their stress hormones rise slightly, internally synchronizing with their partner’s emotional state.
This discovery, as per Nowicki’s new research in Royal Society Open Science, suggests that frogs possess the most primitive form of empathy. This finding challenges the conventional understanding of animal emotions, despite the inherent difficulties in their examination.
“The first step is to stop assuming empathy doesn’t exist,” Nowicki says, “and the second is to think more holistically about how we measure empathy.”
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It is extremely challenging for scientists to ascertain whether non-human animals feel empathy since animals do not communicate clearly and explicitly with humans, and they cannot self-report their emotions during tests.
Even among humans, it is not possible to definitively confirm that one person’s happiness matches another’s subjective experience of happiness.
“That does not mean emotions do not exist,” Nowicki explains, “it simply means they are empirically challenging to prove.” However, emotions also possess biological markers tied to specific chemicals in the bloodstream and distinct signals in the brain, which can be empirically tested.
However, few studies have investigated reptiles and amphibians in this context. Nowicki decided to examine poison dart frogs (Ranitomeya’s Copycat) due to their monogamous nature, where males and females support each other in raising offspring, which she believed might reveal emotional connections. She utilized a similar lab setup as in her 2016 prairie vole study.
Indeed, when her team stressed randomly selected female frogs and paired them with male frogs, nothing notable occurred. Yet, when they reunited stressed female frogs with female frogs, the male frogs’ corticosterone levels, a stress biomarker similar to cortisol, mirrored those of their female partners.
“I was amazed!” Nowicki remarks, interpreting this as evidence of frogs expressing emotional stress through empathy.
The fact that frogs only respond to their partners’ emotions, not others’, indicates that distress transmission is not mere automatic contagion. Dr. Inbal Ben Ami Bartal, who studies prosocial behavior in animals at Tel Aviv University, calls these findings “a good example of shared basic components of empathy across species.”
While the frogs did not exhibit the anticipated behavioral changes, the possibility of emotional contagion remains plausible. Amphibian responses may differ significantly from mammals, and maintaining an open mind when studying this question in amphibians is crucial, according to Dr. Ben-Ami Bartal.
Animal welfare researcher Dr. Helen Lambert concurs, noting that empathy, as a subjective experience, can manifest physically but remains unique to each individual.
These new findings “could indicate something more complex,” but further studies are needed to understand this in amphibians, asserts Lambert.
Adriane believes that the frog study did not precisely measure what it claims to, as pinching and prodding female frogs did not induce significant stress. While the male frogs had stable emotional states, a consistent emotional change would be required to prove empathy, she contends.
Additionally, the correlation in corticosterone levels between male and female frogs is not strong.
Yet, it remains essential to continue exploring these questions to understand whether empathy is unique to humans.
About our experts
Jessica Nowicki is a research scientist in the Stanford University Biological Laboratory, focusing on prosocial behavior in early vertebrates.
Her work has appeared in journals such as Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, and Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology.
Dr. Inbal Ben Ami Bartel is a researcher in the Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University, studying social neuroscience, prosocial behavior, and empathy.
Her research has been featured in publications like E-Life, Frontiers of Psychology, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Helen Lambert is an animal welfare scientist and the head of an animal welfare consultancy.
Her work has been published in journals like Applied Animal Behavior Science, Animal Welfare, and Animal.
A newly identified brain pathway in mice may explain why placebos, or interventions that should have no therapeutic effect, can relieve pain, and the development of drugs that target this pathway could lead to safer alternatives to painkillers such as opioids.
If someone unknowingly takes a sugar pill instead of a painkiller, they still feel better. The placebo effect is a well-known phenomenon in which people's expectations reduce symptoms even in the absence of an effective treatment. “Our brain can solve the pain problem on its own, based on the expectation that a drug or treatment might work,” says Dr. Gregory Scherer At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
To understand how the brain does this, Scherer and his colleagues recreated the placebo effect in 10 mice using a cage with two chambers: one with a blazingly hot floor and the other with no floor. After three days, the mice learned to associate the second chamber with pain relief.
The researchers then injected molecules into the animals' brains that caused active neurons to light up when viewed under a microscope, and then returned the animals to their cages, but this time they heated both floors.
Although the two chambers were now equally hot, the mice still preferred the second chamber and showed less symptoms of pain, such as licking their paws, while they were there. They also showed more neuronal activity in the cingulate cortex, a brain region involved in processing pain, compared with nine mice that had not been conditioned to associate the second chamber with pain relief.
Further experiments revealed pathways connecting these pain-processing neurons to cells in the pontine nuclei and cerebellum, two brain regions not previously known to play a role in pain relief.
To confirm that this circuit relieved pain, the researchers used a technique called optogenetics, which switches cells on and off with light. This allowed them to activate the newly discovered neural pathway in another group of mice that were placed on a hot floor. On average, these mice took three times longer to lick their paws than mice that didn't have the circuit activated, indicating that they felt less pain.
If this neural pathway explains the placebo effect, “it could open up new strategies for drug development,” he said. Luana Colocca “If we had a drug that could activate the placebo effect, it would be an excellent strategy for pain management,” said University of Maryland researcher David L. Schneider, who was not involved in the study.
“An obvious caveat is that the placebo experience in humans is clearly much more complex. [than in animals]”The pain pathways are very similar to ours,” Scherer said, but because rodents and humans have very similar pain pathways, he believes these findings also apply to humans.
Four poultry workers in Colorado recently fell ill with avian flu, bringing the total number of cases in the United States to nine.
Almost all of the infections have been reported since April, giving experts a preliminary idea of what symptoms the virus causes in people.
Cases have been fairly mild, with some typical flu symptoms and some reports of conjunctivitis.
Four poultry workers in Colorado recently fell ill with avian flu, bringing the total number of cases in the United States to at least nine.
Though the numbers are small, researchers say the commonalities between the cases — all but one of which were reported in the past four months — are enough to get a sense of how the virus affects people.
Cases in the US have been relatively mild and limited to farm workers who have handled infected animals, suggesting that the virus in its current form does not pose a significant threat to humans.
Some patients have reported typical flu symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, sore throat, and runny nose, while a few have also developed conjunctivitis and measles.
“One thing we can say is that the current strain of the virus is not adapted to infect humans and may not be adapted to infect the lower respiratory tract,” said Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.
The cases have been attributed to the global outbreak of H5N1, a specific strain of avian influenza that swept through America’s poultry and dairy farms in 2020.
The first case in the country was reported in April 2022 in an inmate working on a farm in Colorado who was culling birds and whose only symptom was fatigue. Texas reported a second case in April, followed by two in Michigan and five in Colorado, the latest four of which were confirmed over the weekend.
This H5N1 strain is considered highly pathogenic, which, when the term is used in the context of avian flu, means it has a high chance of killing chickens.
“It’s really scary to hear about such viruses, but the term is actually the USDA term for what happens to poultry,” said John Lednicky, professor of environmental and global health studies at the University of Florida. “Just because it’s highly pathogenic for birds doesn’t mean it’s highly pathogenic for mammals or for humans.”
Lednicky added that some H5N1 strains are deadly to humans, but others are not.
Since 1997, more than 900 total cases of H5N1 have been reported worldwide, about half of which were fatal. But the global mortality rate has fallen to about 27% over the past two years. Still, that figure largely reflects only those whose illness was severe enough to cause them to seek medical treatment.
Dr. Peter Parese, a professor of microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said the figures include patients “who were hospitalized and, in retrospect, came into contact with a lot of the virus.”
Palese’s 2012 StudyBlood samples from 12,500 people with no recorded history of avian flu infection were examined and found that 1% to 2% of them may have had a previous infection with H5N1.
But experts worry the virus could one day mutate and cause more severe illness or become more capable of spreading from person to person (all transmission so far has been from animals to people).
“The concern is that as it infects more animals and then infects more humans, the virus will change,” Binnicker said.
Why is conjunctivitis associated with bird flu?
At least four of nine people with avian flu in the United States reported having conjunctivitis.
This was the case in at least one recent case in Colorado, linked to an outbreak at a commercial farm in Weld County where workers were slaughtering poultry.
The state announced earlier this month that another patient Dairy workers People who came into contact with the infected cows also developed conjunctivitis.
A dairy farm worker in Texas was infected with avian influenza and developed conjunctivitis. New England Journal of Medicine
Texas 1 The patient had conjunctivitis and no other symptoms. The patient worked with dairy cows and developed redness and discomfort in her right eye in March. New England Journal of Medicine Case StudyThe individual reported wearing gloves while working but no eye protection.
Scientists say there could be a few factors that explain the recent spread of the condition. One is that farm workers don’t always cover their eyes when handling sick animals, which could result in dairy farmers ingesting raw milk, which can lead to infection. Carrying the virus — That’s how it seemed to them.
Perhaps it is Michigan Dairy Workers He developed mild conjunctivitis in May and was confirmed to have been infected with avian influenza.
The virus can also get into a person’s eye through respiratory droplets or aerosols (tiny droplets in the air), or by workers who touch the eye after handling infected animals or contaminated raw milk.
“The receptors on cells that the virus needs to bind to are quite abundant on cells in the eye, which may be one reason why people with avian flu have conjunctivitis,” Binnicker said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends treating people infected with avian flu with antiviral drugs, and some U.S. patients have been given Tamiflu, a drug also used to treat seasonal flu.
“Studies conducted to date have shown that Tamiflu is effective in treating currently circulating strains of avian flu,” Binnicker said, “and to be most effective, it usually needs to be administered within 48 hours after symptoms begin.”
Infection spreads, tests increase, number of infected people increases
Scientists say the reason why all but one of the U.S. cases have been reported since April could come down to two factors: First, the virus is spreading quickly among birds; Sporadically infect other animalsPeople who have been in contact with infected animals, such as pet cats, are more likely to become infected. Second, health officials have begun monitoring and testing people who have been in contact with infected animals if they develop symptoms.
“There’s probably a much higher amount of virus out there now than there was a year ago, but we’re also seeing more cases because we’re doing more testing,” Binnicker said.
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical officer, said local health departments are conducting tests for people with even the most minor symptoms.
“I think that’s why we’re seeing milder cases,” she said, “because of the aggressive symptom surveillance that we’re doing.”
For example, a Michigan worker who had conjunctivitis did not even see a doctor before being tested for avian flu. Other cases Farm workers who cared for the infected cows reported sore throats, coughs, and stuffy noses to local health authorities.
Baghdasarian said the fact that Michigan has tested about 60 people but has only found two cases shows it takes a lot of contact for a person to get sick, and that the workers who tested positive were not wearing full personal protective equipment and were working on tasks like milking and hydrating cows, he said.
“We’re not talking about people who have had momentary contact with these animals, who pass by a barn or a pen,” Bagdasarian said. “We’re not talking about people who only touch a cow once.”
Connectivity is crucial in today’s digital society, affecting our finances, social connections, job opportunities, education, and health.
However, a significant number of people in the UK lack internet access, leading to digital exclusion with serious consequences.
“Approximately two million UK households have no internet access, and many lack the digital skills needed to fully utilize technology. Equal access to connectivity, skills, and devices remains a challenge,” said Nicky Lyons, Vodafone UK’s chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer.
Regional disparities in the UK exacerbate digital poverty, with 5G “dark zones” impacting those without reliable indoor signals.
