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takyon writes:

An executive from SpaceX's chief competitor, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), predicts that SpaceX won't conduct any more launches for the next 9 to 12 months, as it makes repairs and investigates the explosion of a Falcon 9 booster on Sept. 1:

"It typically takes nine to 12 months for people to return to flight. That's what the history is," Tory Bruno, chief executive of United Launch Alliance, told Reuters. [...] Bruno said the main issue after accidents involving space launches has "always been figuring out what went wrong on the rocket, being confident that you know ... how to fix it and then actually getting that fix in place." Repairing damage to the launch pad is usually not a significant issue, he said. "Historically, it had never been the pad that's taken the longest time," he said.

Bruno spoke with Reuters a few hours before ULA, a partnership of Lockheed-Martin and Boeing, was preparing to launch its 111th rocket, so far all successfully. An Atlas 5 rocket, carrying a NASA asteroid sample-return spacecraft, was poised for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida about 1.2 miles (2 km) away from the SpaceX launch site.[*]

Bruno said he called SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell shortly after the accident to extend sympathies and offer help. "It's a small community and issues especially around safety - but even mission success - kind of transcend the competitive piece of this," Bruno added.

ULA and SpaceX are rivals for private space missions and launches by U.S. government agencies. Musk's company in May broke ULA's monopoly on flying U.S. military and national security satellites, winning an $83 million Air Force contract to launch a Global Positioning System satellite in 2018. The two firms are expected to square off over a second satellite launch services bid, which closes on Sept. 19.

[*] See SoylentNews coverage: OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission - Launch Successful -Ed.

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Phoenix666 writes:

An estimated 541,000 people aged between 15 and 39 in Japan avoid social contact and shut themselves in their homes, according to a government survey released Wednesday [JS required].

The figure compares with the previous Cabinet Office survey in 2010 that found an estimated 696,000 such people — known as hikikomori — across the country. Despite the decline, the latest survey does not give an overall picture of the full extent of the phenomenon as it did not include those aged 40 or older.

But the survey does highlight a trend in which people who have withdrawn from society have done so for longer periods, as those who have shut themselves in their homes for at least seven years accounted for about 35 percent of the total.

It also showed the number of such recluses between the ages of 35 and 39 has doubled, according to the survey.

The article mentions there is a nonprofit formed to help hikikomori re-integrate with society. Wikipedia names NPO lila as one.

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Phoenix666 writes:

The ocean gliders, as they are called, resemble yellow-winged torpedoes. They were released into the ocean roughly 100 miles offshore at the continental shelf, where at depths of 100 to 300 feet they measured water temperatures, salinity and density before, during and even after the storm.

Traditional research aircraft that are flown into the eye of a hurricane to take measurements can't get a read on any of that.

"One reason hurricanes are so hard to forecast is that intensity depends on conditions ahead of and below the storm," said Glen Gawarkiewicz, an oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

The robotic gliders, which are remotely controlled from the shore, can delve into the heart of the storm where it's too dangerous or impractical to send people, and then feed real-time information via satellite to scientists safe on land.

It's easy to imagine the practice of underwater drones adding greatly to our knowledge of pollutants on the continental shelf and the health of fish stocks as well.

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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

The "most important Neolithic cup and ring marked rock art panel in Europe" is being unearthed for the first time in 50 years on the edge of a housing estate in Clydebank near Glasgow.

The Cochno Stone, dating back to 3000BC, and one of the best examples of Neolithic or Bronze Age cup and ring markings in Europe, is being fully excavated for the first time since it was buried in 1965 to protect it from vandalism.

The stone, which lies on land next to a housing estate near Faifley, in West Dunbartonshire, is regarded as one of the UK's most important, but also one of its most neglected, prehistoric sites.

The excavation will provide the opportunity to use cutting-edge 3-D imaging technology to make a detailed digital record of the site, which should shine more light on the stone's history, its purpose and the people who created the artwork around 5,000 years ago.

Dr Kenny Brophy, from the University of Glasgow who specialises in urban archaeology, is leading the excavation at the site next to Cochno Farm.

He said: "This is the biggest and I would argue one of the most important Neolithic art panels in Europe. The cup and ring marks are extensive but the site just happens to be in the middle of an urban housing scheme in Clydebank.

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MichaelDavidCrawford writes:

Two people - including a thirteen year old girl - died and one hundred twenty were sickened when the rebels in Aleppo were hit with a chlorine gas attack.

Chlorine was the first gas used during the first World War. That it is largely ineffective led to the development of such treats as Mustard Gas and Lewisite.

Doctors in Aleppo Tend to Scores of Victims in Gas Attack:

Rescuers and citizen journalists who went to the scene said by text message that there had been a strong smell of bleach.

One of the victims, a 13-year-old girl named Hajer Kyali, died Wednesday afternoon. She had been in intensive care since the attack, which doctors said they believed had struck her family's house directly, delivering a deadly dose of the gas.

Medical staff members described seeing people with symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, sneezing, irritation of the eyes, nausea and in some cases respiratory failure. Such symptoms are consistent with attacks involving chlorine, which can kill in high concentrations.

