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takyon writes:

The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to impose sanctions on North Korea:

Diplomats said the resolution contained the most stringent measures yet to undermine the North's ability to raise money and secure technology and other resources for its nuclear weapons program. Much depends, however, on whether China — North Korea's leading trade partner and diplomatic shield — will enforce it.

Samantha Power, the American ambassador to the United Nations, called the resolution "comprehensive, robust and unyielding," and said enforcement must be as well.

The Council has sought to hobble North Korea's nuclear weapons program before, but the country has repeatedly flouted those measures. In January, it conducted its fourth nuclear test and launched a rocket in February, even as diplomats were negotiating the current resolution.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the sanctions and said that the Security Council "sent a clear message that the DPRK must return to full compliance with its international obligations."

Otto Frederick Warmbier, a 21-year-old American student, recently gave a confession on North Korean state television for trying to steal a propaganda banner from a Pyongyang hotel.

Also at NPR, Reuters.

Update: North Korea 'fires projectiles' into sea hours after UN vote

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butthurt writes:

In Slovenia, an olm (Proteus anguinus) in captivity in its native Postojna Cave has begun laying eggs. To prevent cannibalism of the eggs and young, other olms have been removed from the aquarium. The mother began laying eggs late in January and has laid about 50 to 60 so far. Because the eggs are transparent, the embryos can be observed as they develop.

Known since the 17th century, the olm lives underwater in caves in Europe. Its maximum lifespan has been estimated at over 100 years; it reproduces at intervals of 6 or 7 years.

• BBC News
• BBC News (with video)
• International Business Times
• Christian Science Monitor

Original Submission

maxwell demon writes:

Researchers have found that the moon's tidal forces affect rainfall on earth. From the EurekAlert article:

When the moon is high in the sky, it creates bulges in the planet's atmosphere that creates imperceptible changes in the amount of rain that falls below.

New University of Washington research to be published in Geophysical Research Letters shows that the lunar forces affect the amount of rain - though very slightly.

However the effect is not very strong:

The change is only about 1 percent of the total rainfall variation, though, so not enough to affect other aspects of the weather or for people to notice the difference.

The mechanism is explained as follows:

When the moon is overhead, its gravity causes Earth's atmosphere to bulge toward it, so the pressure or weight of the atmosphere on that side of the planet goes up. Higher pressure increases the temperature of air parcels below. Since warmer air can hold more moisture, the same air parcels are now farther from their moisture capacity.

"It's like the container becomes larger at higher pressure," Kohyama said. The relative humidity affects rain, he said, because "lower humidity is less favorable for precipitation."

Additional coverage is found at IFLScience.
The actual paper is Open Acess.

[Continues.]

takyon writes:

The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) is calling for the UK Department for Transport and Civil Aviation Authority to conduct research into the effects of drones colliding with passenger jets, following reports of 23 near-misses between April 11th and October 4, 2015 in the UK:

In one incident a drone passed within 25m (82ft) of a Boeing 777 near London Heathrow Airport. [...] The incident at Heathrow was one of 12 that were given an "A" rating by the independent board, meaning there was "a serious risk of collision". It is the most serious risk rating out of five.

Other incidents given the most serious rating include a drone coming within 20m (66ft) of a[n] Embraer 170 jet on its approach to London City Airport above the Houses of Parliament on 13 September. On the same day, a Boeing 737 had a near miss with a drone shortly after take-off from Stansted Airport in Essex. Regulations set by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) prohibits unmanned aircraft from flying within 50m (164ft) of any vessel, vehicle or structure that is not in the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.

[...] Many pilots think it's a matter of time before one actually strikes a plane, yet no-one has any real idea what would happen if it did. Balpa says it is possible a drone could smash the windscreen, showering the crew with glass, or even cause an uncontrolled engine fire which could bring down the aircraft. In 2009, an airliner lost both engines coming out of New York after it hit a flock of geese. It was only the skill of the pilot, gliding the aircraft down in an emergency landing on the Hudson River, that saved everyone's life. Balpa says a drone strike could be even worse, because they have powerful lithium batteries on board that could start an engine fire. It's now asking the government and the safety regulator to help pay for tests to see just how serious a drone strike might be.