800,000 (pdf): The number of people in deprived rural areas who would benefit from 5G Standalone.
Nearly half (46%) of rural deprived areas lack 5G coverage compared to inner-city areas.
47% of small and medium-sized businesses in rural areas face connectivity issues.
5G technology can save GBP 8.6 billion, benefiting businesses with increased productivity.
Vodafone is taking steps to bridge the digital gap by providing devices, connectivity, and digital skills training to those in need.
“At Vodafone, we aim to ensure no one is left behind. We have already assisted 2.6 million individuals and businesses with free connectivity, devices, and training, with a goal of reaching 4 million by 2025,” said Vodafone’s Lyons.
Over 2.6 million people and businesses have benefited from Vodafone’s free connectivity, devices, and training.
1.3 million free SIM cards are provided by Vodafone to a national data bank in partnership with The Trussell Trust.
Learn more about Vodafone’s efforts to bridge the digital divide for four million people and businesses here
Illustration showing LUCA possibly being attacked by a virus
Scientific Graphic Design
The organisms that gave rise to all life on Earth evolved much earlier than previously thought – just a few hundred million years after Earth formed – and may have been more sophisticated than previous assessments had suggested.
The DNA of all living organisms today is E. coli There are many similarities in the evolution leading up to the blue whale, suggesting that we can trace our origins back to a universal common ancestor, LUCA, billions of years ago. While many efforts have been made to understand LUCA, studies taking a broader approach have revealed surprising results.
“What we're trying to do is bring together representatives from different disciplines to develop a comprehensive understanding of when LUCA existed and what its biological characteristics were,” he said. Philip Donahue At the University of Bristol, UK.
Genes that are currently present in all major lineages of life may have been passed down uninterrupted from LUCA, which could help us understand what genes our ancient ancestors had. By studying how these genes changed over time, we should be able to estimate when LUCA lived.
In reality, this is a lot more complicated than it sounds, as genes are lost, gained, and swapped between branches. Donohue says the team created a complex model that took this into account, to work out which genes were present in LUCA. “We've found a much more sophisticated organism than many have previously claimed,” he says.
The researchers estimate that 2,600 protein-coding genes come from LUCA, up from previous estimates of as few as 80. The team also concludes that LUCA lived around 4.2 billion years ago, much older than other estimates and surprisingly close to the formation of Earth 4.5 billion years ago. “This suggests that the evolution of life may have been simpler than previously claimed, because evolution happened so quickly,” Donohue says.
The earlier date is largely due to the team's improved methodology, but also because, unlike others, they don't assume that LUCA could have existed only after the Late Heavy Bombardment, when Earth was hit so hard by space debris that any new life that emerged could have been wiped out. Based on rocks returned from the Moon, the period has been put at 3.8 billion years ago, but there's a lot of uncertainty around that number, Donohue says.
Their reconstruction suggests that LUCA had genes that protected it from ultraviolet damage, which leads them to believe that it likely lived on the ocean's surface. Other genes suggest that LUCA fed on hydrogen, which is consistent with previous findings. The team speculates that LUCA may have been part of an ecosystem with other types of primitive cells that are now extinct. “I think it's extremely naive to think that LUCA existed on its own,” Donohue says.
“I think this is compelling from an evolutionary perspective.” Greg Fournier “LUCA is not the beginning of the story of life, but merely the state of the last common ancestor that we can trace back to using genomic data,” say researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The results also suggest that LUCA had a primitive version of the bacterial defense system known as CRISPR to fight viruses. “Even 4.2 billion years ago, our earliest ancestors were fighting viruses,” the team members say. Edmund Moodyalso at the University of Bristol.
Peering into the distant past is fraught with uncertainty, and Donohue is the first to admit that his team may have missed the mark. “We've almost certainly got it all wrong,” he says. “What we're trying to do is push the envelope and create the first attempt to synthesize all of the relevant evidence.”
“This won't be the last word,” he said, “and it won't be our last word on this subject, but we think it's a good start.”
Patrick Forter Researchers at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, who coined the term LUCA, also believe that the organism did not live in isolation. “But the claim that LUCA lived before the Late Heavy Bombardment 3.9 billion years ago seems to me completely unrealistic,” says Forterre. “I'm convinced that their strategy for determining the age and gene content of LUCA has several flaws.”
On Wednesday evening, I found myself seated at my kitchen table staring at my laptop screen with a mix of emotions. Testing out a new demo from a Manhattan-based startup called Hume, claiming to have the world’s first voice AI with emotional intelligence. According to Alan Cohen, CEO and chief scientist at Hume, the technology helps predict emotional patterns based on the tone of voice and text.
With the rise of emotional AI in the industry, companies like Hume are raising significant funding and predicting a booming market. However, there are concerns about how accurately AI can read and respond to human emotions. Will it be able to interpret subtle cues and non-verbal expressions? Professor Andrew McStay suggests that understanding emotions can have a far greater impact beyond monetary value.
My experience testing Hume’s Empathic Voice Interface (EVI) revealed interesting results. While the AI could analyze and display emotional patterns like love, adoration, and romance, there was a sense that voice tone was given more weight than the actual words spoken. Some critics argue that AI is limited in understanding subtle human emotions and behaviors that go beyond overt expressions.
On the ethical front, there are concerns about AI bias and the potential for misuse in areas like surveillance and emotional manipulation. Safeguards like the Hume Initiative aim to set guidelines and restrictions on the use of emotional AI in various sectors. However, the evolving nature of artificial intelligence poses challenges in regulating its applications.
As emotional AI continues to develop, researchers like Lisa Feldman Barrett highlight the complexities of defining and interpreting emotions accurately. Legal frameworks like the European Union AI law aim to curb the negative impacts of emotional recognition technology while allowing for certain applications.
While there are ongoing debates about the effectiveness and ethical implications of emotional AI, researchers like Lennart Hogman from Stockholm University are exploring innovative uses of the technology. By analyzing emotions in interactive settings like psychotherapy, AI tools could potentially enhance therapeutic outcomes and improve collaboration in various fields.
Ultimately, the future of emotional AI depends on how society navigates its potential benefits and risks. As we grapple with the implications of this technology, it’s crucial to prioritize ethical considerations and align user interests with the development of these systems. Embracing emotional AI requires a critical understanding of its capabilities and impact on individuals and society as a whole.
The iconic baobab, also known as the upside-down tree or tree of life, is most likely native to Madagascar, according to a new study.
Baobab tree in Senegal. Image credit: Viajesunion2.
genus AdansoniaThis plant, better known as the baobab or “Mother of the Forest,” has fascinated botanists, tourists, naturalists, and passersby for centuries.
Perhaps the earliest record of humans marveling at these amazing trees can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians around 2,300 BC.
Their grotesque appearance, gigantic size, reputed longevity, and diverse uses have made baobabs one of the most charismatic species on Earth.
Embedded in folklore and tradition, baobabs have inspired countless works of art and have been associated with human settlements and cultures for thousands of years.
Adansoniaconsisting of Eight morphologically distinct species: one distributed throughout Africa, one in northwestern Australia, and six endemic to Madagascar.
However, the origin of baobabs has been debated for many years due to a lack of fossil evidence.
“Our study reveals new insights into baobab speciation patterns and shows how climate change has influenced baobab distribution and speciation patterns over millions of years.” said Dr Ilia Leech, researcher at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Dr. Leach and his colleagues conducted genomic analyzes of all eight baobab tree species and combined these datasets with ecological analyses.
As a result of the analysis, Adansonia They originated about 41 million years ago and diversified about 20 million years ago.
The researchers found that the historical population dynamics of baobabs are closely linked to both interspecific competition and geological changes in Madagascar, particularly changes in sea level.
Based on data including phylogenetic relationships, gene flow, and genetic diversity of different baobab species, they believe that the hypothesis of mainland Africa and Madagascar as the center of origin for baobabs is the most reasonable explanation for the current data. suggests providing. Australia.
The discovery also allowed scientists to reassess the baobab's conservation strategies and current status.
For example, they suggest that two endangered baobab species in Madagascar should be assigned higher conservation status. Adansonia Suarezensis and Adansonia grandidieri.
High levels of inbreeding, low genetic diversity, and population declines all mean these endangered species lack resilience to ecological perturbations and could be seriously threatened by climate change. It suggests that.
“We are thrilled to be part of this project that uncovers patterns of baobab speciation in Madagascar and the subsequent remarkable long-distance dispersal of two species, one to Africa and one to Australia. I was delighted,” said Professor Andrew Leach, a researcher at Queen Mary University. London.
“This has been accompanied by the evolution of some interesting pollination syndromes involving hawkmoths, lemurs and bats.”
Two of the researchers and several study participants with Laron syndrome
Jaime Guevara-Aguirre and Bartel Longo
People with rare genetic mutations that cause short stature and may even live longer are helping to understand the causes of aging.
People with unusual genetic mutations have some characteristics that protect them from heart disease, one of the most common causes of death, and this explains why their life expectancy exceeds that of the general population. You may have.
A signaling molecule called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has long been suspected to be involved in longevity. Several animals, including worms and mice, have been shown to live longer when their levels of this compound are artificially lowered, such as through genetic modification. Centenarians also have slightly lower IGF-1 levels,on average.
In most species, IGF-1 promotes growth when the animal is young and influences how cells use energy later in life. One idea is that there is a trade-off between animals investing energy in further growth and maintaining health.
“As you get older and your body starts to break down, you want to spend your energy on preventing your body from breaking down instead of spending it on growth,” he says. Nir Barzilai from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York was not involved in the new study.
The question of whether this trade-off also occurs in humans is through a rare genetic disease called Laron syndrome, first identified in a group of Ecuadorians whose ancestors left Spain during the Inquisition centuries ago. can be researched.
This mutation causes people to have defective growth hormone receptors, leading to short stature. People with Laron syndrome also have low levels of IGF-1 because the release of IGF-1 is usually triggered by growth hormone.
The researchers found that more people with the disease were surviving longer than expected compared to the general Ecuadorian population. 'We know they are more common in older people' walter longo at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
In the latest study, Longo and his colleagues compared 24 people with Laron syndrome from Ecuador or the United States to 27 relatives who did not have the mutation. People with Laron syndrome appeared to be healthier on several heart-related measures, including blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and sensitivity to insulin, a hormone involved in controlling blood sugar levels.
People with this mutation also had higher levels of a compound called low-density lipoprotein. Low-density lipoproteins are also known as “bad cholesterol” because they are thought to make arteries more susceptible to plaque, which can lead to heart attacks. However, only 7 percent of Laron syndrome patients had such plaques, compared with 36 percent of their relatives.
The small number of people in the study means this difference may have arisen by chance, but it does suggest that their arteries appear less unhealthy than those of people without the mutation. suggests, Longo said.
This new finding supports the idea that somehow weakening the IGF-1 signaling pathway in later life can slow the aging process. Alexey Maklakov at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. “It's a matter of timing,” he says. “At critical stages of growth and development, you definitely don't want to do that. But later in life, it can interfere with the function of these pathways.”
All three discoveries were made in the past five years, and the more scientists experiment with animals, the more they discover that many species have an inner life and may be sentient. It shows that. A surprising range of organisms show evidence of conscious thought and experience, including insects, fish, and some crustaceans.
