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Freeman writes:

Russia offers its untested COVID-19 vaccine for free to UN officials:

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered UN staff free doses of the country's COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V[*], which has not completed clinical trials for efficacy and has not been thoroughly vetted for safety.

Still, Putin suggested that his offer was prompted by the desire to give the people what they want: "Some colleagues from the UN have asked about this, and we will not remain indifferent to them," he said during a speech Tuesday at this year's (virtual) General Assembly.

Putin made headlines last month after announcing that Russia has granted regulatory approval for the (limited) use of Sputnik V, the first country in the world to do so. He even boasted that one of his daughters had received her first dose of the vaccine.

But public health experts were quickly skeptical of the move, seeing it as merely a political stunt to give the appearance that Russia was "winning" the race to develop a vaccine against the pandemic coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. At the time, the vaccine had only been tested in two small clinical trials, involving just 76 people total—and the data from those small trials had not yet been released.

[...] Sputnik V has now moved into larger trials with tens of thousands of people. These will test whether the vaccine is safe in a larger number of people and actually protects against infection from SARS-CoV-2. But any clear results are months away.

Sputnik (n.):

"artificial satellite," extended from the name of the one launched by the Soviet Union Oct. 4, 1957, from Russian sputnik "satellite," literally "traveling companion" (in this use short for sputnik zemlyi, "traveling companion of the Earth")

Previously:
(2020-08-04) Russia Preparing Mass Vaccination Against Coronavirus for October

Original Submission

Freeman writes:

Nikola stock plunges 26% after fraud claims complicate hydrogen plans:

Shares of hydrogen truck startup Nikola plunged 26 percent on Wednesday after The Wall Street Journal reported that the company was struggling to find partners to build a planned network of hydrogen fueling stations. Nikola's stock closed at $21.15 on Wednesday, a decline of 57 percent from the $50 peak reached on September 8

[...] Nikola now concedes that the truck never worked and that a promotional video of the truck was made by rolling it down a hill.

Nikola argued that this was old news because Nikola is no longer marketing the Nikola One and has a working prototype of the Nikola Two. But the revelations threw the company into chaos and forced Milton to resign on Sunday.

Previously:
New Report Claims Widespread Deception by Nikola Motor and Founder Trevor Milton
Nikola Motors Opening Reservations for Badger Electric Pickup Truck on June 27
Nikola Semi Startup Shines on Wall Street With $34BN Valuation

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takyon writes:

Intel Launches 10nm Atom Embedded CPUs: Elkhart Lake Now Available

The embedded and edge markets for Intel have always been hidden away within its IoT business, however at the Investor Meeting last year it was highlighted as one of Intel's key growth areas. The requirements for businesses to enable automation and control, as well as apply machine learning or computer vision, have increased as new optimized algorithms and use cases enter the market, and this is the question that the new 10nm Atom Embedded CPUs are set to answer.

The new processors built with Tremont Atom cores will come as three series of processors: Pentium, Celeron, and Atom x6000E. These are all built with the same silicon die, offering up to four Atom cores with a 3.0 GHz turbo frequency, up to 850 MHz of Gen11 graphics (up to 32 EUs, three 4K60 displays), in TDPs ranging from 4.5 W to 12 W. All processors will support up to LPDDR4X-4267 or DDR4-3200. In-band ECC support is split - the Atom x6000E parts have it, but the Pentium and Celerons do not.

Some of the lineup will include a single ARM Cortex-M7 companion core:

According to Intel, the Atom x6000E family is its first product line to specifically target Internet of Things applications. This is not entirely true, considering that Atom SoCs such as Bay Trail E3800 and Apollo Lake E3900 have targeted IoT duty since the IoT term was invented. IoT was also the main focus of Intel's discontinued line of super low-power Quark processors.

Nevertheless, Intel has added a host of embedded-focused features starting with an Intel Programmable Services Engine (Intel PSE) built around a real-time Arm Cortex-M7 companion core. Intel PSE hosts new functions like remote, network proxy, embedded controller, and sensor hub. The Cortex-M7 is designed to run the open source, Intel-derived Zephyr RTOS.

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Phoenix666 writes:

Ancient Persians were making "20th-century" chromium steel 900 years ago:

One manuscript in particular grabbed their attention. Titled al-Jamahir fi Marifah al-Jawahir, which translates to "A Compendium to Know the Gems", the manuscript was written in the 10th or 11th century CE by the polymath Abu-Rayhan Biruni. Crucially, it contained the only known recipe for forging steel in high-temperature crucibles. The problem is, it can be difficult to follow a thousand-year-old recipe.