Syria promised to give up its war gas a while back but in my understanding has surrendered only a tiny portion of its stockpile.

However, chlorine gas is quite easy to make. Possibly it was used because the aggressors had no access to the more-effective gasses such as Mustard Gas and Sarin.

Additional Reporting:

• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37291182
• http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-aleppo-idUKKCN11C1S5

[This is by no means the first such attack. See here for Wikipedia info.]

[According to Wikipedia, earlier attacks did include Sarin. Chlorine is readily available from industrial sources]

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Phoenix666 writes:

An algorithm developed at Carnegie Mellon University makes it easier to determine if someone has faked an Amazon or Yelp review or if a politician with a suspiciously large number of Twitter followers might have bought and paid for that popularity.

The method, called FRAUDAR, marks the latest escalation in the cat-and-mouse game played by online fraudsters and the social media platforms that try to out them. In particular, the new algorithm makes it possible to see through camouflage that fraudsters use to make themselves look legitimate, said Christos Faloutsos, professor of machine learning and computer science.

In real-world experiments using Twitter data for 41.7 million users and 1.47 billion followers, FRAUDAR fingered more than 4,000 accounts not previously identified as fraudulent, including many that used known follower-buying services such as TweepMe and TweeterGetter.

Bad news for the nascent astroturfing industry.

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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Current U.S. policies on using drones for targeted killing are characterized by ambiguities in interpretations of international law and too many generalities, despite recent efforts by the Obama administration to clarify the policies, a new RAND Corporation report finds.

The report outlines an approach that would provide greater clarity, specificity and consistency in U.S. international legal policies involving the use of long-range armed drones in targeted killing.

"Policymakers in the United States and other countries need to define an overall approach to targeted killing using long-range armed drones that protects civilians and human rights, while also allowing reasonable latitude in the fight against terrorism," said Lynn Davis, the study's lead author and a senior fellow at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "Adopting such an approach would provide a basis for building public support at home and abroad for U.S. policies."

[...] According to the report, the Obama administration's reluctance to pursue international norms has created an environment where countries could employ long-range armed drones in ways that could harm U.S. interests by exacerbating regional tensions and violating human rights through the illegal use of drones to further the agendas of anti-American groups.

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Phoenix666 writes:

Imagine if playing a new video game or riding a rollercoaster could help you prepare for an exam or remember other critical information.

A new study in mice shows this link may be possible.

Attention-grabbing experiences trigger the release of memory-enhancing chemicals. Those chemicals can etch memories into the brain that occur just before or soon after the experience, regardless of whether they were related to the event, according to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center's Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.

The findings, published in Nature, hold intriguing implications for methods of learning in classrooms as well as an array of potential uses in the workplace and personal life, researchers said.

The trick to creating long-lasting memories is to find something interesting enough to activate the release of dopamine from the brain's locus coeruleus (LC) region.

The authors of the study suggest that the critical dopamine release that aids retention could be triggered by behavioral changes or pharmacologically via agents like amphetamines.

An abstract, Locus coeruleus and dopaminergic consolidation of everyday memory is available.

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takyon writes:

Yosemite National Park is expanding:

Yosemite National Park in California is to gain a 400-acre addition, its largest expansion in nearly 70 years. Ackerson Meadow features wetlands and rolling hills that are home to endangered wildlife, park officials quoted by AP news agency said. The land, on Yosemite's western boundary, was bought for the park by conservation group the Trust for Public Land for $2.3m (£1.7m).

Yosemite National Park covers about 1,200 sq miles of mountainous scenery. It attracts millions of visitors every year and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2015. The new addition, which was traditionally used for logging and grazing cattle, will be preserved as habitat for wildlife including the endangered great grey owl, the largest owl in North America, the officials said.

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Phoenix666 writes:

The Raspberry Pi has sold 10 million units - continuing its success as the most popular British computer ever.

The computer, about the same size as a credit card, was first released in 2012 and is widely used as an educational tool for programming.

However, it can also be used for many practical purposes such as streaming music to several devices in a house.

A new starter kit for Raspberry Pi, including a keyboard and mouse, has been released to celebrate the success.

The kit also includes an SD storage card, official case, power supply, HDMI cable, mouse, keyboard and guidebook - it costs £99 plus VAT and will be available in the coming weeks.

Congratulations and thanks to Eben Upton and the Raspberry Pi Foundation for getting a whole new generation of kids interested in computing and reigniting passion for technology among old curmudgeonly techies.

Also reported here.

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HughPickens.com writes:

Nami LaChance writes at The Intercept that a google-incubated program that targets potential ISIS members with deradicalizing content will soon be used to target violent right-wing extremists in North America. Using research and targeted advertising, the initiative by London-based startup Moonshot CVE and Google's Jigsaw technology incubator targets potentially violent Jihadis and directs them to a YouTube channel with videos that refute ISIS propaganda. In the pilot program countering ISIS, the so-called Redirect Method collected the metadata of 320,000 individuals over the course of eight weeks, using 1,700 keywords, and served them advertisements that led them to the videos.