That’s why a group of top animal cognition researchers has released a new statement they hope will change the way scientists and society view and care for animals.
Nearly 40 researchers signed the petition. New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness” was first presented Friday morning at a conference at New York University. This comes at a pivotal moment, as a plethora of research on animal cognition collides with debates about how different species should be treated.
The declaration says there is “strong scientific support” that birds and mammals have conscious experience, and that there is a “realistic possibility” that consciousness exists in all vertebrates, including reptiles, amphibians, and fish. It has said. The possibility extends to many organisms without backbones, including insects, decapod crustaceans (including crabs and lobsters), and cephalopod molluscs such as squid, octopuses, and cuttlefish, he added.
“If an animal has a real possibility of conscious experience, it would be irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal,” the declaration reads. “We should consider welfare risks and use evidence to inform our responses to these risks.”
Jonathan Birch, professor of philosophy at the London School of Economics and principal investigator of the Fundamentals of Animal Senses project, is also one of the signatories of the declaration. He said many scientists had previously thought questions about animal consciousness were unanswerable, but the declaration shows his field is moving in a new direction.
“This has been a very exciting decade for the study of animal minds,” Professor Birch said. “People are boldly going out there in ways that have never been done before, and are excited about the possibility that animals like bees, octopuses, and squids are somehow having conscious experiences.”
From “automaton” to perceiver
There is no standard definition for animal perception or consciousness, but these terms generally refer to the ability to have subjective experiences, i.e. the ability to feel and map the outside world, and to feel emotions such as pleasure and pain. Refers to ability. In some cases, it may mean that the animal has some degree of self-awareness.
In this sense, the new declaration goes against long-standing orthodoxy in historical science. In the 17th century, French philosopher René Descartes argued that animals are nothing more than “material automatons” without souls or consciousness.
Rajesh Reddy, assistant professor and director of the animal law program at Lewis & Clark College, said Descartes believed that animals “cannot feel or suffer.” “There was something stupid and anthropomorphic about feeling sorry for them or empathizing with them.”
In the early 20th century, prominent behavioral psychologists promoted the idea that science should study only observable behavior in animals. rather than emotions or subjective experience.. But in the 1960s, scientists began to reconsider. Research began to focus on animal cognition, primarily other primates.
Birch said the new declaration attempts to “embody an emerging consensus that rejects the 100-year-old view that there is no way to study these issues scientifically.”
Indeed, there has been a recent surge in new discoveries that support the new declaration. As scientists develop new cognitive tests and test existing tests on a wider range of species, there are some surprises.
For example, consider the mirror mark test that scientists sometimes use to see if animals recognize themselves.
The fish were placed in an aquarium covered with mirrors, but no abnormal reactions were observed. However, when the cover was removed, seven out of 10 fish launched an attack toward the mirror, indicating that they may have interpreted the image as a rival fish.
After a few days, the fish calmed down and attempted strange behaviors never seen before in this species, such as swimming upside down in front of a mirror. Afterwards, some spent an unusual amount of time in front of the mirror observing their bodies. The researchers then placed brown spots under the fish’s skin to resemble parasites. Some fish tried to scrape off the mark.
“They’re able to see wrasse perform a series of steps that you can only imagine seeing in incredibly intelligent animals like chimpanzees and dolphins,” Birch said. “No one in a million years would have expected a small fish to pass this test.”
Birch said these experiments are part of a growing body of animal consciousness research over the past 10 to 15 years. “You have a much broader canvas to study a much wider range of animals, not just mammals and birds, but also invertebrates like octopuses and squid,” he said. “And people are talking about this idea more and more in relation to insects.”
Reddy said researchers may soon need to completely reorient their research, as more and more species are showing these signs.
A new legal perspective
Reddy said the change in scientists’ understanding of animal sentience could have implications for U.S. law, which does not classify animals as sentient at the federal level. Instead, animal-related laws primarily focus on conservation, agriculture, or the treatment of animals by zoos, laboratories, and pet retailers.
“The law moves very slowly and follows society’s views on many of these issues,” Reddy said. “This declaration, and other measures to remind the public that animals are more than just biological automatons, could greatly increase support for increased protections.”
Helge Karl/Getty Images/iStockphoto
State laws vary widely. Ten years ago, Oregon passed a law recognizing that animals are sentient and capable of feeling pain, stress and fear, forming the basis of progressive judicial opinion in the state, Reddy said. he said.
meanwhile, Washington and California These are among the states where lawmakers this year are considering bans on farming octopuses, a species in which scientists have found strong evidence of sentience.
British law has recently changed to consider octopuses as living organisms, just like crabs and lobsters.
“Once you realize that animals are intelligent, the concept of humane slaughter starts to become important. You have to make sure that the methods you’re using on the animals are humane,” Birch said. says. “For crabs and lobsters, very inhumane methods such as dropping them into a pot of boiling water are very common.”
Records of dogs’ brain activity show that dogs seem to understand that words refer to specific objects.
Some dogs can retrieve a variety of objects on command, but few do well in such tests in the lab. Additionally, it is unclear whether dogs understand words as names of objects rather than instructions.
To explore this question further, Marianna Boros Researchers at Eötvös Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary, tested 18 dogs from a wide range of breeds, including border collies, toy poodles and Labrador retrievers.
Owners selected five objects that were familiar to each dog. In the test, they said the name of an object and showed the dog either the named object or another object.
Each dog’s brain waves were monitored using electroencephalography (EEG) to see if there was a difference in activity compared to when the word and object were the same, such as when the dog’s owner said “ball” and showed a stick. Ta.
“The idea was that if dogs understood the meaning of words, their brains would respond differently when presented with matching objects than when presented with mismatched objects,” Boros says.
The researchers found that the brainwave signals were different when the objects did not match, and that the effect was stronger for words that the individual dogs were familiar with. This is similar to results seen in humans and suggests that dogs know that certain words represent certain objects.
“The most important takeaway from this study is not only that non-humans have the ability to understand words referentially, but also that this ability appears to be present in dogs in general as well,” Boros said. says. “This study shows that dogs may understand more than they show.”
No one breed of dog seemed to exhibit better language skills than the other, Boros said.
susan hazel Researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia say their study adds to our knowledge of dog cognition.
“I think both dogs understand more than we realize,” says Hazel. “This study shows that dogs seem to have mental representations of words they know, such as ball. This shows how dogs understand some words. This is no surprise at all to most dog owners.
On the other hand, many dog owners anthropomorphize their pets, ascribing emotions and understanding abilities to them that don’t exist, she says.
“Canine cognition is currently one of the most researched areas in the world,” says Hazell. “I love all the research about dogs, but I’d also like to learn more about the other animals we live closely with: cats, rabbits, horses.”
Are there so many people in so many parallel worlds, almost duplicates of you, reading almost duplicate articles of this article? Is consciousness a fundamental property of all matter? The reality is Is it a computer simulation? Dear reader, I can hear you groaning from right here in California.
We tend to reject ideas like this because they sound ridiculous. But some of the world's leading scientists and philosophers support them. why? And assuming you are not an expert, how should you react to this kind of hypothesis?
Things quickly go awry when faced with fundamental questions about the nature of reality. As a philosopher specializing in metaphysics, I argue that strange things are inevitable and that fundamentally strange things will turn out to be true.
That doesn't mean all weird hypotheses are created equal. On the contrary, some strange possibilities are worth taking more seriously than others. The idea of Zorg the Destroyer hidden at the center of the galaxy, pulling protons by invisible threads, would of course be laughed off as some sort of explanation. But even in the absence of direct empirical tests, we can carefully evaluate various seemingly absurd ideas that are worth serious consideration.
The key is to become comfortable weighing competing unreality. Anyone can try this, as long as they don't expect everyone to come to the same conclusion.
First, let me start by clarifying that we are talking here about a tremendously big and scary problem: the foundations of reality and the foundations of our understanding of those foundations. Sho. What is the underlying structure?
Michel Taragran won the 2024 Abel Prize, also known as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, for his work on probability theory and the description of randomness. The news came as a surprise to Taragrand. He learned what he thought was his Zoom call within the department. He said: “My brain completely shut down for five seconds. It was an amazing experience. I never expected anything like this.”
Tara GrandBased at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), he has spent much of his 40-year career on extreme characterization of random or stochastic systems. These problems are common in the real world. For example, a bridge builder may need to know the maximum wind strength expected from the local weather.
Such random systems are often very complex and may contain many random variables, but Talagrand’s method of converting these systems into geometric problems allows us to extract useful values. can. “He is a master at getting accurate estimates, and he knows exactly what to add or subtract to get an accurate estimate,” he says. Helge HoldenChairman of the Abel Prize Committee.
Taragrand also developed mathematical tools and equations for systems that are random but exhibit some degree of predictability within that randomness, a statistical principle called concentration of measurements. His equation, known as the Taragrand inequality, can be used for many systems that exhibit concentration of measurements. Asaf Naor At Princeton University, he developed famous algorithmic puzzles such as the Traveling Salesman Problem. “Not only is he a great discoverer in his own right, but he is also an influence. He has provided the world with an amazing collection of insights and tools,” Naor says.
Perhaps inspired by his own work, Taragrand says he views his career as a random process. “It’s really scary when you look at your life and the important things that happened. They were determined by small random influences and there was no plan at all,” he says.
Although many of his works were general, he also had a particular interest in the mathematical basis of spin glasses. Spin glass is an unusual magnetic arrangement in which the atoms of a material can act like tiny magnets, pointing in random directions and exhibiting no apparent order. Repeating crystal structure in ordinary glass.
“This award is definitely well-deserved,” he says Giorgio Parisi from Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on spin glasses. Parisi and his colleagues first proposed a formula to describe these materials, named after Parisi, but it was not proven mathematically until the work of Taragrand and Italian physicist Francesco Guerra. . “It’s one thing to believe that a guess is correct, but it’s another to prove it. I believed it was a very difficult problem to prove,” Parisi says.
It also helped draw the field to the attention of other mathematicians, Parisi said. “This was a great proof and completely changed the game, because it was the starting point for a deeper understanding of the theory.”
For Taragrand, one of the keys to success was persistence. “You can’t learn mathematics easily. You have to work. It takes a lot of time and you have bad memories. You forget things. So despite these handicaps, I have to work. My way of working has always been to try to understand simple things really well.”
I had to let go of Pacific Drive, the unconventional fiction-inspired driving survival game I recommended last week. It’s not because it’s bad, not because it’s great, but because I invested over 20 hours of my time and now I’m short on it.
Furthermore, if I’m completely honest, it caught me off guard. In this game, you drive a beat-up old car and venture deeper into long-abandoned exclusion zones, exploring the anomalies you encounter. These anomalies range from pillars that suddenly emerge from the ground to menacing hurricanes that alter roads, all of which are thrilling, unique, and eerie.
However, what deterred me were the tourists. Occasionally, I’d spot a mannequin-like figure frozen in a menacing pose, seemingly harmless. But, when I looked away, I noticed it would sometimes change position or get closer to me. Uh-uh. No, thank you. That’s a hard pass right there.
Every review I read about Pacific Drive emphasizes how attached the reviewer becomes to their rickety old car, their sole companion on this enigmatic journey. They gradually repair and enhance the car with better parts and Ghostbusters-like gadgets to navigate the challenges of the outside world.