"The process of identification can be quite long and complicated and this is for several reasons," says Marcos Martinon-Torres, last author of the study. "Firstly, the language and the terms used to record technological processes or materials may not be used anymore, or their meaning and attribution may be different from those used in the modern science. Additionally, writing was restricted to social elites, rather than the individual that actually carried out the craft, which may have led to errors or omissions in the text."

One ingredient, referred to as "rusakhtaj," puzzled the archaeologists. Eventually they identified it as the ore mineral chromite, which can be used to make chromium crucible steel. Importantly, this was backed up by the discovery of traces of chromite and chromium in artifacts from the Chahak site.

Mixing chromium into steel to make tool steel or stainless steel was thought to be a 19th-20th century invention.

Journal Reference:
Rahil Alipour, Thilo Rehren, Marcos Martinón-Torres. Chromium crucible steel was first made in Persia, Journal of Archaeological Science (DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2020.105224)

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takyon writes:

Arm Announces Neoverse V1 & N2 Infrastructure CPUs: +50% IPC, SVE Server Cores

Amazon's Graviton2 64-core Neoverse N1 server chip is the first of what should become a wider range of designs that will be driving the Arm server ecosystem forward and actively assaulting the infrastructure CPU market share that's currently dominated by the x86 players such as Intel and AMD.

[...] Today, we're ready to take the next step towards the next generation of the Neoverse platform, not only revealing the CPU microarchitecture previously known as Zeus, but a whole new product category that goes beyond the Neoverse N-series: Introducing the new Neoverse V-series and the Neoverse V1 (Zeus), as well as a new roadmap insertion in the form of the Neoverse N2 (Perseus).

[...] In terms of generational performance uplift, it's akin to Arm throwing down the gauntlet to the competition, achieving a ground-breaking +50[sic, % obvs] IPC boost compared to Neoverse N1 that we're seeing in silicon today. The performance uplift potential here is tremendous, as this is merely a same-process ISO-frequency upgrade, and actual products based on the V1 will also in all likelihood also see additional performance gains thanks to increased frequencies through process node advancements.

If we take the conservatively clocked Graviton2 with its 2.5GHz N1 cores as a baseline, a theoretical 3GHz V1 chip would represent an 80% uplift in per-core single-threaded performance. Not only would such a performance uptick vastly exceed any current x86 competition in the server space in terms of per-core performance, it would be enough to match the current best high-performance desktop chips from AMD and Intel today (Though we have to remember it'll compete against next-gen Zen3 Milan and Sapphire Rapids products).

[...] Alongside the Neoverse V1 platform, we've seen a roadmap insertion that previously wasn't there. The Perseus design will become the Neoverse N2, and will be the effective product-positioning successor to the N1. This new CPU IP represents a 40% IPC uplift compared to the N1, however still maintains the same design philosophy of maximising performance within the lowest power and smallest area.

Neoverse V1 is basically the server-oriented equivalent of the Cortex-X1 core, where performance is prioritized at the cost of less power efficiency and a greater die area (more cache, etc.). Neoverse N2 is more like (an unannounced successor of) Cortex-A78.

Also at TechPowerUp.

Related: Amazon Announces 64-core Graviton2 Arm CPU

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

New Atlas:

The MoonRanger project is being led by William "Red" Whittaker, director of the CMU's Field Robotics Center. This is the third lunar research mission awarded to Whittaker by NASA since June of this year.

The new rover will be about the size of a suitcase and weigh roughly 24 lb (11 kg), though it will be very fast as rovers go and enjoy a high degree of autonomy as it makes detailed 3D maps of the lunar terrain. Because the MoonRanger is too small to send radio signals directly to Earth it will gather data independently and then upload it to the Astrobotic lander, which will deliver the rover to the surface. The lander will then relay the data to mission control.

Water they hoping to find?

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for SoyCow7497:

James Bond Villain Michael Lonsdale Dead At 89:

British-French actor Michael Lonsdale, best known for playing Hugo Drax in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker, has died in Paris aged 89, his agent has told AFP.

Lonsdale was also known in the English-speaking world as detective Claude Lebel [in] 1973's spy thriller The Day of the Jackal and as. M. in 1993's The Remains of the Day. In 1986 he starred opposite Sean Connery in the medieval drama The Name of the Rose.

He also appeared in Steven Spielberg's 2005 historical drama Munich, alongside future James Bond star Daniel Craig, and in 1998's action thriller Ronin.