BALPA Related: Laser Beam Incident Causes Redirection of Transatlantic Flight

[In before the pedants: yes, "near-miss" should be "near-hit', but that is what they used in their stories and I am running with it. -Ed.]

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takyon writes:

The U.S. federal government has announced its first ever "bug bounty" program, that will allow vetted hackers who have passed a background check to attack a non-critical Department of Defense system for potential rewards of money and recognition. From the press release:

Under the pilot program, the department will use commercial sector crowdsourcing to allow qualified participants to conduct vulnerability identification and analysis on the department's public webpages. The bug bounty program is modeled after similar competitions conducted by some of the nation's biggest companies to improve the security and delivery of networks, products, and digital services. The pilot marks the first in a series of programs designed to test and find vulnerabilities in the department's applications, websites, and networks.

Participants in the bug bounty will be required to register and submit to a background check prior to any involvement with the pilot program. Once vetted, these hackers will participate in a controlled, limited duration program that will allow them to identify vulnerabilities on a predetermined department system. Other networks, including the department's critical, mission-facing systems will not be part of the bug bounty pilot program. Participants in the competition could be eligible for monetary awards and other recognition.

This innovative project is a demonstration of Secretary Carter's continued commitment to drive the Pentagon to identify new ways to improve the department's security measures as our interests in cyberspace evolve. "I am always challenging our people to think outside the five-sided box that is the Pentagon," said Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. "Inviting responsible hackers to test our cybersecurity certainly meets that test. I am confident this innovative initiative will strengthen our digital defenses and ultimately enhance our national security."

[...] The pilot program will launch in April and the department will provide more details on requirements for participation and other ground rules in the coming weeks.

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legont writes:

I stumbled upon a very good article about highly controversial subject of whether guns protect or kill people here

The reason I find this one interesting is not because it makes an argument one way or another (it does), but because it demonstrates general issues with scientific and political truth (which is my pet subject) that will hopefully be discussed. Here is the conclusion:

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

For the ranking the team analyzed the data to arrive at five metrics with which they ranked cities with a population of more than 175,000 people. They considered: average commute time; the percentage difference between commute times of drivers and transit users; percentage of commuters who use public transit; total number of commuters who use public transit; and the difference between the citywide median income and the median income of transit users. (The last one seems a bit elitist to me, but SmartAsset notes that they used it to measure overall attractiveness and quality of the system. "In many cities where the public transit system is shoddy, only the city's poorer residents who can't afford a car are compelled to ride it.")

Here are the results:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. San Francisco, California
3. Boston, Massachusetts
4. Chicago, Illinois
5. New York, New York
6. Seattle, Washington
7. Jersey City, New Jersey
8. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
9. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10. Oakland, California

According to the last metric in the study mass transit is only considered "normal" (as in, everybody rich or poor rides it) in 5 of the 25 American cities ranked.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Scientists have discovered one of the oldest examples of a nervous system:

It might resemble a menacing shrimp, but scientists have discovered an immaculately preserved 520-million-year-old creature was also a bundle of nerves.

Unearthed in southern China, the fossils boast among the oldest and most extensive nervous systems ever preserved, researchers claim. Unlike bones and teeth which are commonly found in fossilised form, soft tissue - and in particular nerve tissue - is another matter. "Nerve tissue is extremely rare, and only very few specimens show traces of brains or nerve cords," says Dr Javier Ortega-Hernández, of the University of Cambridge, who co-authored the study.

The soft-bodied shrimp-like creature, snappily named Chengjiangocaris kunmingensis, lived around 520 million years ago during the early Cambrian epoch. But while the species - one of a group of animals known as fuxianhuiids - was first reported by Ortega-Hernández and his colleagues three years ago, it is its internal workings that are now captivating the researchers, a team that includes scientists from China, Germany and the UK. Based on five individual fossils the new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that C. kunmingensis had an intriguing nervous system. And as fuxianhuiids are the distant ancestors of modern arthropods - animals with jointed legs and segmented bodies including lobsters, spiders and millipedes - the study sheds new light on their evolution.