“I’m behind the wheel with a massive floodlight mounted on the side of the car for night missions, a contraption that (somehow) synthesizes fuel from the mysterious zone’s atmosphere, and an actual lifesaver. I also have a gadget that occasionally heals me,” PC gamer Christopher Livingston shares. “Most importantly, I possess a force field that I can activate to thwart that pesky hovering freak from grabbing parts of my car and scampering off. It’s like playing a tug-of-war game with my car. And here’s an actual quote from me the first time I saw a darn monster bouncing harmlessly off my shimmering energy shield: Hahaha! Take that! I adore this darn car.”
Kratos and his trusty ax in God of War: Ragnarok. Photo: Sony
I too felt this bond. The car was a sanctuary on Pacific Drive, but it also required attention, diligently tending to every scratch after each run and meticulously applying duct tape and Magic Repair resin to mend the wounds. It felt like it had a soul. Over time, quirks develop in your car, like the windshield wipers always going off when you open the car door, or the horn blaring at the wrong times. To rectify this, you must deduce the root of the problem through a simple engineering puzzle, or you can let it be. You get accustomed to the quirky horn.
I often experience this anthropomorphism of inanimate objects in games, particularly when it comes to vehicles. In Halo, I’d always try to stick with the same warthog throughout the levels, even when it was wildly impractical, driving it through alien bases teeming with zombie-like beings. It was my Warthog. Portal capitalizes on this notion when the malevolent AI GLaDOS bestows upon you the Weighted Companion Cube. I was compelled to carry it faithfully until it was incinerated as part of the game.
I also developed a fondness for specific weapons and outlandish armor in games like Monster Hunter to the point where I hesitated to part with them, even when superior alternatives were available. I distinctly recall forming a profound bond with Kratos’ axe in God of War and how it always returned to my grasp with a satisfying thud after being hurled. I would get exceedingly anxious, fearing I had forgotten to recall it and inadvertently abandoned it amidst the ruins. (Logically impossible, but the concern persisted nonetheless.)
This type of attachment is distinct from the emotional connection to video game characters, who, like all fictional characters, are typically crafted to evoke our sentiments. It’s more akin to the affection one might hold for their favorite mug or childhood bicycle. I presumed this idiosyncrasy was unique to me until I delved into other individuals’ encounters with Pacific Drive, only to discover that others, too, have cultivated a peculiar fixation with virtual cars. It’s both reassuring and engrossing to hear about.
Evidently, humans have been forging emotional connections with game elements since antiquity, so perhaps it’s not as eccentric as it initially appears.
It may surprise you, but the universe isn’t perfect, at least not from a human perspective. One clear example of this imperfection is the existence of leap years like 2024.
What is a leap year?
By definition, a leap year occurs every four years, adding an extra day to make the year 366 days long instead of the usual 365. This extra day falls on February 29th rather than the typical February 28th.
Why do leap years occur?
The discrepancy between a year (Earth’s orbit around the sun) and a day (Earth’s rotation) drives the need for leap years to align our calendar with the Earth’s journey around the sun. This misalignment accumulates over time, necessitating the addition of leap years to keep our calendar in sync with the seasons.
“Leap years play a crucial role in aligning our calendar with the Earth’s orbit around the sun,” explains Dr. Minjae Kim, a Research Fellow in Astrophysics at the University of Warwick.
The Julian calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC added a day every four years, but it slightly overcorrected the discrepancy between the solar year and the calendar year. Reforms led to the Gregorian calendar in 1582, which provides rules for determining leap years, reducing the error rate to about one day every 3000 years.
Celebrities with leap year birthdays
Jack Rousma: NASA astronaut born on February 29, 1936.
Ja Rule: American rap legend born on February 29, 1976.
Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castechon: Prime Minister of Spain born on February 29, 1972.
Karen Jones: American competitive swimmer born on February 29, 1984.
Is it possible to create the perfect calendar?
Despite efforts to improve calendars, there is no perfect solution due to the dynamic nature of space. The concept of time harmonizing with natural rhythms is temporary, as our days get longer and Earth’s orbit changes over long timescales. For now, the Gregorian calendar remains adequate.
About our experts
Dr. Minjae Kim: Research Fellow in the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick, focusing on planetary science and dust signatures in debris disks around stars.
Dr. James McCormack: Assistant Professor in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the University of Warwick, specializing in transiting exoplanets and the European Space Agency’s PLATO mission.
Sora introduces a groundbreaking artificial intelligence software that empowers users to produce remarkably lifelike videos based on simple verbal instructions.
OpenAI, the mastermind behind Dall-E and ChatGPT, is pushing boundaries with the soon-to-be-released service.
This innovation seemingly emerged out of nowhere. Previous attempts at AI-generated videos were less than impressive, to put it lightly. But with Sora, things are changing.
How did OpenAI achieve this feat? Can you use these tools today? And what does this mean for the future of video and content creation? Let’s dive deep into the modern tools and their implications.
What is Sora?
Sora is an AI tool capable of generating full videos up to 1 minute long. For instance, by simply entering a prompt like “a group of cats worshipping a giant dog,” Sora can potentially display videos matching that description.
Amidst the social media buzz and specialized computing communities, Sora’s unexpected rise may have gone unnoticed. There wasn’t any grand announcement or extensive advertising campaign; it just appeared abruptly.
OpenAI has showcased various sample videos where Sora impressively produces lifelike visuals. These videos feature mirror reflections, intricate liquid movements, and falling snow particles.
How does Sora work?
Sora operates similarly to previous AI image generators but with added complexity. It utilizes diffusion modeling to convert video frames into static images, which are then reconstructed into a cohesive video.
To train Sora, example videos and corresponding textual descriptions are provided to help the model understand the relationship between images and actions depicted in the videos.
This process challenges the model to understand intricate details like 3D models, motion, reflections, shadows, and other complex features to replicate accurately.
For transparency, OpenAI offers a detailed explanation of how the model functions on its website, although the sources of the training videos remain undisclosed.
How to use Sora AI
Currently, Sora is not available to the general public. OpenAI exercises caution in releasing such powerful tools, starting with a small “red team” of individuals who assess potential risks and harms of the technology.
Following this, a select group of visual artists, designers, and filmmakers will gain insight into how the tool functions for creative endeavors. Eventually, Sora may become accessible to the public, likely following OpenAI’s pay-as-you-go model.
Is Sora the best AI video generator?
Based on the videos unveiled so far, Sora appears to be a significant leap ahead of previous AI video generation attempts. Early endeavors in AI-generated videos, like Will Smith eating spaghetti or the ”Peppoloni Hug Spot” commercial, paled in comparison.
Contrasting those early attempts with Sora’s work reveals a stark contrast. Sora’s videos boast accurate lighting, reflections, and human-like features, even tackling complex scenarios like people entering and exiting the frame.
Despite its impressive capabilities, Sora is not without flaws. Glitches like disappearing body parts, sudden appearances, and floating feet are observable in its videos. As the public gains access, more videos will expose both strengths and weaknesses of the model.
Is consciousness a collection of discrete states that we move between?
PM Images/Getty Images
What is consciousness? This is perhaps the greatest mystery remaining in the human brain. No wonder it's known as the “hard problem.” We also cannot agree on whether consciousness is one thing or whether it is various states. But a new way to explore that question sheds interesting light on this most elusive of concepts.
We use words like “blacking out” to describe fainting or falling asleep, but researchers believe that consciousness is much more than simply flipping a metaphorical switch from “on” to “off.” I have long understood that it is complicated. However, there is still much debate as to whether it is a single phenomenon with many continuous shades, as imagined as a dimmer switch, or a collection of discrete states, like separate television channels. there is.
Thinking about consciousness from a physicist's perspective may help answer this question. That's because the brain is constantly transitioning between states defined by patterns of electrical signals, and physicists have metrics to study such busy, ever-changing systems. In 2014, robin carhart harris University of California, San Francisco and colleagues hypothesized that entropy may be particularly useful.
Entropy describes how chaotic a system is. One measure of entropy is how many different microscopic configurations (such as the arrangement of water molecules within a glass) exist within a particular macroscopic property (such as the volume of a glass). Researchers proposed that brain states have greater entropy when measured…
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The following week, there was another clash between Apple and European regulators. According to the Financial Times, the company could face a huge fine for alleged anti-competitive conduct in its music streaming business. from that story:
The fine, estimated at around 500 million euros, is expected to be announced early next month and will be exclusive to the European Commission, which is investigating whether Apple used its own platform to favor its own services over those of competitors. This will be the culmination of research into prohibition laws.
The investigation is looking into whether Apple blocked apps from informing iPhone users of cheaper alternatives to access music subscriptions outside the App Store.
The process dates back to a complaint filed by Spotify in 2019. From what we said at the time:
Apple’s app the Store is a key distribution platform for Spotify. However, Apple receives a 30% commission on all sales made through this site. Spotify and many other third-party app developers have long complained that the store (which includes music streaming subscriptions) is an unfair “tax.”
“Apple requires Spotify and other digital services to pay a 30% tax on purchases made through Apple’s payment system, including upgrades from free to premium services.” Said Daniel Ekco-founder of Spotify, chief executive officer in a blog post.
“If we pay this tax, we will be forced to artificially inflate the price of premium membership far above the regular price.” Apple Music. And keeping prices competitive for our customers is beyond our control. ”
For more information on the fine itself, Dan Milmo explains.
In the years since then, complaints have diminished somewhat. Apple declined to respond directly to the FT’s report, saying it does not comment on speculation, but pointed to the European Commission’s decision last year to exclude the “tax” aspect from an investigation launched by Spotify. ‘s complaint. The revised counter statement states that the main harm is no longer the 30% fee levied by apps that use in-app purchases or the requirement to offer them in the first place, but simply the fact that other payment options exist for users. It was forbidden to communicate.
“We are pleased that the European Commission has narrowed the issue and no longer challenges Apple’s right to collect fees on digital goods and require the use of in-app payment systems that users trust,” Apple said in a statement. Ta. time.
These so-called “anti-steering” rules have been tested by regulators around the world, and various jurisdictions have placed formal limits on Apple’s ability to impose them. But these restrictions rarely go as far as competitors like Spotify would like. Because Apple is letting out a sharp gasp. If forced to do so, companies could direct users to alternative payment methods and still charge fees. In some cases, that new fee accounted for 27% of costs, and his 3% reduction in in-app purchase fees was justified on the basis that it reflected the fact that Apple was not paying directly for credit card processing. I am.
“We are currently negotiating the price.”
Spotify on Apple Watch. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Assuming the fine is imposed as expected, Apple is unlikely to be too disappointed. The Digital Markets Act, which Apple and other “tech gatekeepers” must comply with by March 6, has already forced changes to the App Store that will put Apple Music in unfair competition with Spotify. The Competition Commission’s concerns will almost certainly be corrected. As for the cash itself, “500 million isn’t a laughable amount, even for a company as big as Apple, but it’s a fraction of the maximum potential, and it’s a fraction of the company’s total.” An even smaller amount’ of annual profit.
In fact, it’s possible that Apple will avoid fines with dignity. The company hammers home one of its core points every time it is hit by regulatory action that leaves room for compromises, such as imposing a 27% fee on outside purchases. That is, the real criticism is not about the lofty points. Basically, it’s a simple haggling over fees. If complaints about Apple’s control of the App Store boil down to “I want to pay less,” that would be an easier fight than one that would force Apple to actually relinquish control of the platform.