[...] Lonsdale was born in Paris to English and Irish-French parents, and initially raised in Guernsey, then later in Casablanca, Morocco. He later returned to live in Paris, making his stage debut aged 24. He made his film debut in 1956.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for guy_:

California bans new internal combustion engines, starting in 2035:

On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order requiring that all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state from 2035 be zero-emissions vehicles. Additionally, all drayage trucks—the ones that move containers around at places like the Port of Los Angeles—must also go emissions free by this date, as well as off-road vehicles and equipment. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles get an extra decade to comply, but by 2045 these too must ditch internal combustion engines.

Although this is the first such ICE ban in the United States, Governor Newsom is following in the footsteps of policymakers in Europe, China, and elsewhere. In 2016, Paris, Madrid, Athens, and Mexico City announced bans on new diesel vehicles from 2025. The same year, Germany's Bundesrat voted to outlaw new ICE vehicles from 2030, although this was not a binding resolution.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for RandomFactor:

DOJ unveils Trump administration's legislation to reform tech's legal liability shield:

The Department of Justice proposed legislation Wednesday to reform a key legal liability shield for the tech industry known as Section 230.

The draft legislation focuses on two areas of reform. First, it aims to narrow the criteria online platforms must meet to earn the liability protections granted by Section 230. Second, it would carve out the statute's immunity for certain cases, like offenses involving child sexual abuse.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects online platforms from liability for their users' posts, but it also allows them to moderate and remove harmful content without being penalized.

The statute's protections helped tech platforms grow from the early days of the internet but have come under scrutiny in recent years as lawmakers and regulators more broadly question the tech industry's power.

Several lawmakers have proposed reforms to Section 230 in recent months, and President Donald Trump signed an executive order in May targeting the law, claiming to crack down on alleged "censorship" by tech platforms. Trump introduced the order shortly after Twitter slapped fact-check labels on his tweets for the first time.

Representatives from Twitter, Google and Facebook were not immediately available to comment about the DOJ's proposal, which would need to be passed by Congress.

[...] The DOJ's proposal specifically states that nothing in the statute should prevent enforcement under other types of laws, including antitrust laws. Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have all faced antitrust scrutiny from lawmakers and enforcers. Outlets including The New York Times have reported that the DOJ is preparing an antitrust case against Google that could come as soon as this month.

"Online censorship goes far beyond the issue of free speech, it's also one of protecting consumers and ensuring they are informed of their rights and resources to fight back under the law," White House spokesperson Judd Deere said in a statement Tuesday. "State attorneys general are on the front lines of this issue and President Trump wants to hear their perspectives."

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for nutherguy:

Mozilla needs your help to expose YouTube's recommendation algorithm:

YouTube's recommendation algorithm drives more than 70% of the videos we watch on the site. But its suggestions have attracted criticism from across the spectrum.

A developer who's worked on the system said last year that it's "toxic" and pushes users towards conspiracy videos, but a recent study found it favors mainstream media channels and actively discourages viewers from watching radical content.

Mine, of course, suggests videos on charitable causes, doctoral degrees, and ethical investment opportunities. But other users receive less noble recommendations.

If you're one of them, a new browser extension from Mozilla could offer you some insights into the horrors lurking "Up next."

[...] After installing the RegretsReporter and playing a YouTube video, you can click the frowning face icon in your browser to report the video, the recommendations that led you to it, and any extra details on “your regret.” Mozilla researchers will then search for patterns that led to the recommendations.

[...] Alternatively, if you'd prefer to block the toxic temptations served up the algorithm, you can use another Chrome extension called Nudge to remove YouTube recommendations.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for nutherguy:

YouTube: Copyright Lawsuit Plaintiff Uploaded Own Movies Then Claimed Mass Infringement * TorrentFreak:

Early July, Grammy award-winning musician Maria Schneider teamed up with Virgin Islands-based Pirate Monitor Ltd in a class action lawsuit targeting YouTube.

Filed in a California court, the complaint centered on YouTube's alleged copyright failures, including the company's refusal to allow "ordinary creators" to have access to its copyright management tools known as Content ID.

[...] Schneider informed the court that a number of her songs had been posted to YouTube without her permission, noting that she had twice been refused access to Content ID and the "automatic and preemptive blocking" mechanisms that are available to larger rightsholders.

For its part, Pirate Monitor Ltd claimed that its content, including the movie Immigrants – Jóska menni Amerika, was illegally uploaded to YouTube hundreds of times. The company said that while YouTube responded to takedown notices, they often took too long to process. Access to YouTube's Content ID system was denied, Pirate Monitor added.