Extending along the length of the underside of the body of C. kunmingensis, the scientists discovered a nerve cord, which at intervals features clusters of nerve tissue - called ganglia - that would each have controlled a pair of its legs. "It looks like a string of dark beads," reveals Ortega-Hernández. The structure is also found in modern arthropods. However, the fossils also show that C. kunmingensis had a large number of nerve roots branching off from this nerve cord. "Although modern Arthropoda also have nerves, these are fewer in number," says Ortega-Hernández. "The only group where we find nearly as many nerves is in the velvet worms, which are cousins to the arthropods."

Also at Scientific American.

Fuxianhuiid ventral nerve cord and early nervous system evolution in Panarthropoda (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1522434113)

Original Submission

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

Common Dreams reports:

In a slick protest and righteous reminder that Volkswagen has yet to leave behind its Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal, British activist and comedian Simon Brodkin sabotaged a VW presentation at the Geneva Motor Show Tuesday. As marketing chief Juergen Stackmann sang the praises of their new electrically powered Up! models, Brodkin ambled [1] onto the stage in VW-branded overalls, wielding a wrench and prop [labeled] "cheat box", and began climbing under the car to "fix it". "It's okay, I have the new cheat box", he calmly explained to the bewildered Stackmann. "No one's going to find out about this one."

[...] As Stackmann tried to haul him out from under the car--"It doesn't need a repair, it's a perfect car"--Brodkin referenced VW's [lying, disgraced] CEO with, "Mr. Müller says it's okay as long as no one finds out."

[1] Content is behind scripts. archive.is clears up that nuisance.

Previously: Rogue Engineers and Vehicle Emissions
More SoylentNews stories about VW.

Original Submission

fritsd writes:

Excavations of several Neanderthal sites have found small rocks of Manganese Dioxide (the black stuff from inside Zinc batteries). It was assumed that these were used as pigments for painting.

But now, a multidisciplinary team of scientists from the universities of Leiden and Delft have discovered that the Neanderthals probably used the little blocks for a much more high-tech purpose: to make fire.

If you scrape off some of the MnO2 and sprinkle it on your kindling, it will start to burn at a much lower temperature!

Link: Neanderthals collected manganese dioxide to make fire

It's fascinating to imagine that this non-obvious technology, which is not in use at present by modern humans, was invented by our humanoid nephews 50,000 years ago.

Selection and Use of Manganese Dioxide by Neanderthals (DOI: 10.1038/srep22159)

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Apple's general counsel Bruce Sewell and FBI Director James Comey appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to explain their positions on a court order that would force Apple to unlock the iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters. Comey sang a different tune before Congress:

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey told a congressional panel on Tuesday that a court order forcing Apple Inc to give the FBI data from an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters would be "potentially precedential" in other cases where the agency might request similar cooperation from technology companies. The remarks are a slight change to Comey's statement last week that forcing Apple to unlock the phone was "unlikely to be a trailblazer" for setting a precedent for other cases. [...] Comey acknowledged on Tuesday that the FBI would seek to use the same statute it is trying to apply in the San Bernardino case to compel Apple to unlock other phones, "if (the statute) is available to us."

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee seized on Comey's statement that the case could set a legal precedent allowing the agency access to any encrypted device. "Given... that Congress has explicitly denied you that authority so far, can you appreciate our frustration that this case appears to be little more than an end run around this committee?" asked the committee's ranking minority member, Michigan Representative John Conyers. Comey responded that the FBI was not asking to expand the government's surveillance authority, but rather to maintain its ability to obtain electronic information under legal authorities that Congress has already provided.

Sewell argued that unlocking the iPhone would weaken the security of all of them, and that the issue should be settled by Congress:

"We can all agree this is not about access to just one iPhone," Sewell, Apple's general counsel, said in his prepared opening remarks. "The FBI is asking Apple to weaken the security of our products." Sewell also argued that the debate should be had by Congress and elected leaders, rather than a warrant requested under the All Writs Act, a 1789 law that is central to the cases in California and New York.

Sewell also said that Apple is capable of creating new software that removes some security functionality, that being forced to write code is a First Amendment issue, and that Apple hasn't gotten similar demands from China or any other country, but expects to if Apple is forced to comply with the court order.

