• Tools
  • Showing posts with label Ajdi Technology. Show all posts
    Showing posts with label Ajdi Technology. Show all posts

    Matrix Resurrections: Why Hugo Weaving Didn't Return As Agent Smith

    0
    Because of this, Hugo Weaving hasn't repeated his iconic role as Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections. After nearly 20 years, the Matrix franchise finally returned in 2021, with co-creator Lana Wachowski  at the helm.

    While the resulting film  polarized both critics and fans, the backlash is certainly not as harsh as  The Matrix Revolutions, so it may in itself be a Trinity victory, or despite its apparent death, at the end of the revolution. In addition to Neo and Trinity, several other notable characters  from previous Matrix films returned for The Matrix Resurrections, played mostly  by their original actors.

    Most notably, Jada Pinkett Smith was the older version of Niobe, the current leader of Io, the human city of the Matrix, who replaced Zion after Neo apparently ended the war between humans and machines.

    There are new actors like Morpheus (with Yahya AbdulMateen II replacing Laurence Fishburne) and Agent Smith (with Jonathan Groff replacing Weaving).

    Indeed, this is the second time Weaving has not played a major role in a hugely successful franchise, as he refused to return as Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame after taking on the role in Captain America: The first Avenger had . 

    This case turned out to be pretty bitter as Weaving didn't like his experience  with Marvel, luckily that wasn't the case that he didn't appear on The Matrix Resurrections.

    Instead, the absence of weaving boils down to a Hollywood staple: scheduling conflicts. In 2020, when it was time to shoot The Matrix Resurrections, director and co-writer Lana Wachowski was keen to see him  return as Agent Smith.

    After a moment's hesitation, Weaving agreed to do just that.

    The two parties entered into negotiations to try to get the Matrix Resurrections schedule up and running so  Weaving could complete both projects, but Weaving said Wachowski was reluctant to meet the deadlines Weaving requested.

    Weaving doesn't seem to hold up against Wachowski on a personal level, but it's certainly disappointing that it went that way. While Mindhunter's Groff does an excellent job of trying to mimic aspects of Weaving's Agent Smith performance,  his Duke Smith is watched. Keanu Reeves' Neo just doesn't resonate as much as a similar comeback fight between  Smith and Weavings Neo.

    However, The Matrix Resurrections is setting up a possible Matrix 5, so maybe the original  version of Smith's Weaving could return for it. Smith's nature as a rogue program within the Matrix makes any  future change in his appearance easy to explain.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3FKoENW
    via IFTTT

    Washington state to require internet service disclosure when selling house in new year 

    0

    Moving houses means potentially figuring out new internet connections.Getty Image

    It's tough to assume home existence with out the net, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. Now a regulation going into impact in Washington kingdom is acknowledging that.

     Starting withinside the new year, home dealers in Washington may be required to percentage their net issuer on signed disclosure bureaucracy that encompass facts approximately plumbing, insulation and structural defects.

    "Does the belongings presently have net carrier?" the disclosure shape will now ask, together with a area to mention who the issuer is.

    The regulation would not require dealers to element get right of entry to speeds, pleasant or opportunity providers. The new disclosure is the contemporary in an array of efforts with the aid of using lawmakers throughout the U.S to reply to our growing reliance on domestic net connectivity for work, training and entertainment.

    That net connection has emerge as even extra important all through the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended the lives of billions of humans, forcing quarantines and lockdowns as humans alter to a brand new regular of each day existence.

    Even earlier than the pandemic compelled us to emerge as even extra reliant at the net than we already were, hundreds of thousands of Americans lived in houses that hadn't but been hooked up.

    The Federal Communications Commission estimates that extra than 14 million Americans lack get right of entry to to baseline broadband speeds, even as the net carrier tracker BroadbandNow pegs the wide variety at toward forty two million.

    Much of the broadband divide is in extra rural components of the u . s ., however it additionally disproportionately hits traditionally low-earnings and numerous communities.



    Even before the pandemic forced us to rely on the Internet even more  than before, millions of Americans were living in unconnected households.

    The Federal Communications Commission estimates that more than 14 million Americans do not have access to benchmark broadband. Speeds, while Internet service tracker BroadbandNow estimates the number at around 42 million.

    Much of the broadband gap exists in more rural parts of the country, but it also affects disproportionately low-income and heterogeneous communities.