YouTube Responds to Complaint, Files Counterclaims

DannyB writes:

Now for some amazing fantastical news that we've all been anxiously waiting for . . .

PSA: Microsoft Edge comes to Linux next month

Microsoft has increasingly embraced Linux over the past few years, going so far as to make it easy to run a proper Linux terminal and applications in Windows 10. Now Microsoft is extending another olive branch to the Linux community by offering its new Chromium-powered version of the Edge browser on the OS.

Starting next month, Microsoft will make Edge available on Linux as a developer preview build. Users will be able to download it right from the Edge Insider's site or pick it up from Linux's package manager.

Given Chromium's existing popularity, Edge should, for the most part, work just the same on Linux as on other platforms.

Yes, for the most part, it works the same. Linux users can now rejoice that they will have a Chromium based browser that has the stability, security, robustness, and quality that we've all come to expect from the Microsoft name! Way to go Microsoft!

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

179 arrested in 'Operation DisrupTor' dark web drug takedown:

A massive international law enforcement operation has led to the arrests of 179 dark web drug traffickers who sold opioids and other illicit goods and services across Europe and the US. The investigators part of JCODE, an FBI-led multi—agency Department of Justice initiative, worked with Europol over a period of nine months under the project called Operation DisrupTor.

They started their investigation after authorities took down Wall Street Market in May 2019, leading to the downfall of one of the biggest marketplaces for drugs and counterfeits on the dark web. Wall Street Market served more than 1.15 million customers. According to the Justice Department, law enforcement agencies obtained the intelligence they needed to identify dark web drug traffickers from the Wall Street Market operation. That set off a series of "complementary, but separate" investigations.

Of the 179 arrests, 121 were made in the US, 42 in Germany, eight in the Netherlands, four in the UK, three in Austria and one in Sweden. The DOJ expects more to follow as investigators work on ongoing cases to identify more online drug traffickers. In addition, authorities were also able to seize over $6.5 million in cash and virtual currencies, 63 firearms and 500 kilograms of drugs worldwide. A total of 274 kilos of fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, MDMA and medicine containing addictive substances were seized in the US.

Operation DisrupTor

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

A tip from a kid helps detect iOS and Android scam apps' 2.4 million downloads:

Researchers said that a tip from a child led them to discover aggressive adware and exorbitant prices lurking in iOS and Android smartphone apps with a combined 2.4 million downloads from the App Store and Google Play.

Posing as apps for entertainment, wallpaper images, or music downloads, some of the titles served intrusive ads even when an app wasn't active. To prevent users from uninstalling them, the apps hid their icon, making it hard to identify where the ads were coming from. Other apps charged from $2 to $10 and generated revenue of more than $500,000, according to estimates from SensorTower, a smartphone-app intelligence service.

The apps came to light after a girl found a profile on TikTok that was promoting what appeared to be an abusive app and reported it to Be Safe Online, a project in the Czech Republic that educates children about online safety. Acting on the tip, researchers from security firm Avast found 11 apps, for devices running both iOS and Android, that were engaged in similar scams.

Many of the apps were promoted by one of three TikTok users, one of whom had more than 300,000 followers. A user on Instagram was also promoting the apps.

"We thank the young girl who reported the TikTok profile to us," Avast threat analyst Jakub Vávra, said in a statement. "Her awareness and responsible action is the kind of commitment we should all show to make the cyberworld a safer place."

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

Researchers identify new type of superconductor:

Until now, the history of superconducting materials has been a tale of two types: s-wave and d-wave.

Now, Cornell researchers—led by Brad Ramshaw, the Dick & Dale Reis Johnson Assistant Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences—have discovered a possible third type: g-wave.

[...] Physicists have theorized the existence of a third type of superconductor between these two so-called "singlet" states: a p-wave superconductor, with one quanta of angular momentum and the electrons pairing with parallel rather than antiparallel spins. This spin-triplet superconductor would be a major breakthrough for quantum computing because it can be used to create Majorana fermions, a unique particle which is its own antiparticle.

For more than 20 years, one of the leading candidates for a p-wave superconductor has been strontium ruthenate (Sr2RuO4), although recent research has started to poke holes in the idea.

Ramshaw and his team set out to determine once and for all whether strontium ruthenate is a highly desired p-wave superconductor. Using high-resolution resonant ultrasound spectroscopy, they discovered that the material is potentially an entirely new kind of superconductor altogether: g-wave.

"This experiment really shows the possibility of this new type of superconductor that we had never thought about before," Ramshaw said. "It really opens up the space of possibilities for what a superconductor can be and how it can manifest itself.