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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Your body now has an extra organ. Researchers have classified a brand-new organ inside our bodies, one that's been hiding in plain sight in our digestive system this whole time.

Although we now know about the structure of this new organ, its function is still poorly understood, and studying it could be the key to better understanding and treatment of abdominal and digestive disease. Known as the mesentery, the new organ is found in our digestive systems, and was long thought to be made up of fragmented, separate structures. But recent research has shown that it's actually one, continuous organ.

The evidence for the organ's reclassification is now published in  The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

"In the paper, which has been peer reviewed and assessed, we are now saying we have an organ in the body which hasn't been acknowledged as such to date," said J Calvin Coffey, a researcher from the University Hospital Limerick in Ireland, who first discovered that the mesentery was an organ.

"The anatomic description that had been laid down over 100 years of anatomy was incorrect. This organ is far from fragmented and complex. It is simply one continuous structure."

Thanks to the new research, as of last year, medical students started being taught that the mesentery is a distinct organ.

The world's best-known series of medical textbooks,  Gray's Anatomy , has even been updated to include the new definition.

So what is the mesentery? It's a double fold of peritoneum - the lining of the abdominal cavity - that attaches our intestine to the wall of our abdomen, and keeps everything locked in place.

[...] Over the past four years, [researchers] gathered further evidence that the mesentery should actually be classified as its own distinct organ, and the latest paper makes it official. And while that doesn't change the structure that's been inside our bodies all along, with the reclassification comes a whole new field of medical science that could improve our health outcomes.

[...] It just goes to show that no matter how advanced science becomes, there's always more to learn and discover, even within our own bodies.

The research has been published in  The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Germany finds itself in a dilemma. After WW2, laws were put in place to ensure that the Federal Government could never again subvert the security apparatus to create something similar to that which enabled the Nazis to seize power. A quite laudable aim, at least at the time. As a result the German States, of which there are currently 16, are each responsible for their own security and intelligence organizations. The Federal Security organization has only limited responsibility for the security at such places as borders and railway station etc.

In a speech reported here the Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere has suggested that this split of responsibilities needs to be rethought to enable acts of terrorism which are targeting at the country rather than the individual states to be effectively combated:

De Maiziere examines national as well as European security structures in the article, and concludes: reforms are "required." The core of his analysis calls for expanded federal responsibilities, which will demand that states relinquish some of theirs. Formulations such as "centrally operative crisis management" or "control competence over all security agencies" appear throughout the article.

However, the recent terror attack, the most serious in Germany in over 35 years, did not prompt de Maiziere's considerations, it simply gave him a reason to group them together into a kind of list of demands. The interior minister writes that he himself had proposed most of the changes "prior to the attack." The demands affect all authorities and areas of government concerned with defense against the threat of terror: Namely, the police and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence agency - but also, as the minister sees it, the army. The international scope of the problem, he says, touches on the need to secure Europe's external borders, as well as the global dimensions of the right to asylum.

This suggestion has not gone down well, particularly with those who were living in fear of a state controlled secret intelligence organisation (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, MfS), commonly known as the Stasi) until relatively recently.

[Continues...]

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

It took a year from proof of concept to in-the-wild attack, but ransomware for Android-based smart TVs is now here. As one victim discovered this Christmas, figuring out how to clean such an infection can be quite difficult.

Ransomware for Android phones has already been around for several years and security experts have warned in the past that it's only a matter of time until such malicious programs start affecting smart TVs, especially since some of them also run Android.

[...] Kansas-based software developer Darren Cauthon reported on Twitter on Dec. 25 that a family member accidentally infected his Android-based TV with ransomware after downloading a movie-watching app. The picture shared by Cauthon showed the TV screen with an FBI-themed ransom message.

[...] Eventually LG provided Cauthon with a solution that involved pressing and releasing two physical buttons on the TV in a particular order. This booted the TV, which runs the now defunct Android-based Google TV platform, into a recovery mode.

The Register also has additional details on the recovery method:

With the TV powered off, place one finger on the settings symbol then another finger on the channel down symbol. Remove finger from settings, then from channel down, and navigate using volume keys to the wipe data/ factory reset option. ®

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

It all started with shipping containers. Brandi DeCarli and Scott Thompson were working in Kisumu, Kenya on a youth center meant to provide basic resources like education, health and sport. It was to be built from shipping containers, set around a soccer field, but after some transparency issues with that nonprofit, DeCarli and Thompson decided they needed to follow a different idea, based on a company within their control. In the process, they'd noticed that access to food was still an issue, with a lack of the infrastructure needed for reliable crop production, especially in drought conditions.

"There's a bit of a missing infrastructure that occurs in a lot of underdeveloped areas, and even here within the U.S," says DeCarli. "So we thought, let's provide communities with the tools they need to be able to grow and sustain their own crop so that the resilience is actually built up from the ground itself."