    The US government has pledged $ 65 billion to expand broadband access under its $ 1.2 trillion bill on infrastructure investment and employment.

    When buying a home, internet connections were generally not treated with the same care as water, electricity, or HVAC systems. While the new Washington state rule doesn't require detailed internet connection details, it does make connections a potential ground for termination of a sales contract. within three days of receipt of the disclosure documents, unless you have waived your right to participate.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3pHQV1Z
    via IFTTT

    GERMANY TO PULL THE PLUG ON THREE OF ITS LAST SIX NUCLEAR PLANTS

    0
    Germany will shut down three of its last six nuclear power plants on Friday, a further step towards  phasing out  nuclear energy by focusing on renewable energies melted in 2011, when an earthquake and a tsunami  in the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl destroyed the coastal power plant 25 years earlier for three and a half decades in operation.

    The last three nuclear power plants  Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim II  will be shut down by the end of 2022, the largest economy with ambitious climate targets and is faced with rising energy prices.

    "For the energy industry in Germany, the nuclear phase-out is final," said Kerstin Andreae, managing director of the  energy industry association BDEW.
    Economic and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck said on Wednesday that he did not see the anti-nuclear consensus  in Germany weakened. the true end of the nuclear age in Germany.
    "We have to say that there will continue to be uranium enrichment plants in Germany like the one in Gronau," said Arne Fellermann, managing director of the  environmental association BUND, to Reuters.

    "There is also a research reactor in Garching that is still operated with weapons-grade uranium," Fellermann continues.
    When asked about possible job losses, the mayor of Gundremmingen, Tobias Bühler, said that the plant employees were busy  dismantling the reactor after the shutdown.
    The shutdown will certainly take another decade or two, ”said Bühler. E.ON estimates the total costs for the decommissioning at 1.1 billion euros (1.25 billion US dollars) per plant.

    E.ON set up provisions of € 9.4 billion in 2020 for the nuclear aftercare phase, which includes the decommissioning of the facility, packaging and cleaning of radioactive waste.

    The shutdown is expected to be completed in 2040.
    The Japanese government on Tuesday presented a plan to dump contaminated water from the paralyzed Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, angering neighboring countries China and South Korea.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3qGhPXl
    via IFTTT

    XIAN BATTLES COVID-19 IN WORST OUTBREAK TO HIT A CHINESE CITY THIS YEAR

    0
    The Xian Industrial and Technology Center in China reported  more than 100 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, making the number of locally transmitted infections  the highest in any Chinese city this year. Xian reported 155 new local cases on December 29th. December, official data showed.

     This brings the number of local infections to more than 1,100 since the outbreak began on December 9, forcing authorities to lock down the city of 13 million people. It has been since the 23rd. 

    "Xian has entered a brisk phase in its fight against the virus," Zhang Fenghu, a city government official, told Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology, two of the world's largest manufacturers of memory chips, before the blockade could affect its chip manufacturing facilities in the area.

    Xian is also a major tourist destination, drawing visitors to its collection of terracotta warriors who were buried with China's first emperor more than 2,000 years ago.

    The authorities have launched several rounds of  testing across the city to monitor the transmissions. Round six started on Thursday, a day later. Restrictions have restricted access to everyday necessities and many people cannot go out and shop, leaving them dependent on supplies.

    Deliveries and the government are working to resolve the issue, a Xian government official said  Wednesday.

    WUHAN ANNIVERSARY

    A Xian resident surnamed He told Reuters that she tried to order groceries through the online app from Alibaba-backed supermarket chain Freshippo, but was unable to secure many items such as potatoes and cucumbers.

    The app posted a message saying "Delivery staff is not available" under many articles. Based on a screenshot you provided. Several boroughs have organized free grocery deliveries to some residential complexes, state media said.

    The total supply of essential items in Xian is sufficient, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce told reporters. Now on its eighth day, it coincides with the second anniversary of the first signs of the coronavirus outbreak in downtown Wuhan. an "unknown cause," according to state media.

    In addition, on Thursday, thousands of people left messages on the social media account of the late COVID-19 whistleblower Li Wenliang on the anniversary of the day, also on December 30, 2019, in which he learned of the possibility of a causative virus.