Some critics make deeper claims. Spotify, for example, has long complained about more detailed aspects of Apple’s platform, from the fact that Apple Music is installed by default on its devices to the way platform owners break their own rules about free. I’ve been holding you. Trials (Apple can independently offer trials that end the moment they are canceled; all third parties must provide access until just before the first billing deadline).
For others, the gist of the principle is poor in reality. Epic Games famously introduced a unique payment process for Fortnite, which resulted in Apple pulling the game from the App Store. The company already pays hefty cuts to operate its gaming consoles and operates its own app store for PCs. Issues with Apple have always been viewed through the lens of how much Apple pays.
Perhaps this is why Epic is also the longtime Apple critic most eager to enter the world of an EU-mandated alternative App Store. You may remember the debate over whether the company’s proposals amounted to “garbage” or meaningful concessions. Well, three weeks have passed, Epic Games announces the launch of Epic Games Store for iOS.
This is a bold move. The company will immediately pay him 0.50 euros for every download on the store, and an additional 0.50 euros for every download of Fortnite via the store after his first 1 million. But compared to keeping it on the App Store, per user he should be able to get that amount back in one “Battle Pass” purchase. And to the company’s credit, it clearly believes the principles exist. At risk.
Cash is also constantly flushed in case it takes longer to break even. The company, which is run by founder and CEO Tim Sweeney and has a 40% minority stake held by China’s Tencent, announced earlier this month that it will become the world’s leading company in the world of gaming and entertainment. The collaboration required a $1.5 billion investment from Disney. Disney is a long-time ally of Apple, and its CEO was on Apple’s board of directors until 2019, but competition between Apple TV+ and Disney+ made that unsustainable. . We haven’t seen the beginnings of a messy breakup yet, but perhaps even the House of Mouse will want to pay a smaller share of the world’s most valuable company.
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TThe biggest story in the gaming world so far this year is Palworld, the Pokémon-with-guns early access game that broke and broke concurrent player records on PC.It's showing some signs that it's unsustainable, as these player numbers show dropout In recent weeks, developers have revealed: eye-watering cost Although it requires keeping servers online for so many people (about $600,000 a year), it still has the potential to be the biggest game of 2024 in terms of pure revenue.
There's something a little off-putting about Palworld that makes other developers and critics wrinkle their noses. Unlike Minecraft's blocky animals, it's not just unpleasant to point a gun at a creature that's designed to look cute.The character design became a hot topic because it was too similar to Pokemon. suspicion of plagiarism, the 3D models of some of the game's creatures are incredibly closely matched to those from recent Pokemon games. (The Pokémon Company is currently investigating, but Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe said: palworld said The studio says it has “cleared legal review” and that it has “absolutely no intention to infringe on any other company's intellectual property.” ) Lead developers are also actively outspoken about the use of AI tools, which is a very unpopular opinion among all users. Everyone except a few executives is working on the 2024 game.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, from 2022. Photo provided by: Pokemon Co., Ltd.
This game borrows ideas from several other games without incorporating many of its own ideas. When you play Palworld, what comes to mind is not Pokemon, but Ark: Survival Evolved. This is his 9 year old survival game where you tame dinosaurs in addition to the usual collecting, building and crafting. Once you capture a creature, it will either be forced into indentured servitude within your base, or it will come to fight alongside you in the wilderness.
It's nothing we haven't seen in some other survival games, but Palworld makes it completely smooth and takes a lot of the hectic work out between you and the next great upgrade. Like fellow smash hit Genshin, this game employs familiar gaming tropes and is so easy and engaging that it's hard to put down.
It helps that other players aren't trying to ruin your fun like Ark and Rust do. In another survival game, there's always someone trying to smash you with rocks and take your stuff. There is currently no player vs player competition in Palworld (planned for a later version). Instead, you collaborate with other players on the server. The game's attitude towards creatures is cruel, they exist to be killed, enslaved, or eaten. However, the attitude towards players is very welcoming. There's a reason it's popular.
Despite this, I don't like Palworld. It's soulless, and anecdotally it seems like there are a lot of kids in the 19 million player base, even though this is not a game made with kids in mind. It's violent and immoral, especially when compared to the Pokemon games from which its creature design is clearly inspired. In Pokémon, a children's classic that has evolved over 25 years, your creatures aren't just pets, they're companions. You fight them for sport, sure, which Peta won't approve of, but they don't get hurt, they don't have weapons, and of course you don't either. eat they.
Massacre on a farm…Palworld. Photo: pocket pair
Palworld is more like what panicked parents and reactionary preachers of the late 1990s had in mind.Pokemon was like when Time magazine featured fear-mongering headlines. Be careful of pokemoniacs And Christian groups claimed that Pikachu was literally a manifestation of the devil. “Monsters make disturbing playmates. No matter how toylike and frivolous they may seem, they are unnatural and ultimately deal with unresolved fears,” Time magazine wrote in 1999. Stated. Consider the dubious fascination with the creature called Pokémon… The 4- to 12-year-old set may exhibit the most troubling enthusiasm about Pokémon. ” It's funny to read that line now, but I remember when video games were always talked about in mainstream media in this tone, as a symptom of serious mental illness among kids in the '90s.
Anyway, I'm not here to create a moral panic about Palworld. It's ironic, but it's also mostly harmless and undeniably compelling. I wouldn't let her 7 year old play, but anyone over 12 would have had a much worse experience with her YouTube. There's probably nothing new under the sun, and most of the upcoming breakout games will be repackaged ideas he's seen ten times before. But we keep hoping that the next unexpected hit we'll play this year will leave us with a smile instead of a nasty taste in our mouths.
what to play
Dream Daddy: Daddy dating simulator. Photo: Game Gramps
Since it's Valentine's Day, I have to recommend a game about love that many games don't tackle with confidence. dream daddy is a dating game where you play a single father looking for love with one of seven other eligible single fathers in a new neighborhood. Many thought it was an over-the-top joke until it was released in 2017, but it remains one of the most sincere and unexpectedly touching dating games of all time. Teenage daughters often muster up the courage to talk to the father of your choice. It also often leads to mildly surreal mini-games, where you try to wow your date with competitive pride in your child's achievements, for example. The game turns out to be about the love between parents and children, and the budding romance between you and the sexy singles in your neighborhood. They all have their own problems and are stories that are handled with humor and compassion.
Available on: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, smartphone, Estimated play time: 2-10 hours depending on how many dads you want to date
Star Wars x Fortnite, anyone? Disney invested $1.5 billion in Fortnite maker Epic. Photo: PictureLux/Hollywood Archive/Alamy
We're still waiting for Microsoft to outline its vision for the future of Xbox. It will take place tomorrow evening UK time. via podcast Featuring Xbox executives Sarah Bond, Phil Spencer, and Matt Booty. This is according to a recent study from 2K Games, which suggests that the PS5 is outperforming the Xbox Series X two to one.
British maker of Jagex, the developer of Runescape; Acquired for £900m By two private equity firms.
Disney is Invested $1.5 billion (!) in Epic Games As part of a deal to create a “new permanent universe” [that] It provides numerous opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. ” That sounds like it could mean some more Star Wars skins will be added to Fortnite.
Tensions between the United States and China have escalated in recent years, primarily due to Beijing’s threats to annex Taiwan. This has raised concerns about potential hostilities and the risk of a full-scale conflict. The recent revelation that a Chinese hacking network, known as Bolt Typhoon, had been dormant within America’s critical infrastructure for five years, has caused significant alarm.
This network exploited weaknesses in US technological and security systems. However, US and allied intelligence agencies have stated that their focus was on “prepositioning” for future acts of sabotage rather than stealing secrets.
FBI Director Christopher Wray described Bolt Typhoon as “the defining threat of our generation” during a US committee hearing last week.
The Netherlands and the Philippines have also publicly acknowledged that Chinese-backed hackers were targeting their national networks and infrastructure.
What is Bolt Typhoon?
Western intelligence officials believe that Volt Typhoon (also known as Vanguard Panda, Bronze Silhouette, Dev-0391, UNC3236, Voltzite, and Insidious Taurus) is a state-sponsored Chinese cyber operation. Thousands of internet-connected devices were compromised as part of a larger effort to infiltrate critical infrastructure in the West, including military ports, internet service providers, communications services, and public utilities.
The recent Bolt Typhoon advisory follows US authorities’ announcements of dismantling a bot network of hundreds of compromised devices attributed to a hacking network.
“CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency] The team includes aviation, water, energy, [and] transportation,” CISA Director Jen Easterly said at a U.S. House of Representatives committee hearing earlier this month.
How does it work?
Volt Typhoon works by exploiting vulnerabilities in small or end-of-life routers, firewalls, and virtual private networks (VPNs), often using administrator credentials or stolen passwords, and by using outdated technology that lacks regular security updates. This is the main weakness identified in US digital infrastructure. It uses a “living off the land” technique where the malware only uses existing resources within the target operating system, rather than introducing new (and more detectable) files.
A report released last week by CISA, the National Security Agency, and the FBI revealed that the Bolt Typhoon hackers had maintained access for the past five years, only targeting US infrastructure but also affecting allies of the Five Eyes, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
What is its purpose?
US officials noted that Bolt Typhoon’s target selection and behavioral patterns were inconsistent with traditional cyber espionage or intelligence gathering operations. Microsoft’s research has shown that Bolt Typhoon has been active since mid-2021.
“People's Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber adversaries are using their IT networks to prepare for disruptive or devastating cyber attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the United States. ,” the joint report said.
What does China say?
The Chinese government regularly denies any accusations of cyberattacks or espionage linked to or sponsored by the Chinese state. However, evidence of Chinese government cyber espionage has been accumulating for more than two decades.
Secureworks, a division of Dell Technologies, mentioned Bolt Typhoon’s interest in operational security last year, as a response to increasing pressure from the Chinese leadership to avoid public scrutiny of cyber espionage.
What's next?
The widespread nature of the hack prompted a series of meetings between the White House and the private technology industry, including several telecommunications and cloud computing companies, during which the US government sought assistance in tracking the activity.
The institutions and assets targeted by the now-dismantled botnet were ordered by CISA to disconnect affected devices and products in January, starting an intensive and difficult remediation process.
“Given the extent of targeting and compromise around the world, with three vulnerabilities currently being exploited affecting these devices, this is a significant It was necessary,” said Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director of cybersecurity at CISA.
“All organizations running these devices need to be targeted and expect a breach.”
Similar to childbirth, death is a bodily process that progresses through stages and is recognizable. The speed of the process varies from person to person, and medical support may be necessary to ensure a safe and comfortable experience.
As death nears, most people lose interest in eating and drinking, which is normal. Even if they are unable to manage full meals, a small taste may still be welcomed.
Dying individuals typically experience a lack of energy, similar to the extreme fatigue associated with severe illness or surgery recovery. While sleep normally recharges energy, it gradually diminishes as the body weakens towards death.
Waking hours decrease, and periods of unconsciousness become more frequent. People report feeling like they were peacefully asleep during these periods of unconsciousness.