Business partners who have worked in international development and nonprofits, they stuffed a whole two-acre farm capable of feeding 150 people into a shipping container, partnered with irrigation and solar companies, and founded Farm From a Box. I sat down with DeCarli in San Francisco, where the for-profit benefit corporation is based, to hear about the $50,000 kit, what makes it special, and how it could be useful to governments, NGOs, schools, and even individuals who want to start a farm.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

The notion of using solar cells placed under the skin to continuously recharge implanted electronic medical devices is a viable one. Swiss researchers have done the math, and found that a 3.6 square centimeter solar cell is all that is needed to generate enough power during winter and summer to power a typical pacemaker. The study is the first to provide real-life data about the potential of using solar cells to power devices such as pacemakers and deep brain stimulators. According to lead author Lukas Bereuter of Bern University Hospital and the University of Bern in Switzerland, wearing power-generating solar cells under the skin will one day save patients the discomfort of having to continuously undergo procedures to change the batteries of such life-saving devices. The findings are set out in Springer's journal Annals of Biomedical Engineering.

Most electronic implants are currently battery powered, and their size is governed by the battery volume required for an extended lifespan. When the power in such batteries runs out, these must either be recharged or changed. In most cases this means that patients have to undergo implant replacement procedures, which is not only costly and stressful but also holds the risk of medical complications. Having to use primary batteries also influences the size of a device.

[...] To investigate the real-life feasibility of such rechargeable energy generators, Bereuter and his colleagues developed specially designed solar measurement devices that can measure the output power being generated. The cells were only 3.6 square centimeters in size, making them small enough to be implanted if needed. For the test, each of the ten devices was covered by optical filters to simulate how properties of the skin would influence how well the sun penetrates the skin. These were worn on the arm of 32 volunteers in Switzerland for one week during summer, autumn and winter.

No matter what season, the tiny cells were always found to generate much more than the 5 to 10 microwatts of power that a typical cardiac pacemaker uses. The participant with the lowest power output still obtained 12 microwatts on average.

Journal Reference:
L. Bereuter, S. Williner, F. Pianezzi, B. Bissig, S. Buecheler, J. Burger, R. Vogel, A. Zurbuchen, A. Haeberlin. Energy Harvesting by Subcutaneous Solar Cells: A Long-Term Study on Achievable Energy Output. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 2017; DOI: 10.1007/s10439-016-1774-4

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

The mathematician Leo Moser posed in 1966 the following curious mathematical problem: what is the shape of largest area in the plane that can be moved around a right-angled corner in a two-dimensional hallway of width 1? This question became known as the moving sofa problem, and is still unsolved fifty years after it was first asked.

To understand what makes this question tricky, let's think what kind of "sofa" shapes we can construct that can move around a corner. How about a unit square?

Well, a unit square only has area 1; surely we can do better? For example, a semicircle with radius 1 is another simple example that works.

The semicircular sofa has a larger area than the square one, ᴨ/2 (approximately 1.57). It is also more interesting, because in order to move around the corner it rotates, whereas the square sofa merely translates. Now, if only we could combine rotation and translation, maybe we could construct an even bigger sofa shape? Indeed, the mathematician John Hammersley noticed that if the semicircle is cut into two quarter-circles, which are pulled apart and the gap between them filled with a rectangular block, we get a larger sofa shape, which could be moved around the corner if only a smaller semicircular hole is also removed from the rectangular block. Here is the resulting shape, that is starting to look a bit more like an actual sofa.

The shapes involved are interesting. Not really sofa shaped, but then theory is rarely like reality.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

The hit Disney movie "Moana" features stunning visual effects, including the animation of water to such a degree that it becomes a distinct character in the film.

UCLA mathematics professor Joseph Teran, a Walt Disney consultant on animated movies since 2007, is under no illusion that artists want lengthy mathematics lessons, but many of them realize that the success of animated movies often depends on advanced mathematics.

"In general, the animators and artists at the studios want as little to do with mathematics and physics as possible, but the demands for realism in animated movies are so high," Teran said. "Things are going to look fake if you don't at least start with the correct physics and mathematics for many materials, such as water and snow. If the physics and mathematics are not simulated accurately, it will be very glaring that something is wrong with the animation of the material."

Teran and his research team have helped infuse realism into several Disney movies, including "Frozen," where they used science to animate snow scenes. Most recently, they applied their knowledge of math, physics and computer science to enliven the new 3-D computer-animated hit, "Moana," a tale about an adventurous teenage girl who is drawn to the ocean and is inspired to leave the safety of her island on a daring journey to save her people.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

slash2phar writes:

Good news for those wanting an open instant messaging / chat room / blogging platform without big data keeping the logs..