    Pneumonia in Wuhan: As of Wednesday, mainland China had reported 101,890 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including  local and imported, with a death toll of 4,636.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3Jw2u4k
    via IFTTT

    PFIZER’S COVID-19 SHOT CAUSES MOSTLY MILD SIDE EFFECTS IN YOUNG KIDS’

    0
    Pfizer-reuters
    İmage Credit: Reuters

    Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE's COVID-19 vaccine mainly caused  mild side effects in children ages 5 to 11, according to data published by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    The data showed that some children were affected after the second dose of the vaccine  reported injection site pain and other systemic reactions such as fatigue and headache.

    The CDC said it had also received reports of 11 cases of myocarditis, a type of inflammation of the heart, in 511-year-old children  who had received the vaccine. Of these, seven had recovered and four were recovering at the time of reporting.

    Myocarditis is a rare side effect after mRNA vaccines.


    Notification system for adverse vaccination events  (VAERS).They received 4,249  adverse event reports, of which 97.6% of the cases were not serious, according to the CDC report.

    The cases were reported between November 3 and December 19 through VAERS and vsafe, a voluntary smartphone-based security monitoring system for adverse events following COVID19 vaccination, in children in this age group.

    The vaccine was approved in the United States  in late October for children ages 5 to 15 and is the only approved vaccine for that age group. 

    A separate study by the CDC showed that Pfizer 92's two-dose vaccine was effective against coronavirus infections in teenagers aged 12 to 17 years.

     The observation period for the analysis coincided with the period of dominance of the delta variant  in the United States, the CDC said.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3mKyZC0
    via IFTTT

    SCIENTISTS TO TEST HIGH DEXAMETHASONE DOSES IN COVID-19 PATIENTS

    0


    Covid
        İmage Credit: AFP Photo

    British scientists will investigate whether higher doses of a cheap and widely used steroid called dexamethasone might work better in severe COVID-19 patients compared to  standard lower doses, they said Thursday. , showed that it was able to save the lives of COVID-19 patients in  a so-called "breakthrough" in the coronavirus pandemic. 

    They found that a 6 mg daily dose of dexamethasone,  used to reduce inflammation in diseases such as arthritis, reduced the death rate among critically ill COVID-19 patients in hospitals by about a third.

    "Given the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, we can expect  patients  with severe COVID-19 to be hospitalized for a while," said Peter Horby, a professor at Oxford University who co-led the study.

     “So it is very important that we continue RECOVERY to  compare a higher dose of 20 mg  dexamethasone given once a day for five days, followed by 10 mg once a day for  another five days, with the usual low dose treatment.

    Process is supported by the UK government and Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French's charity.

    Last week,  scientists began investigating GSK and Vir Biotechnology's antibody-based drug COVID19  as a possible treatment for hospital patients.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3FHFY6c
    via IFTTT

    The Rock Rejects Vin Diesel's Plea For Him To Join Fast & Furious 10

    0
    The rock
    Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel in 2011 (Image via Getty Images/Buda Mendes)

     It's safe to say that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will not be returning to the Fast and Furious franchise.

     In a new interview with CNN released on Wednesday, December 29, the young rock actor explicitly stated that he was not interested in repeating his role. as Luke Hobbs, even after Vin Diesel launched a public petition in November.

     For those who haven't followed the saga, Diesel wrote on Instagram last month, “My little brother Dwayne ... it's time. F&F 10 finals As you know, in my house you refer to my children  as Uncle Dwayne. 

    There is no public holiday on which you and you do not send good wishes ... but the time has come.Diesel moved on to his expense, the deceased Pablo Walker, for his nickname Paul.

    "I was firm but warm in my words and said that I would always support the cast and  the franchise always to make it successful, but that there was no chance it would return." Johnson added that he had also informed Universal Pictures of his decision and "who were all very supportive of their understanding of the issue."



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3z91Wwc
    via IFTTT

    Elon Musk says SpaceX will land humans on Mars in 10 years in the worst-case scenario

    0

     

    Space X

    Elon Musk said that in the worst case scenario, SpaceX would bring humans to Mars in 10 years.

     Spaceship engineering and cost reduction are the determining factors. "No amount of money can get  a ticket to Mars,"  added in  Lex Fridman. 

    Elon Musk said that SpaceX will bring people to Mars in 10 years with its Starship rocket, in the worst case break, the billionaire replied: “The best case is about five years, the worst case 10 years.