If the dying person relies on regular medications, it may be necessary to switch to medications that do not require swallowing. Skin patches, syringe pumps, and suppositories can be used, as unconsciousness is usually caused by the dying process, not medication.
What happens in your last moments
As death progresses, the heartbeat slows, blood pressure drops, the skin cools, and the nails dull. Restlessness, confusion, and periods of deepening unconsciousness may occur.
There is no proven method to investigate what people experience near death, but recent research suggests that the unconscious brain responds to noise in the room. Breathing becomes automatic and may involve heavy, noisy breaths or breathing through saliva in the back of the throat without signs of distress.
Breathing cycles from deep to shallow, fast to slow, until it becomes slow and very shallow, eventually pausing and stopping altogether due to lack of oxygen.
Understanding common patterns of death and its stages can help companions feel less fearful and manage symptoms. Seeking medical attention when necessary is important. For more information, you can watch the BBC short film about death: BBC short film about death.
I
It's widely agreed that 2023 was a great year for video games. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2… Barely a week has passed without a blockbuster or independent masterpiece appearing.
But behind these accolades there is a sadder and more worrying story. This year also saw widespread layoffs in the industry, a trend that continues into the first weeks of 2024. Microsoft laid off 1,900 employees after acquiring Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. .Publisher Embracer Group lay off at least 900 staff
In addition to shutting down veteran British developer Free Radical Design, it has ended activity across many of the company’s studios. Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, one of his most successful titles of this decade, has laid off 830 employees.electronic arts 6% reduction in workforce, which equates to approximately 780 jobs. There were similar harrowing stories from Ubisoft, Naughty Dog, Sega, and Unity.Big publishers and small studios alike is affected
Why did this happen? Why is the entertainment industry, said to be worth $180 billion a year, cutting staff at such an alarming rate?
In some cases, there are certain factors that promote redundancy. In the case of Activision Blizzard, one of the reasons is the duplication of roles after the purchase is completed. “Microsoft obviously already had a publishing business, but they bought ZeniMax Media, Bethesda's parent company, and another publishing business,” said James Batchelor, editor-in-chief of GamesIndustry.biz. “The company then acquired two publishing businesses, Activision and Blizzard, which operated somewhat separately. Think about the number of departments that have doubled here, including human resources, public relations, marketing, and accounting. So you end up with a lot of people doing the same job within the same company. This is a case of rationalization.”
Even though Fortnite has been a huge success, the publisher is still cutting back on employee numbers.
Photo: Zuma Press/Alamy
Sweden's Embracer Group is a game publisher that owns 135 studios around the world, including Tomb Raider creator Crystal Dynamics. After a period of accelerated expansion, the company was forced to close developers, cancel games, and make staff redundant. “The company had a very aggressive merger and acquisition strategy, but we now know that it was dependent on outside investment,” Batchelor said. “But last year, deals worth at least $2 billion were reportedly struck by Saudi investors. was canceledThis meant we had to make major adjustments to our plans. Embracer is a classic example of a company that is too big to survive. There are thousands of people working on the Embracer game, but we didn’t have a big seller to sustain that number. ”
However, one event looms large in the background: the new coronavirus pandemic. Interest in video games exploded during lockdown. He had two effects. For one thing, strong sales of titles like “Animal Crossing” and “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” have boosted revenues and sent stock prices soaring, attracting the attention of outside investors and flooding the industry with money. That means I did it. In response, arrogant publishers commissioned more ambitious projects and hired accordingly.
But the bubble didn't last. Sales declined as lockdowns eased and people continued to live their lives. “We've seen a lot of games canceled over the last few months. I think there are more that we just don't know about,” Batchelor says. “If we cancel a project and focus on a few games that we know will do well for the studio, we will unfortunately be putting the jobs of the people working on the projects that are being scrapped at risk.”
Hyena, one of many games canceled in 2023.
Photo: Sega
The solution for many publishers has been to cut back on riskier projects and focus on “sure-fire” hits, but this may just be perpetuating the cycle. McDonald explains: “Publishers are signing fewer games, development costs are lower, and it takes longer to sign deals, but if you leave them without all the promising games for the next few years, You put yourself at risk.”
Macdonald believes there may be a bandwagon effect. “We're at a stage now where so many studios are having so many layoffs that some companies think it's an opportunity to make layoffs for more specific reasons. , many other studios will be in the spotlight for job losses. It's especially unfortunate that companies with billions of dollars in cash jumped on the bandwagon and made mass layoffs, and that cash It is likely that the interest increase alone could have covered all of these salaries.
Given the gloomy start to 2024, the effects of coronavirus and various acquisitions across the industry are likely to continue to impact the gaming business. And even if it recovers, another threat looms over staff: the rise of artificial intelligence in development and production processes. “We don't know how widely AI tools are being deployed, but there is talk that some reductions are being made in hopes of leveraging AI for content creation.” McDonald says.
The use of AI could be attractive to publishers looking to reduce costs, such as by creating digital caricatures of an actor's voice.
Photo: David O’Donnell/The Guardian
For publishers looking to reduce development costs, the use of AI can be attractive, especially in areas such as quality assurance and performance capture. In January, the Sag-Aftra union criticized An agreement reached with an AI company that will allow actors to create digital images that resemble their voices has sparked an uproar on social media.Starfield and Mortal Kombat actor Sunil Malhotra I wrote to X: “I sacrificed going on strike for half of the last year to keep my profession instead of hoarding AI replicas.”
With their livelihoods threatened, more development staff are seeking to unionize, increasing pressure on the industry to self-regulate. Incumbent publishers are starting to see both as threats. Last June, Electronic Arts Financial Report We have identified unionization and AI regulation as having the potential to negatively impact our business and performance.
So how can newcomers to the gaming industry protect themselves? “At the end of the day, job seekers always have to look out for themselves,” McDonald says. “Check if the company is profitable, has a history of layoffs, and if salaries are sustainable.”
Video game companies also have a responsibility to reflect on the past year and learn from it. But what lessons might they learn?
“I think the industry is going to get more attention and focus on known hits and safer bets,” Batchelor said. “This is unfortunate because the industry still needs to take risks. But ultimately those risks need to be maintained and funded by companies, rather than relying on external investment.”
“As companies become more streamlined and more sustainable, we hope to create a smarter industry.”
Google is lagging behind in artificial intelligence. While OpenAI’s innovative Dall-E AI art image generator was released two years ago, Google only recently released its competing product.
The software, known as ImageFX, is backed by one of the largest technology companies and a substantial amount of data. So how is this data accumulated?
In brief, ImageFX has produced some impressive images that rival the best. But how does it work? Can it be accessed now? And have major problems in the AI art world been solved?
How to use Google ImageFX
Google ImageFX is currently available in countries like the United States, Kenya, New Zealand, and Australia.
If you attempt to access the site in a country like the UK, you’ll see a warning stating, “This tool is not yet available in your country.”
To access it from any of the currently available countries, visit Google’s AI Test Kitchen. Then create an account. Once everything is set up, your new prompt will be ready for use.
Even if you’re not in one of the listed countries, the website is still worth visiting. Google allows you to sign up for notifications about when the platform becomes available in your area.
How good is Google ImageFX?
There’s no denying that Google is late to the game. OpenAI’s Dall-E was released in January 2021, and Midjourney was released a year later. So did Google’s delay pay off in terms of quality?
Two images generated by ImageFX. On the left is a room with an art desk, and on the right is a painting of a vampire – Credit: ImageFX
The images released so far demonstrate that ImageFX is capable of producing content at a very high level. Detailed and contextual, ImageFX is an unsurprisingly capable image generator.
But that’s expected. AI art has made significant progress over the years, and Google’s main competitors are producing similarly high-quality work and have been doing so for much longer.
The significant advantage of ImageFX at the moment is that it’s free (in select countries). Both Midjourney and Dall-E are mainly behind paywalls or restricted services, so it’s worth making the most of ImageFX before any changes.
ImageFX also includes a unique feature called the “Expressive Chip.” This allows users to quickly edit the prompt and try a different search. For example, if you request a portrait of a woman, you can quickly switch this to an abstract, hand-drawn, or even oil painting.
How does it work?
Basically, Google ImageFX works like any other AI art generator. This involves several steps, starting with obtaining an image database large enough for training.
Google has not disclosed the source of its training data, but it likely includes a combination of internal sources, collaborations, and possibly web scraping and user-generated content.
Once the database is built, a model is trained on these images to learn the relationships between the words and visual concepts in the images, possibly through a diffusion model.
These models start with random noise in the image and are refined based on information from both the data and the accompanying text description. By repeating this process, you essentially learn the relationships between words, images, and context.
This training helps ImageFX and other AI image generators understand the prompts asked because it understands what words are associated with the images.
How is it linked to Google Bard?
Google Bard is probably the biggest competitor to the AI chatbot ChatGPT. Google has been working on the chatbot for some time and was released publicly in 2023.
If ImageFX is photography, Bard is understanding words and context. The goal is to combine the two to create the ultimate AI model, similar to OpenAI’s combination of ChatGPT and Dall-E (OpenAI’s image generator).
Google Bard is currently in testing but will soon be fully operational with the recently announced Google Gemini system.
This could theoretically mean a platform that asks models to create a board game and returns both the rules and lore, as well as all images, boards, and content. Or you could write a series of books with illustrations to go along with it.
Does ImageFX produce bad images?
There’s a problem with AI art…people. When trained on artwork from a human population and then utilized again by humans, less appropriate parts of the human brain tend to enter.
Previous AI art generators displayed sexist, biased, and sometimes intensely graphic images. This is a problem that all major technology companies are trying to tackle, including Google with ImageFX.
“All images generated with ImageFX are marked with SynthID, a tool developed by Google DeepMind that adds digital watermarks directly to the content we generate.” Google says:.
“SynthID watermarks are imperceptible to the human eye but can be detected for identification. Additionally, all images contain metadata, so when you encounter an AI-generated image, You can get more information.”
In addition to this, Google announced that it has improved the safety of its training data, reducing problematic output such as violent, offensive, or sexually explicit content. This extends to a reduced ability to create images of real people.
Why are cars designed to go far above the speed limit? (Don’t tell me they’re built with the Autobahn in mind.) Andy Crosby, North Wales
Please send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.
Reader replies
Because for mechanical reasons, a car that can get to 100 will perform better at 70 than a car that can only get to 70. Also, an engine that can only reach 110 mph on flat ground may struggle on hills. I was riding a 1.2 Clio and had to anticipate the hills and lower gears so I wouldn’t run out of breath. My Golf Diesel ran smoothly on the same slope without any complaints. Of course, you can also install a speed limiter on your vehicle (I often drive minibuses with speed limits). But consider the problems that arise when a speed-limited truck tries to pass another truck, slowly weaving in the center lane of a freeway, and the resulting confusion and congestion. yorkshire expatriate
I think the Germans call this the “elephant race”. socialism now
Of course, men are embarrassed to buy Viagra. Greg KZ
Is it because you are selling it? Automotive journalists like to include acceleration and top speed performance as positive in their reviews. So perhaps car buyers want a faster car, even if they can’t use that performance (at least in theory). reggie pudding
I purchased a 2015 Audi A5 3.0TDi Quattro 5 years ago. With 245bhp it will reach 60mph in less than 6 seconds. When you need that oomph to pass a bloke going 40mph on the local highway, it’s also thanks to its bags of torque that it means overtaking is quick and easy.