Previously: New York Judge Sides with Apple Rather than FBI in Dispute over a Locked iPhone

Original Submission

takyon writes:

The European Space Agency's LISA Pathfinder (LPF) will begin testing gravitational wave detection in space, in preparation for a full observatory to be launched later:

The formal test programme has begun on the technologies required to detect gravitational waves in space. Europe's Lisa Pathfinder (LPF) probe is engaging in a series of experiments roughly 1.5 million km from Earth. The project has heightened interest, of course, because of the first sampling of the "cosmic ripples" made by ground-based detectors last September. A successful demo for LPF would pave the way for a fully operational orbiting observatory in the 2030s. This would likely be known simply as Lisa — the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.

"It's a wonderful time right now," said Paul McNamara, the European Space Agency's (Esa) project scientist on Lisa Pathfinder. "I've spent my entire career in this endeavour, and for years we were told — even ridiculed in some cases — that gravitational waves don't exist, or that we'd never find them. Well, now we have found them, and we're about to take the next big, big step towards building a mission that could detect them in space," he told BBC News.

The Earth-bound laser interferometers sited at the Advanced Ligo facilities in the US are sensitive to the gravitational waves generated in "smaller" cosmic events. Back in September, they observed the signal produced at the moment two black holes, each about 30 times the mass of our Sun, whirled around one another and merged. A space-based laser interferometer would chase much more massive targets - the monster black holes, millions of times the mass of our Sun, that coalesce when galaxies collide, for example.

Previously on SoylentNews:
Advanced Ligo Facilities Begin Search for Gravitational Waves
Gravitational Waves Detected From Black Hole Merger

Original Submission

takyon writes:

The State Department will reportedly attempt to remove software from the list of controlled technologies under the Wassenaar Arrangement:

Regular readers of this blog will likely be familiar with the Wassenaar Arrangement, a 41-nation agreement intended to regulate the export of certain "dual-use" technologies, such as guns and fissile material. In December 2013, the list of controlled technologies was amended to include surveillance systems for the first time and the participating countries have slowly been rolling out their implementations ever since. Today, news outlets in Washington DC are reporting that the State Department has finally agreed to try to renegotiate the language of the Wassenaar Arrangement to eliminate the 2013 changes.

Nowhere has the implementation of the Wassenaar Arrangement's new language been more problematic than in the United States. After the Commerce Department released its proposed implementation of the Wassenaar definitions for inclusion into U.S. law (an implementation that included dangerously vague language about regulating the export of software used to create exploits), all hell broke loose. Countless security companies, as well as EFF, pointed out that the proposed rule would have had dire and far-reaching consequences for the infosec industry.

The Register .

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

On 10 February, the Baltic Dry Index fell to the lowest level since its inception in 1985. The index reflects the cost of transporting solid, bulk (non-containerised) materials—such as ores, coal, or grain—by sea. It is considered a leading economic indicator. The decline is attributed to decreased demand for raw materials.

It reached its peak of 11,793 on 20 May 2008. The 10 February low was 290.

• New York Post
• Scrap Register
• TheStreet
• Orange County Register
• Reuters
• Seeking Alpha
• Business Insider UK

Related: UK Uses 33% Less Stuff Than in 2001

Original Submission

c0lo writes:

Wired writes on the just finished Wintergatan Marble Machine (Javascript required) — hear and watch it in action on YouTube:

The Wintergartan Marble Machine, built by Swedish musician Martin Molin and filmed by Hannes Knutsson, is a hand-made music box that powers a kick drum, bass, vibraphone and other instruments using a hand crank and 2,000 marbles.

The machine has to be seen to be appreciated: with dozens of beautifully carved wooden parts, tracks, pulleys and funnels for collecting and rerouting spent marbles, it's a true work of art. And though marble machines as an art form of their own have a long and complex history, this might be one of the best.
...
The machine itself is -- as intended -- programmable. Its central wheel is a 32 bar loop, and the key of the song can be adjusted while playing -- in the published video, it starts in E minor and runs into C major for its second wheel. "In theory you could go on forever," Molin said.

Original Submission