     Musk told Fridman that the determining factors included  the design of the vehicle, adding that “Starship is the most complex and advanced rocket  ever built. 

    "The basic optimization of Starship is to minimize the cost per ton for orbit and ultimately the cost per ton for the Martian surface," Musk told Fridman on the podcast. Millions of dollars, Musk told Fridman.

     "No amount of money can get  a ticket to Mars," he said on the podcast.The SpaceX and Tesla CEO has predicted multiple dates for his company's arrival and landing on the Red Planet.

     Musk said in an interview with the Clubhouse audio app  in February that it will be "five and a half years" before a manned SpaceX spacecraft mission takes place. 

    Missile could land on the red planet. Musk tweeted in March that his aerospace company would land its Starship missiles "long before" 2030 on Mars.


    Experts say it could take longer than they predict if things don't go exactly according to plan during the three remaining launch opportunities before 2026.

     Musk is finally planning to build 1,000 Starship missiles, launching three of them a day, to bring a million people to the Red Planet.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3EF5IyJ
    via IFTTT

    TikTok replaces Google as world's most popular website

    0

     

    Tiktok

    TikTok become the  most popular domain on the internet by 2021 on Tuesday, by replacing Google  according to  cybersecurity company Cloudflare.

    TikTok is a video-focused social media site from the Chinese company ByteDance.

    “It was  February 17, 2021 when TikTok took first place for one day,” write Joao Tome and Sofia Cardita  in a blog post for Cloudfare.

    “TikTok got a few more days in March and May too, but  after August 10, TikTok took over most of the days.” There were a few days that Google was number one, but October and November were mostly TikTok days, including Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
    Facebook fell back from second place. in 3rd place, followed by Microsoft in 4th place, Apple in 5th place, and Amazon 6th  and Netflix on No 7.
    YouTube, who belongs to Google Parent Alphabet, was eight, Twitter was ninth and Whatsapp Lasth.Instagram gave up the top 10 of  this year.

    Cloudfare added that even though TikTok receives more traffic, Facebook still has more  users on social websites around the world.

    In 2020, TikTok and ByteDance opposed a print campaign by former President Donald Trump's administration to sell their US business  over alleged national security threats.

    A federal judge eventually prevented the White House from banning the TikTok app for US users.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3z89PCh
    via IFTTT

    Elon Musk Sells Another $1 Billion in Tesla Shares to Prep for Largest Tax Bill in History

    0

     

    Elon muskPatrick Pleul | picture alliance | Getty Images

    According to financial documents released Tuesday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold 934,090 company shares valued at around $ 1.02 billion not to fund a McMansion on Mars.Musk said he is preparing to pay the biggest tax bill in history.

    With an estimated value of more than $ 275 billion, Musk is the richest person in the world.
    As ProPublica revealed in a report earlier this year, Musk has not yet paid large sums of money in personal taxes, given that they alone pay taxpayers' income or share taxes as soon as they do.

    After exercising options to purchase nearly 1.6 million Tesla shares at an exercise price of $ 6.24 per share (given to him in his 2012 compensation package), Musk's stake in Tesla rose to more than 177 million shares.

    Now Musk is expected to face the largest  individual tax bill in US history, with state and California income taxes estimated at $ 11 billion, according to CNBC
    . Tax experts say you have to pay the bill before you can get any compensation of approximately $23 billion in stock options due in August.

    After Musk was named  "Person of the Year" by Time Magazine, Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted that the government should "amend the rigged tax code so that the person of the year actually pays taxes and stops taking advantage of everyone else."



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3sIEhla
    via IFTTT

    Elon Musk sells another $1 billion in Tesla shares, nearing 10% target

    0
    Elon Musk
    Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, stands in the foundry of the Tesla Gigafactory during a press event.

    Elon Musk sold another $ 1.02 billion in Tesla Inc. stock, moving closer to his goal of reducing his stake in the electric car maker by 10 percent. US Securities and Exchange Commission. 

    Musk has been selling Tesla shares since asking his Twitter followers in November if he should sell some of his stake. Musk said in a tweet last week that he was "almost done" cutting his Tesla stake by 10 percent. The latest sale brings Musk's total number to about 15.6 million shares, for about $ 16.4 billion. 