Top speed is limited to 155 mph, but I’ve never seen one. In France, I hit 132 mph on the motorway, the legal maximum speed.
The best part is that despite the engine’s size, it literally ticks along at 110mph at 1,600rpm and gets over 50mpg on long trips. So it’s a good grand tourer, with the ability to drift, a decent slug of power, and the ability to growl when needed. This is called being flexible. I’m already looking forward to my next road trip to France! Chilled Gibo
You’re Jeremy Clarkson, I charge you £5! Tatty Bogle
I am disappointed that the transition to electric power is not seen as an opportunity to end our obsession with increasingly high-powered cars. We see advertisements boasting extraordinary acceleration rates and high power outputs, but as a result, batteries are increasingly required to be larger and heavier, and have a greater environmental impact during manufacturing and use. This is contrary to the potential of electric vehicles to reduce the impact of personal mobility. We will properly lower speed limits and introduce aggressive punitive taxes on large, powerful personal vehicles. evan 1
Highest efficiency point. Designed for 110 miles per hour, it runs at full capacity. Imagine sprinting endlessly on every trip. It is designed to have a top speed of 160 mph and then cruise at 110 mph. I can run comfortably. Seno j1
A significant number of EVs buck this trend by having very fast acceleration but relatively low top speeds. For example, in my case he is supposed to reach 60 in less than 7 seconds, and this acceleration corresponds to a top speed of 130-140. In fact, its top speed is around 108, more than enough to allow a comfortable margin of stress relief at legal speeds. It is also true that some EVs reach 60 points within his 3 seconds, which begs the question of how many drivers can handle this without crashing into a more solid vehicle. suspicious solipsist
Fuel Efficiency – If a car can go 240 km/h while redlining in 5th, it will rev much lower and consume less fuel, potentially reaching 120 km/h. mcknight
Is it because speeding fines are a valuable source of income? eddie miscellaneous post
Margin of error (also known as safety). You have to turn occasionally (at legal speeds) to avoid accidents, and you always have to use mechanical devices that aren’t working at stress points, because it’s not good for wheels to fall off. Speedy 95060
A car with an engine with a “design” speed of 130 mph can have a “smaller” carburetor fitted to the engine, which will limit power and speed accordingly, but with less impact on the engine and moving parts. It has the advantage of being less stressful. . Of course, this will be about the same price as the “unlimited” version, so boy racers will want to go over the speed limit, so I guess manufacturers choose the faster version to increase sales. balance and reason
Cars are sold as toys, but only incidentally as a means of transportation. Lochaber 1
I hope this is the answer they give as their “last word.” Doralicious
Tardigrade observed using a fluorescence microscope.Some organs are highlighted with fluorescent markers
Smythers et al/PLoS ONE (CC-BY 4.0)
Tardigrades are known for their ability to withstand extreme environments, and we now know how they do this. Small molecular sensors inside cells can detect when harmful molecules called free radicals are produced in excess, causing a state of dormancy.
Tardigrades, also known as tardigrades, are eight-legged microscopic invertebrates found throughout the world. Under adverse conditions such as sub-zero temperatures and strong radiation, the creatures shrink into a dry ball called a tongue and enter a deep hibernation state.
“Tardigrades do not breed under extreme conditions, but they can overwinter.” Derrick Colling At Marshall University in West Virginia. “We wanted to understand how they could step in there.”
To study, Kolling and colleagues exposed tardigrades to high levels of hydrogen peroxide, sugar, salt, or temperatures of -80°C (-112°F) to induce Tun. As a result of these stresses, tardigrades produce harmful, highly reactive molecules called oxygen free radicals.
The free radicals then go on to react with other molecules, team members say. leslie hix At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Importantly, the research team discovered that free radicals oxidize an amino acid called cysteine, which is one of the building blocks of proteins in the body. These reactions change protein structure and function and signal the onset of quiescence.
In experiments where cysteine oxidation was prevented, tardigrades were unable to enter the tun state. “Cysteine acts like a kind of regulatory sensor,” Hicks says. “This allows the tardigrade to sense its environment and respond to stress.”
When conditions improved, the researchers discovered that the cysteine was no longer oxidized and instructed the tardigrades to wake up from the tongue.
“Whether this is a universally conserved protection mechanism and whether this is conserved across tardigrade species is a really important question,” Hicks says. Her answers, she says, could help us better understand the aging process and how to make long-term space travel a reality.
Pigs are charismatic and intelligent animals, but this piglet prefers ginger biscuits. The red river hog, also known as the “dwarf pig”, is a wild swine native to western and central Africa.
Featuring a striking red coat, they are the most colorful of the pigs. Its bright fur is covered by a thin white mane that runs the length of its back, on stubby black legs and sturdy treadles.
Its face is part ALF (an alien life form from the 80's American sitcom) and part Dobby the house elf (from the movie). Harry potter story).
Whiskers protrude from the base of its long black nose, and its jet-black eyes are framed by bold white markings. Contrasting markings are a form of camouflage called disruptive coloration, which breaks up the animal's outline so that it blends into the background.
But those ears are the main event. The tapered triangle gives way to spectacular long tufts of hair that frame the face and add a touch of wizardly chic to this animal's unconventional beauty.
Red River Hog lives small group Approximately 4 to 20 animals called sounders. It is found in rainforests and adjacent savannahs, often near rivers and swamps. Each sounder is led by a boar and oversees a harem of females and their young.
Weighing between 50 and 100 kg (110 and 220 lb), they may be among the smaller pigs, but they are energetic. Males fend off rivals by head-butting, snouting, and whipping each other with their tails, and easily protect their families from leopards, spotted hyenas, and pythons.
Within groups, individuals communicate with an inventive repertoire of moans and shrieks. They take a nap and forage for food at night. Like all pigs, red river hogs are omnivorous and will eat anything they can find. Fruits, seeds, nuts, eggs, snails, carrion, and lizards are all prey, as are livestock and crops such as goats and cassava.
They use their teeth to dig for roots, bulbs, and insects, and swim to forage for aquatic plants. They also have a fondness for Boko tree seeds (Balanite Wilsoana), they find undigested material in elephant feces or by following chimpanzees in the hopes of finding fallen fruit.
Females give birth to up to six piglets between February at the end of the dry season and July in the middle of the rainy season. Mothers build temporary nests out of dead leaves and grass and take care of their children while being protected by wild boars.
Piglets initially develop dark brown fur with yellow stripes and spots, are weaned at four months of age, and grow ginger-like fur after two months. The black spots on the face fully mature after about two years.
Although the species is not currently endangered, there are concerns that local populations could decline as pigs continue to encroach on farmland and the bushmeat trade intensifies. It's time for people to come together and save this piggy bacon before things get worse.
read more:
To submit a question, please email questions@sciencefocus.com (remember to include your name and location)
Our eyes, with over 100 million light-sensitive cells and some of the fastest muscles in the body, are able to pick up everything from starlight traveling across galaxies to the full range of human emotions. I can.
However, by connecting to our minds through the approximately 1 million nerve fibers that connect each eye to our brains, we are able to synthesize smooth vision that is not distracting or overwhelming, acquire the ability to interpret what is happening around you.
important parts of the human eye
pupil
It looks like a black dot, but it’s actually a gap that allows light to pass through to the back of your eye.
cornea
The cornea, the transparent dome in front of the eye, refracts light and helps direct it along the correct path to the retina.
iris
The colored part of the eye that dilates or constricts the pupil to control how much light enters. The iris is part of a larger structure that forms a layer between the retina and the sclera.
lens
A transparent lens that changes shape to focus incoming light onto the retina.
retina
Although it is often thought of as the back of the eye, it is more accurately the innermost layer that receives light that is reversed by the lens. The retina is packed with light-sensitive cells and nerve cells.
sclera
The sclera, also known as the white of the eye, is a tough, protective outer layer made of collagen fibers.
vitreous body
A transparent jelly that fills the eyeballs. As we age, the consistency of this jelly becomes more liquid and gradually becomes less wobbly.
optic nerve
A thick bundle of nerve fibers that carries signals between each eye and the brain.
How do we see it?
The simplest explanation is that what we see is the result of light entering the eye through the cornea and lens, which directs and focuses the light onto the light-sensitive cells (rods and cones) in the retina. about it.
A new paper discusses the complex role of AI in society and highlights its potential for both benefit and harm. He explores AI’s contribution to national security, its role in exacerbating social problems such as radicalization and polarization, and the importance of understanding and managing its risks.
Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms have and are being used to exacerbate radicalization, strengthen polarization and spread racism and political instability, according to academics at Lancaster University. .
Jo Barton, professor of international security at Lancaster University, argues that AI and algorithms are not just tools used by national security agencies to thwart malicious online activity. He suggests that they can foster polarization, radicalism and political violence, thereby posing a threat to national security itself.
In addition to this, he says the securitization process – which presents technology as an existential threat – has helped shape how AI is designed, how it is used, and the harmful outcomes it produces.
AI in securitization and its social impact
Professor Barton’s paper was recently published in Elsevier’s High Impact magazine. Technology in society journal.
“AI is often framed as a tool to counter violent extremism,” Professor Barton says. “This is the other side of the argument.”
This paper examines how AI has been securitized throughout its history and in media and popular culture depictions, creating polarizing and radicalizing ideas that have contributed to political violence. We explore this by examining contemporary examples of AI that have had an impact.
AI in War and Cybersecurity
This article explores how the classic film series The Terminator, which depicts a holocaust caused by an “advanced and malignant” artificial intelligence, has changed the public’s perception of artificial intelligence and how machine consciousness could have catastrophic consequences for humanity. He cites it as being more helpful than anything else in instilling fear. Humanity – In this case nuclear war and a deliberate attempt to wipe out humanity. seed.
“This distrust of machines, the fear associated with them, and their association with biological, nuclear, and genetic threats to humanity has led to a desire on the part of governments and national security agencies to influence the development of technology. connected, we can reduce risks and (in some cases) exploit its positive potential,” writes Professor Barton.
Professor Barton said advanced drone roles, such as those used in the Ukraine war, were now capable of full autonomy, including functions such as target identification and recognition.
There have been widespread and influential campaign discussions, including at the United Nations, to ban “killer robots” and ensure that humans are always informed about life-or-death decisions. According to him, the infiltration of armed drones continues to advance rapidly.
In cyber security (computer and computer network security), AI is used in major ways, the most prevalent areas being (dis)information and online psychological warfare.
The Putin regime’s actions against the 2016 US election process and the subsequent Cambridge Analytica scandal showed that AI combined with big data (including social media) polarizes, encourages extremist beliefs, and manipulates identities. It showed the possibility of producing political effects centered on group. This demonstrated the power and potential of AI to divide society.
The social impact of AI during the pandemic
And during the pandemic, AI was seen as a positive in tracking and tracing. virus But it also led to privacy and human rights concerns.
This article examines AI technology itself, arguing that problems exist in the design of AI, the data it relies on, how it is used, and its outcomes and impacts.
The paper concludes with a strong message for researchers in cybersecurity and international relations.
“AI certainly has the ability to transform society in positive ways, but it also poses risks that need to be better understood and managed,” said John C., an expert on cyber conflict and emerging technologies and a university professor. Professor Barton, who is part of the Security and Protection Science Initiative, writes:
“It is clear that understanding the dichotomous impact of technology is critical at every stage of its development and use.