"I think this is an extremely promising method," says Richard Stengel, U.S. Undersecretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs. In the ISIS pilot program, the YouTube channel pulls preexisting videos that, according to Yasmin Green, the head of research and development for Jigsaw, "refute ISIS's messaging." One video is from a woman who secretly filmed her life in ISIS-controlled Raqqa. Another shows young people in Mosul, their faces obscured by keffiyehs for their protection, talking about life under the Islamic State. "The branding philosophy for the entire pilot project was not to appear judgmental or be moralistic, but really to pique interest of individuals who have questions, questions that are being raised and answered by the Islamic State."

Ross Frenett, co-founder of Moonshot, says his company and Jigsaw are now working with funding from private groups to target other violent extremists, including the hard right in America. "Our efforts during phase two, when we're going to focus on the violent far right in America, will be very much focused on the small element of those that are violent. The interesting thing about how they behave is they're a little bit more brazen online these days than ISIS fan boys," says Frenett.

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Phoenix666 writes:

All life (as we know it) depends on carbon. But most models of Earth's formation can't explain how the crust has enough carbon to support life. So where did it all come from?

A colossal smashup with a Mercury-like protoplanet some 4.4 billion years ago, suggest researchers from Rice University and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in a new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Most scientists agree that about 4.5 billion years ago, Earth was covered with hot magma, and as it cooled, most of the heavier metals near the surface sank deep into the planet. Iron alloys bonded with carbon and sulfur, pulling both into the Earth's core, and any remaining carbon would have vaporized into space from the extreme heat, argue the scientists. The only way to keep carbon and sulfur near the surface is to bring some from a planet that formed differently, they say.

A different story reported last week that scientists have identified fossilized stromatolites that date to 3.7 billion years ago, or 700 million years after the worst day ever for the young Earth.

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AnonTechie writes:

The Indian Space Research Organisation's GSLV-F05 rocket successfully placed INSAT-3DR advanced weather satellite in the intended orbit on Thursday evening. The satellite is expected to provide a variety of meteorological services to the country.

The event is the first time an indigenous cryogenic engine was used on an operational GSLV [Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle] flight.

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/live-updates-isros-gslvf05-launch/article9085403.ece

Video: Launch of GSLV FO5 INSAT-3DR

Also Covered By: Four Reasons You Should Pay Attention to ISRO's GSLV Launch Today

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takyon writes:

North Korea may have just conducted a fifth nuclear test:

A seismic event in North Korea on Friday morning measured by the U.S. Geological Survey with a magnitude of 5.3 appeared to be a nuclear test, South Korea's meteorological agency said. The seismic event was detected near North Korea's known nuclear test site, where it detonated its fourth nuclear device in January.

USGS: M5.3 Explosion - 15km ENE of Sungjibaegam, North Korea

Bloomberg also has coverage Shallow Earthquake Detected Near North Korea Nuclear Site which goes into some analysis on the political impact of the test.

Separately, Vanity Fair notes None of your snark, please:

The Independent reports that North Korean party officials held several mass meetings across the country in an attempt to warn citizens that criticizing the state via indirect, ironic statements such as "This is all America's fault" would be illegal and "unacceptable." And the consequences for disobeying are particularly unfunny: according to the nonprofit group Liberty in North Korea, any criticism of the government—including, apparently, the North Korean version of "Thanks, Obama"—"is enough to make you and your family 'disappear' from society and end up in a political prison camp."

Even common idioms are not safe from the sarcasm crackdown: Radio Free Asia reported that, during one of the meetings, the party banned the common expression "a fool who cannot see the outside world," which the regime believes constitutes criticism of Kim's refusal to attend international celebrations marking the end of World War II. (Even party officials within the hyper-authoritarian state were reportedly "shocked" by Kim's decision.)

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takyon writes:

A new protein analysis technique could prove complementary to DNA profiling:

U.S. Energy Department scientists say a new method of analyzing genetic mutations in proteins in human hair could lead to the first forensic technique other than DNA profiling that could reliably match biological evidence to a single person with scientific precision. In results published [open, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160653] [DX] Wednesday, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California said their early study — using hairs recovered from 76 living people and six sets of skeletal remains from London dating to the 1750s — shows the promise of hair "proteomics," or the study of proteins that genes produce.

"We are in a very similar place with protein-based identification to where DNA profiling was during the early days of its development," said Brad Hart, director of the national laboratory's Forensic Science Center and co-author of the study with lead researcher Glendon Parker. "This method will be a game-changer for forensics," Hart said, while cautioning that many steps remain before it is validated. If borne out, independent experts said, hair protein analysis could address concerns about the reliability of visual comparisons of hair strands, a technique whose subjectivity has opened it to criticism that experts' claims were frequently being overstated.

Protein analysis also could produce a valuable way to corroborate existing, cutting-edge DNA testing that draws on tiny traces or mixtures of genetic material from different people. DNA mixtures can be found in samples as small as a handful of skin cells invisible to the eye. But the interpretation of results has become more complex and controversial even as trace or low-copy DNA testing becomes one of the fastest growing areas of crime lab work.

Also at Scientific American, New Scientist, and PLOS Research News.

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