    You would have to sell around 17 million shares to get rid of 10 percent of your stake, provided your exposure excludes exercisable options.

    Tesla gained 2.3 percent in pre-market trading in the United States. The stock has gained 54 percent this year. It's unclear whether the November poll  had anything to do with Musk's plans. Options towards the end of the year and drew up a business plan for selling stocks ahead of his tweet. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk has net worth of $ 278.9 billion, up nearly 80% this year.

    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3z92tOQ
    via IFTTT

    Elon Musk reveals who bitcoin's creator Satoshi Nakamoto might be

    0

     

    Musk.MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images

    Elon Musk seems to agree with many that hyper-secret cryptocurrency expert Nick Szabo could be Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of the digital currency Bitcoin. 

    "You can watch ideas evolve before Bitcoin was launched and see who wrote about those ideas," Musk told artificial intelligence researcher Lex Fridman on a podcast posted Tuesday when asked what he thought about the real ones Identity of Nakamoto thinks. 

    The Tesla billionaire said that while he "obviously" doesn't know exactly who created Bitcoin, Szabo's theories seem central to the creation of cryptocurrency. "It seems that Nick Szabo is probably responsible for developing these ideas more than anyone," he said. “He says he's not  Nakamoto, but I'm not sure it's neither here nor there. 

    But he seems to be  responsible for the ideas behind Bitcoin more than anyone. Bitcoin was first proposed by Satoshi Nakamoto in October 2008. , a pseudonym for what people thought it could be. 

    In 2014, a team of linguists examined Nakamoto's bitcoin whitepaper along with the writings of Szabo and 10 other potential creators. They found the results undeniable. "It's mind-boggling," said the researchers, adding that none of the other possible writers were anywhere near as good.

    A 2015 New York Times report also identifies the invention of bitcoin in Szabo, who has spoken publicly about the history of bitcoin and blockchain technology but  repeatedly  claims that he is the anonymous inventor of the digital asset. Another reason it is associated with Bitcoin is because of its origins. of the  cryptocurrency "Bit Gold" in 1998.

    Source:Yahoo News



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3eASUPi
    via IFTTT

    New Flagpro malware linked to Chinese state-backed hackers

    0
    Hacker

     The cyber espionage group APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) Blackwell has been targeting Japanese companies with a new type of malware that researchers call "Flag pro". Second level malware and run it. 

    Breaching corporate networks

    The chain of infection begins with a phishing e-mail that was developed for the target organization and pretends to be a message from a trusted partner.

     The e-mail contains a password-protected ZIP or RAR attachment with a Microsoft Excel file [.XLSM] linked to a malicious macro. Running this code creates an executable file in the Flag pro home directory. 

    When it first runs, Flagpro connects to the C2 server over HTTP and sends the system identification details obtained by executing hard-coded operating system commands. 

    In response, the C2 can send additional commands or a second-level payload that Flag pro can execute. 

    An example of a sent command Source: NTT Security

    Communication between the two is base64 encoded, and there is also a configurable delay between connections to avoid creating an identifiable operating model.

    Flagpro
    Communication between Flagpro and the C2 Source: NTT Security

     Flagpro has been used against Japanese companies for more than a year, at the latest since October 2020, according to a report by NTT Security. 

    The most recent samples the researchers were able to obtain are from July 2021. The target companies are from a variety of industries, including defense, media and communications technology. 

    Flagpro v2.0

    At some point in their analysis, NTT researchers noticed a new version of Flag pro that can automatically close relevant dialog boxes to make external connections that could reveal their presence to the victim. 

    "In the Flag pro v1.0 implementation, if a dialog box titled 'Windows セ キ ュ リ テ ィ' appears when Flagpro is accessing an external site, Flagpro will automatically click the OK button to close the dialog box" explains NTT Security report. “This handling also works if the dialog is written in Chinese or English  indicates destinations are in Japan, Taiwan, and English-speaking countries.

    Flagpro
    Inserted code serving as obfuscation in Flagpro v2.0 Source: NTT Security

     Blackwell APT is a lesser known player discovered by Trendier researchers in the summer of 2017 and has partnered with China. His typical targets are in Taiwan, although he has occasionally targeted companies in Japan and Hong Kong to steal technology.