“Cybersecurity and international relations scholars have an opportunity to incorporate these elements into new AI research agendas and avoid treating AI as a politically neutral technology.
“In other words, concerns about the security of AI systems and their societal impact should not be overridden by how they are used in international and geopolitical struggles.”
Reference: “Algorithmic extremism? The Securitization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its Impact on Radicalism, Polarization, and Political Violence,” by Joe Barton, September 14, 2023. Technology in society. DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102262
Originally Facebook The group was started by people during the 2020 coronavirus lockdown to make healthy meals for those close to them. home cook has evolved into a comprehensive marketplace for chefs. We facilitate the entire process from chef preparation to delivery, offering over 200 meal options. The company recently raised $3.2 million in crowdfunding on Seedrs.
HomeCooks positions itself as the “Etsy of food” and has grown rapidly and now serves approximately 7,000 customers. Take a look at how the company told its story with its crowdfunding campaign.
Quick spoiler alert here: This deck is way too long at 25 slides, but it’s also one of the best pitch decks I’ve seen in this heat of the moment.
This deck slide
The company shared 25 slides in their entirety without any edits or edits. The situation is as follows.
cover slide
mission slide
“Food Etsy” slide
How Eater Slide works
…
social impact slides
end slide
3 things to love
This is not a perfect pitch deck, but it has to be an incredibly good one. Below are some highlights.
threading the market needle
There is So There are many reasons why marketplaces are so difficult to succeed…
[Slide 17] Homecooks argues that the audience will grow with supply. Normally he would call BS, but the numbers support their claims. image credits: Home Cook
sustainability perspective
…
[Slide 14] Yass! image credits: Home Cook
It’s an incredible team
…
[Slide 20] good . . . Fuck! That’s impressive! image credits: Home Cook
Bravo.
In the rest of this teardown, we’ll look at three things HomeCooks could have improved or done differently, along with its full pitch deck.
Earth’s magnetosphere, essential for protecting us from solar radiation, is in sharp contrast to Mars, which has lost its protective field. Studying this shield, especially through NASA missions such as the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, is important for understanding space weather and its effects on Earth.
What is Earth’s magnetosphere?
Enveloping our planet and protecting us from the wrath of the sun is a giant magnetic bubble called the magnetosphere. It deflects most of the solar material that rushes toward us from our star at more than 1 million miles per hour. Without the magnetosphere, the relentless activity of these solar particles could strip Earth of the protective layer that protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. It is clear that this magnetic bubble was the key to the development of Earth into a habitable planet.
The magnetosphere envelops our planet and protects us from the brunt of the sun, and is key to Earth’s development into a habitable planet. credit: NASA
Earth vs. Mars: The role of the magnetosphere
compare with earth Mars – A planet that lost its magnetosphere about 4.2 billion years ago. It is thought that solar winds stripped away most of Mars’ atmosphere, probably after the Red Planet’s magnetic field disappeared. As a result, Mars is the desolate, barren world we see today through the “eyes” of NASA’s orbiters and probes. In contrast, Earth’s magnetosphere appears to continue to protect the atmosphere.
“If we didn’t have the magnetic field, we might be left with a completely different atmosphere, devoid of life as we know it,” said Eftihir Zesta of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s Geospace Physics Laboratory. states.
The magnetosphere is the result of the Earth’s internal magnetic field, generated by the rotation and convection of electrically conductive material within its central core. This magnetic field spreads out into space and acts as a shield against the solar wind, forming the magnetosphere.
Understanding and researching the magnetosphere
Understanding the magnetosphere is a key element in helping scientists predict space weather that could one day impact technology on Earth. Extreme space weather events can disrupt communication networks. GPS Navigation and power grids.
The magnetosphere is a permeable shield. The solar wind periodically connects to the magnetosphere and forces its reconfiguration. This can cause cracks and allow energy to flow into our safe haven. These cracks open and close many times a day, sometimes even an hour. Most of them are small and short-lived. Others are vast and persistent. When the sun’s magnetic field connects with the Earth’s magnetic field, fireworks begin.
“Earth’s magnetosphere absorbs incoming energy from the solar wind and releases it in bursts in the form of magnetic storms and substorms,” Zesta said.
Illustration of four MMS spacecraft in orbit in the Earth’s magnetic field. Credit: NASA
Magnetic Reconnection and MMS Mission
How does this happen? Magnetic field lines converge and rearrange, resulting in magnetic energy and charged particles flying around at breakneck speeds. Scientists have been trying to understand why this crossing of magnetic field lines, called magnetic reconnection, causes such violent explosions and opens cracks in the magnetosphere.
NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) launched in March 2015 to make the first observations of the electronic physics of magnetic reconnection. Four of her MMS spacecraft, packed with high-energy particle detectors and magnetic sensors, flew close to the region on the surface of Earth’s magnetosphere where magnetic reconnection occurs. Since then, MMS has conducted similar searches in the magnetotail.
MMS complements the missions of NASA and partner agencies such as THEMIS, Cluster, and Geotail, and will provide important new details for ongoing studies of Earth’s magnetosphere. The data obtained from these surveys not only helps us understand the fundamental physics of the universe, but also helps improve space weather forecasting.
Recognizing probability in budgeting and forecasting
As an interest rate Returning to historical norms, the world has returned its focus to cost of capital and free cash flow generation. In order for companies to adhere to traditional heuristics like the Rule of 40 (i.e., the idea that the sum of revenue growth and profit margin must equal 40% or more, a metric that Bessemer helped popularize) We are working hard. Executives at both private and public cloud companies agree that free cash flow (FCF) margins are just as important (if not more important) than growth, and that the trade-off is he says 1:1. I often think about it. Many finance executives love the “Rule of 40” for its clarity, but placing equal emphasis on growth and profitability in late-stage businesses is flawed and leads to bad business decisions. I am.
our view
For companies with adequate FCF margins, growth must remain a top priority. There are good reasons to emphasize efficiency, but Traditional Rule of 40 Mathematics Is Completely Wrong When a company approaches its break-even point and has positive free cash flow,
The world has hyper-rotated to an FCF margin mindset instead of a growth mindset, which is counter to efficient business growth. Long-term models show that growth should be valued at least two to three times more than his FCF margin, even in tight markets.
Equivalent emphasis on growth and profitability in late-stage businesses is flawed and leads to bad business decisions.
why?
An increase in margin has a linear effect on value, but an increase in growth rate can have a compound effect on value. We provide detailed calculations below, but when we backtest the relative importance of growth and FCF margins, the correlation of public market valuations confirms it. Actual ratios vary widely in the short term (ranging from about 2x to about 9x over the past few years), but over the long term they are typically 2x to 3x growth value over profitability. It comes down to proportions.
Even the most conservative financial planner recommends that you can safely use a growth rate of up to 2x for late-stage private company profitability. Publicly traded companies with a low cost of capital can use multiples of up to 2-3x (as long as growth is efficient).
Scientists have discovered a new instability in plasma, revolutionizing our understanding of cosmic rays. This groundbreaking discovery reveals that cosmic rays generate electromagnetic waves within plasma and influence their paths. This collective behavior of cosmic rays, similar to waves formed by water molecules, challenges previous theories and holds promise for insights into intragalactic cosmic ray transport and its role in galaxy evolution. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Scientists at the Potsdam Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics (AIP) have discovered a new substance. plasma This instability is expected to revolutionize our understanding of the origin of cosmic rays and their dynamic impact on galaxies.
At the beginning of the last century, Victor Hess discovered a new phenomenon called cosmic rays, for which he was later awarded the Nobel Prize. He conducted high-altitude balloon flights and discovered that the Earth’s atmosphere was not ionized by ground radiation. Instead, he confirmed that the origin of ionization was extraterrestrial. Later, it was discovered that cosmic “rays” are composed of charged particles that travel from space at speeds close to the speed of light. radiation. However, the name “cosmic rays” outlasted these discoveries.
Recent advances in cosmic ray research
In the new study, AIP scientist and lead author of the study, Dr. Mohammad Shalaby, and his collaborators performed numerical simulations to trace the trajectories of many cosmic ray particles, showing that these particles We studied how the plasma interacts with the surrounding plasma, which is made up of electrons and electrons. proton.
Simulation of cosmic rays flowing in the opposite direction to the background plasma and causing plasma instability. The distribution of background particles in response to streaming cosmic rays is shown in phase space spanned by the particle’s position (horizontal axis) and velocity (vertical axis). Color visualizes number density, and holes in phase space represent the highly dynamic nature of instabilities that break up ordered motion into random motion. Credit: Shalaby/AIP
When researchers studied cosmic rays flying from one side of the simulation to the other, they discovered a new phenomenon that excites electromagnetic waves in the background plasma. These waves exert a force on the cosmic rays, causing them to change their meandering paths.
Understanding cosmic rays as a collective phenomenon
Most importantly, this new phenomenon is best understood if we think of cosmic rays as supporting collective electromagnetic waves rather than acting as individual particles. When these waves interact with the background fundamental waves, they are strongly amplified and a transfer of energy occurs.
“This insight allows us to think of cosmic rays in this context as behaving more like radiation than individual particles, as Victor Hess originally believed,” said AIP Cosmology and High Energy Astrophysics. says Professor Christoph Pfrommer, head of the section. .
Momentum distribution of protons (dashed lines) and electrons (solid lines). The appearance of a high-energy electron tail in a slowly moving shock is shown. This is the result of interactions with electromagnetic waves caused by newly discovered plasma instabilities (red) that are absent from faster shocks (black). This shows the importance of understanding the physics of the acceleration process, since only high-energy electrons produce observable radio radiation. Credit: Shalaby/AIP
A good analogy for this behavior is that individual water molecules come together to form waves that break on the shore. “This progress was only made possible by taking into account smaller scales, which had been overlooked until now and called into question the use of effective fluid dynamics theory when studying plasma processes,” explains Dr. Mohammad Shalaby. To do.
Meaning and application
This newly discovered plasma instability has many applications, including the first study of how electrons from thermal interstellar plasma are accelerated to high energies in supernova remnants. It also includes an explanation.
“This newly discovered plasma instability represents a major advance in our understanding of acceleration processes and finally explains why these supernova remnants glow in radio waves and gamma rays.” Mohammad Shalaby reports.
Moreover, this breakthrough opens the door to a deeper understanding of the fundamental processes of cosmic ray transport in galaxies. This represents the biggest mystery in understanding the processes that form galaxies during the evolution of the universe.
References:
“Deciphering the physical basis of mesoscale instability” by Mohammad Shalaby, Timon Thomas, Christoph Pfrommer, Reuven Lemmerz, and Virginia Bresci, December 12, 2023, Plasma Physics Journal. DOI: 10.1017/S0022377823001289
“Mechanism of efficient electron acceleration in parallel non-relativistic shocks” by Mohammad Shalaby, Reuven Lemmerz, Timon Thomas, and Christoph Pfromer, May 4, 2022, Astrophysics > High-energy astrophysical phenomena. arXiv:2202.05288
“New Cosmic Ray Instabilities” by Mohammad Shalaby, Timon Thomas, and Christoph Pfrommer, February 24, 2021, of astrophysical journal. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/abd02d
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