The Matrix project has officially started the cross-platform beta of end-to-end encryption in Matrix, with matrix-js-sdk, matrix-android-sdk and matrix-ios-sdk all supporting e2e via the Olm and Megolm cryptographic ratchets. Meanwhile, NCC Group have publicly released their security assessment of the underlying libolm library.

As per a recent blog entry: "So far the beta has gone well in parts: the core Olm/Megolm crypto library has held up well with no bugfixes at all required since the audit (yay!). However, we've hit a lot of different edge cases in the wild where devices can fail to share their outbound session ratchet state to other devices present in the room."

E2E is currently implemented in the cross-platform riot chat client if anyone wants to try it out.

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

Basic Income is a subject that regularly surfaces in Soylent discussions, so here's a story about Finland's impending experiment with it:

Finland has become the first country in Europe to pay its unemployed citizens a basic monthly income, amounting to 560 euros ($587 US), in a unique social experiment which is hoped to cut government red tape, reduce poverty and boost employment.

Olli Kangas from the Finnish government agency KELA, which is responsible for the country's social benefits, said Monday that the two-year trial with the 2,000 randomly picked citizens who receive unemployment benefits kicked off Jan. 1.

Those chosen will receive 560 euros every month, with no reporting requirements on how they spend it. The amount will be deducted from any benefits they already receive.

The average private sector income in Finland is 3,500 euros per month, according to official data.

Also at The Guardian and swissinfo.ch.

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

Accidents involving driverless cars, calculating the probability of recidivism among criminals, and influencing elections by means of news filters—algorithms are involved everywhere. Should governments step in?

Yes, says Markus Ehrenmann of Swisscom.

The current progress being made in processing big data and in machine learning is not always to our advantage. Some algorithms are already putting people at a disadvantage today and will have to be regulated.

For example, if a driverless car recognises an obstacle in the road, the control algorithm has to decide whether it will put the life of its passengers at risk or endanger uninvolved passers-by on the pavement. The on-board computer takes decisions that used to be made by people. It's up to the state to clarify who must take responsibility for the consequences of automated decisions (so-called 'algorithmic accountability'). Otherwise, it would render our legal system ineffective.

[...]
No, says Mouloud Dey of SAS.

We need to be able to audit any algorithm potentially open to inappropriate use. But creativity can't be stifled nor research placed under an extra burden. Our hand must be measured and not premature. Creative individuals must be allowed the freedom to work, and not assigned bad intentions a priori. Likewise, before any action is taken, the actual use of an algorithm must be considered, as it is generally not the computer program at fault but the way it is used.

It's the seemingly mysterious, badly intentioned and quasi-automatic algorithms that are often apportioned blame, but we need to look at the entire chain of production, from the programmer and the user to the managers and their decisions. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater: an algorithm developed for a debatable use, such as military drones, may also have an evidently useful application which raises no questions.

Two opposing viewpoints are provided in this article; please share yours.

Original Submission

Two SoylentNews readers sent us this story:

SpaceX concludes AMOS-6 explosion investigation

coolgopher writes:

SpaceX has just released the concluding update to their investigation into the explosion that abruptly terminated the AMOS-6 while the rocket was still being fueled. It confirms the failure of a composite overwrapped pressure vessel inside the second stage LOX tank, and identifies several credible causes. SpaceX believes it now understands the problem well enough to avoid it going forward, and is hoping to return to flight with the Iridum NEXT launch on Jan 8.

SpaceX to Hopefully Resume Launches This Sunday

takyon writes:

SpaceX has concluded its investigation into the September 1st accident and will attempt to return to launching satellites starting on January 8th:

An accident investigation team "concluded that one of the three composite overwrapped pressure vessels inside the second stage liquid oxygen tank failed," SpaceX said Monday in a statement on its website. The September failure was likely because of an oxygen buildup or a void in the buckle in the liner of the vessel, the company said.

At this time however SpaceX has not gotten the FAA's approval to resume operations.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates commercial space ventures, still is reviewing the mishap.

"The FAA has not yet issued a license to SpaceX for a launch in January," the agency said by e-mail Tuesday.

Also at Ars Technica and USA Today.

Previously: Spacecom Seeks $50 Million or a Free Flight After SpaceX Rocket Explosion
NASA Advisory Committee Skeptical of SpaceX Manned Refueling Plan
SpaceX Identifies Cause of September Explosion
SpaceX Delays Launches to January

Original Submission #1  Original Submission #2 

"MrPlow" writes:

At first glance, a new concept for a NASA habitat on Mars looks like a cross between Mark Watney's inflatable potato farm from "The Martian" and the home of Luke's Uncle Owen on Tatooine from "Star Wars."