     In February  2021, a report from Unit 42 linked  Blackwell to Waterbear Flag pro, another cyber espionage group believed to have the backing of the Chinese government like Apt, Black tech, Knowledge and Refinement to adapt their tools to new reports like this one, Flag pro is likely to be modified for more stealth use.

    As the NTT report concludes, “Recently they (Blackwell) started using another new malware called Selfsame Loader and Spider RAT. “That means they are actively developing new malware. Defenders should be aware of the new indicators of exposure to new malware and follow all security best practices to maintain a strong defense against sophisticated threats like Blackwell.

    Source: Bleeping Computer



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3sINJow
    via IFTTT

    Watch out for ‘child in need’ Whatsapp scams as parents get duped out of £50,000

    0
    Whatsaap

     Another WhatsApp scam is circulating, this time aimed at parents. WhatsApp scammers pretend to be desperate children who need money right away.

     People in the UK have reportedly been defrauded of nearly £ 50,000 for this type of scam. 25 cases of fraud were reported between August and October, with victims losing pounds 48,356. 

    A Bedford mom shared her WhatsApp exchange with a Bedford Facebook group to warn others.


    "Hello mom, it's me. I have a new number, you can delete the old one, ”read the scammer's input text. 

    Toni Parker, 53, thought her son had dropped his phone down the toilet and had a new phone number (Picture: Caters News)

    When the woman asked who the unknown messenger was, they replied: “Your oldest and sweetest son xx. The scammer then stated that he had  a new phone and was "transferring everything", claiming that his banking app had banned him for 48 hours. 

    “Very annoying because there is nothing I can do  about it. Can you possibly pay  me and I will get it back to you asap? I'm sorry to bother you with this, '' read the scammer's text message. However, instead of sending the money immediately, the woman called her daughter, who confirmed that she was not sending the messages.

    When the woman realized she was being attacked by a conspiratorial impostor, she immediately warned others about the deception.


     This is not the first time such a tactic has been used to commit fraud on WhatsApp. In August, a nurse was cheated of £ 2,500 after a scammer impersonated her son. In September, WhatsApp users were warned of the scam that could see criminals steal thousands of them.

     'WhatsApp protects our users' personal messages with end-to-end encryption, but we want to remind people that we all have one.' We advise all users never to share their six-digit PIN code with anyone, not even with friends or family, and we recommend  all users configure two-step verification for added security.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3mFGCtt
    via IFTTT

    A Weird Paper Tests The Limits of Science by Claiming Octopuses Came From Space

    0

     A round-up of decades of research into a fairly "external" idea with viruses from space begs the question of how scientific we can be when it comes to speculating about the history of life on earth. and nonconformist in describing the scientific fringes, but then articles like this one from 2018 pop up and make us blink like owls not knowing where to start.

    In this review, which by. was published, a total of 33 names were listed as authors Advances in Biophysics and Molecular Biology (as of August 2018) The journal is peer-reviewed and fairly well cited.

     So not exactly a small or paid niche source for publication. Science writer Stephen Fleischfresser delves into  the backgrounds of two of the most famous scientists involved: Edward Steele and Chandra Wickramasinghe. Well worth reading.

     For a tl version; Dr. Steele is an immunologist known for his views on evolution based on the acquisition of genetic changes determined by the influence of the environment rather than random mutations in what he calls metalamarckism.

    Wickramasinghe, on the other hand, has had a slightly less controversial career known for empirically confirming Sir Fred Hoyle's hypothesis that describes the production of complex carbon molecules in interstellar dust. Wickramasinghe and Hoyle were also  responsible for further space biology work. one is based on more than just the origins of organic chemistry. 

    Hoyle Wickramasinghes (HW) thesis of cometary biology (cosmic biology) makes the rather simple claim that the direction of evolution was significantly influenced by biochemistry that did not begin on our planet. In Wickramasinghe's own words: “Comets are the carriers and distributors of life in the cosmos, and life on earth originated and developed as a result of input from comets.

     These inputs, argued Wickramasinghe, are not limited to a generous pinch of  amino acids that have been branded into the world. Neither do acids. Rather, they include viruses that infiltrate organisms and drive their evolution in completely new directions.

    The report, entitled “Cause of the Cambrian Explosion: Terrestrial or Cosmic? and other viruses  to be released in meteoric debris may potentially add new DNA sequences to terrestrial genomes and cause further mutagenic changes within the germline and somatic genomes, ”the authors wrote.

     Before going any further, because that was the docile part during this period, a group of mollusks known as cephalopods first stretched  their tentacles under their shells and branched into an amazing variety of sizes and shapes in an amazingly short amount of time  and octopuses are as strange as the animals themselves,  in part because of their ability to manipulate their DNA in the blink of an eye.

     The authors of the article make the rather bold claim that these genetic oddities could be a sign of life from space, this time not from space viruses  but from the arrival of enter genomes frozen in stasis before they thaw in our warm waters.

    "Thus the possibility that cryopreserved squid and/or octopus eggs, arrived in icy bolides several hundred million years ago should not be discounted," they wrote.

    In his review of the article, University of Eastern Finland medical researcher Keith Baverstock admitted that there is much evidence  plausibly in line with HW's thesis, such as the strange timeline of virus emergence, but that is not how science comes Ahead. 

    "I believe this paper justifies skepticism of the scientific value of stand alone theories of the origin of life," Baverstock argued at the time.

    "The weight of plausible, but non-definitive, evidence, great though that might be, is not the point."

    Although the idea is as new and exciting as it is provocative, nothing in the summary helps us better understand the history of life on earth than existing assumptions that give little  value to our evolutionary model.

     Perhaps science can handle a generous dose of madness from time to time. The magazine's editor, Denis Noble, admits that "more research is needed", which is a bit of an understatement.

     Room for discussion. "As space chemistry and biology grow in importance, it is appropriate for a journal devoted to the interface between physics and biology to stimulate discussion," said Noble.

    "In the future, the ideas will surely become testable."

    Just in case those tests confirm speculations, we recommend being well prepared for the return of our cephalopod overlords. Who knows when they'll want those eggs back?



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3HiDdZl
    via IFTTT

    Elon Musk’s ex Grimes sparks new pregnancy rumours with cryptic post: See here

    0

     

    Elon musk & Singer Grim
    Elon Musk’s ex, singer Grimes, has sent rumour mills in overdrive with her latest Instagram 

    Elon Musk's ex-singer Grimes got the rumors going with her latest Instagram post showing her with a prominent belly.
    Grimes fans continued to speculate on Tuesday after the Player of Games singer's new photo showing an animated form of her. At one stroke, she repeated her first pregnancy announcement with Musk's chid.

    Comments on the post ranged from "The Queen is Pregnant" to "OMG, pregnant again?" However, Grimes has yet to respond to speculation. in May 2020 after  two years of dating.


    The couple has since split and the Tesla CEO confirmed the split to Page Six in September 2021.

    We're half apart, but we still love each other, see each other often, and have a very good relationship, "said Musk.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3pAZnA0
    via IFTTT

    Omicron symptoms: how they differ from Delta, the flu and a cold, and how quickly they’ll show up

    0

     

    Omicron
    Image Credit:CIPhotos via Getty Images

    With the Omicron variant of Covid, it extends along the city and abroad, many people felt this week as the hope that their end of the pandemic had been plagued.

    Omicron symptoms can mimic the common cold


    Although experts say that the widely recognized COVID-19 symptoms, coughing, fever or taste of smell or taste are still indicators for a possible infection, the researchers have found that the symptoms of Omicron can also be similar to those of a cold similarities.

    The symptoms of the Delta variant were also compared to those of a cold, but some doctors said the cases of Omicron seen so far were particularly mild. A US study of around 750,000 people recently found that the five most common symptoms for both the Delta and Omicron variants currently are runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing, and sore throat.

    However, in many people, Omicron also causes atypical symptoms that were not seen with previous variants. In a popular TikTok video this weekend, people currently suffering from the Omicron variant weighed down on their unusual symptoms, including nausea, less back pain, muscle pain, and even eye pain.

    Omicron appears to be more contagious with symptoms that show up faster, but questions about severity remain

    While coughs, headaches, and fever manifest themselves after four to five days of infection with older COVID strains, the incubation time of Omicron can be even shorter. Data on the latest variant of COVID, first spotted in Botswana and South Africa in mid-November, is still limited, but a recent study in Norway suggests an average three-day window between exposure to the Omicron variant and symptoms, which means that Omicron could spread faster, reports Jessica Mathews of Fortune.