[...] The "Mars Ice Home" is a large inflatable dome that is surrounded by a shell of water ice. NASA said the design is just one of many potential concepts for creating a sustainable home for future Martian explorers. The idea came from a team at NASA's Langley Research Center that started with the concept of using resources on Mars to help build a habitat that could effectively protect humans from the elements on the Red Planet's surface, including high-energy radiation.

Langley senior systems engineer Kevin Vipavetz who facilitated the design session said the team assessed "many crazy, out of the box ideas and finally converged on the current Ice Home design, which provides a sound engineering solution," he said.

The advantages of the Mars Ice Home is that the shell is lightweight and can be transported and deployed with simple robotics, then filled with water before the crew arrives. The ice will protect astronauts from radiation and will provide a safe place to call home, NASA says. But the structure also serves as a storage tank for water, to be used either by the explorers or it could potentially be converted to rocket fuel for the proposed Mars Ascent Vehicle. Then the structure could be refilled for the next crew.

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

With Tuesday's tragic passing of actor and writer Carrie Fisher came a major question from fans of the Star Wars series: what will happen to the ongoing trilogy films, which (so far) feature both the original trilogy characters of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo?

Reports from Variety and Deadline have confirmed that filming of Fisher's performance in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII film wrapped earlier this year, with both articles citing unnamed sources. Deadline's report goes one further by indicating that Leia has a "larger role" in the upcoming film, and while it also mentions Fisher's real-life daughter, Billie Lourd, appearing in Episode VIII, there's no indication of how much screen time Lourd will receive or whether she and Fisher will interact meaningfully in the film. (Lourd appeared ever-so-briefly in The Force Awakens, but she has teased a larger appearance in a future film.)

Seeing as how the Star Wars and Disney teams rarely disclose plot details ahead of time, it should surprise no one that announcements or hints haven't been offered for how either Episode VIII or Episode IX will change in the wake of Fisher's passing or whether dialogue or other important content may have already been pre-recorded by any actors in the case of an emergency. That being said, Fisher had signed on for some kind of role in Episode IX. Does that mean she would have had an active role in the final leg of the new trilogy? It's hard to say; after all, Harrison Ford may very well be returning to Episode VIII, if this casting-call announcement from late 2015 is legitimate. I won't spell out my logic here, in case you avoided my spoiler warning, but with all of that information in mind, Fisher's Episode VIII performance could, er, conclude similarly to how Ford's ended in Episode VII.

In related news, Disney took out an insurance policy against Fisher's ability to complete her contract. This is a standard industry practice. Now Disney stands to get a $50,000,000 payout due to her death.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Two new studies in the Journal of Quaternary Science refute the hypothesis that one or more comets/bolides struck North America approximately 12,900 years ago triggering rapid climate change and the start of the Younger Dryas period.

Prior to the Younger Dryas, the climate had gradually warmed from glacial conditions to near modern temperatures, and the massive ice sheets in North America were in full retreat; however, approximately 12,900 years ago, temperatures rapidly plummeted and returned to glacial conditions for about a 1200 year long period. Also about this time, the mammoths and mastodons became extinct in North America.

The two papers challenge two lines of evidence reported and used by others to support the impact theory. One is the report of elevated concentrations of nanometer-sized diamonds in sediments deposited at the onset of the Younger Dryas. It is claimed that these diamonds were formed during an impact. The other is the interpretation that paleofire evidence at a key archaeological site demonstrates massive wildfires at the beginning of the Younger Dryas. It is claimed that the impact caused wildfires that spanned the continent.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

The virtual battlefield in the Middle East could soon heat up:

Military chiefs are prepared to give President-elect Donald Trump the options he wants to intensify the fight against the Islamic State, including the possibility of granting commanders greater leeway to use secret cyber-warfare and space weapons, the top Air Force leader said.

"We've heard him loud and clear that he's going to be looking for options," Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force Chief of Staff, told USA TODAY. Goldfein said the recommendations may center on permitting field commanders more flexibility to deploy an array of weapons against the militants, who are waging a terror campaIgn beyond their bases in Iraq and Syria. "If we want to be more agile then the reality is we are going to have to push decision authority down to some lower levels in certain areas," Goldfein said during a December trip to this air base. "The big question that we've got to wrestle with ... is the authorities to operate in cyber and space."

Capabilities in those two areas are among the military's most closely held secrets, and their use now generally requires approval at the highest levels of government. The military has the ability to use cyber weapons to shut down terrorist websites and disrupt communications, but it is cautious about authorizing such actions because of unanticipated effects beyond its intended targets, such as disrupting legitimate websites and servers.

Last May, Defense Secretary Ash Carter urged the military space community to "join the fight" against the Islamic State, though he declined to describe how. The Air Force controls satellites for GPS and communications. Cyber capabilities are already in use against the Islamic State, also called ISIL or ISIS. "We're ... using cyber tools to disrupt ISIL's ability to operate and communicate over the virtual battlefield," Carter said in February.

Original Submission