    Preliminary studies of the Omicron variant have shown that infections may be less severe than the Delta variant. However, it spreads faster. Last week, the World Health Organization announced that Omicron is spreading faster than any other strain before and that the variant is likely to be found in most countries, even if it has not yet been detected.

    An analysis published last week by South African researchers found that the risk of hospitalization among adults with COVID19 was 29% lower in people with the Omicron variant compared to the first wave of infections in 2020, the fastest increase since May last year . Another study from Imperial College London found that the infection in the Omicron cases analyzed was no less severe than in the Delta variant.

    Johnson and Johnson, Sputnik, and Sinopharm vaccines have also proven largely ineffective at protecting against Omicron, as studies have shown, and due to the large number of mutations in the variant, which health experts say can be significantly resistant to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as well.

    U.S. cities should expect a winter surge in cases


    Experts say COVID infections experience a "winter surge" even without Omicron. There are currently an average of 83,000 new cases of COVID in the US every day, even with 61% of the population being vaccinated. On Friday, the seven-day national average of new daily cases topped 197,000, a 65% increase over the past 14 days, the New York Times reported. Deaths also increased by 3% during this period. The highest national average of daily falls was set in January 2021 at 251,232 in the days after the holidays.

    Reasons for the increase in cases include people roaming the country as they did before the pandemic, spending more time indoors due to the cold outside temperatures, wearing fewer masks, and falling protection from vaccines and previous infections, Ali Mokdad,  professor of health sciences . from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, he told NPR. With more and more people wanting to return to life as they were before the pandemic and the new variant is extremely contagious and vaccine resistant, the risk of infection is very real.

    While Europe still battles the Delta variant, Omicron is spreading at a “ferocious pace”

    While Europe is still fighting the Delta variant, Omicron is spreading at a "rapid pace", European leaders are fighting to get the majority of their populations vaccinated and amplified as Omicron and COVID cases rise. of COVID19 cases with 121,371 infections in 24 hours. “[Omicron] is spreading at high speed and may be in danger of at least partially escaping our vaccines.

    We know that our health  systems are currently overloaded, "said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to reporters last week.

    Shortly before the holidays, Cornell University closed his campus after he discovered 900 positive Covid cases, after the Bloomberg.stanford University, also his decision to return to online classes in the first two weeks of his winter quarters, because of the concern of the Omicron

    Several major league sports have cut their seasons after the outbreaks, and many Broadway shows have closed, some even permanently. And companies continue to postpone their plans to return to the office indefinitely for fear of the new variant.
    It gets worse when we move into the dead of winter, "said Anthony Fauci, senior medical advisor to the president, last week for the University of California Chamber of Commerce Foundation, especially for the unvaccinated.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3JkMOAN
    via IFTTT

    Elon Musk criticised on Chinese social media over risk of 'collision' between Starlink satellites and space station

    0

     


    Elon Musk been criticized on social media after China complains that its space station was forced to avoid collisions with satellites launched by its Starlink Internet Services project.

    China submitted a document earlier this month to the UN's space agency saying that satellites from the Starlink division of Mr Musk's SpaceX  company had two "close encounters" with the Chinese space station on 1 July and 21 October

    The incidents behind the complaints filed with the UN space agency have yet to be independently verified.

    Starlink is a satellite Internet network owned by Elon Musk SpaceX.

    Elon Musk is known in China, even though his Tesla electric car manufacturer has a growing review of regulatory authorities.


    Starlink and the US have been heavily criticized on China's Weibo microblogging platform Twitter.

    As news of the filing spread, users of the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo piled on, with one user saying Starlink satellites were "just a heap of space junk" and another describing them as "American space warfare weapons".

    "The risks of Starlink are being gradually exposed, the whole human race will pay for their business activities."

    China also accused the United States to bring astronauts in danger by ignoring obligations under the spaces' contracts.

    The spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, Lijian, said that China requested the United States to act responsibly.

    Scientists have voiced worries about the dangers of collisions in space and referred to as on global governments to percentage statistics about the predicted 30,000 satellites and different area particles which can be orbiting Earth.

    SpaceX has already launched nearly 1,900 satellites as a part of the Starlink network, and plans to install thousands more.

    Last month, the US space agency Nasa abruptly postponed a space walk from the International Space Station due to concerns about space debris.



    from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3HhwrDb
    via IFTTT
     

    My Blog List