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takyon writes:

Scientists shape DNA into doughnuts, teddy bears, and an image of the Mona Lisa

Scientists have made a big advance in building shapes out of the so-called building blocks of life. New techniques can shape DNA—the double-stranded helical molecule that encodes genes—into objects up to 20 times bigger than previously achieved, three separate groups report today. Together, the new approaches can make objects of virtually any shape: 3D doughnuts and dodecahedrons, cubes with teddy bear–shaped cutouts, and even a tiled image of the Mona Lisa. The techniques could someday lead to a bevy of novel devices for electronics, photonics, nanoscale machines, and possibly disease detection.

Scientists have been making shapes out of DNA since the 1980s, and those efforts took off in 2006 with the invention of a folding technique called DNA origami. It starts with a long DNA strand—called a scaffold—that has a precise sequence of the four molecular units, or nucleotides, dubbed A, C, G, and T, with which DNA spells out its genetic code. Researchers match patches of the scaffold to complementary strands of DNA called staples, which latch on to their targets in two separate places. Connecting those patches forces the scaffold to fold into a prescribed shape. A second version of the technology, introduced in 2012, uses only small strands of DNA—but no scaffolds—that assemble into Lego-like bricks that can then be linked together.

Gigadalton-scale shape-programmable DNA assemblies (DOI: 10.1038/nature24651) (DX)

Programmable self-assembly of three-dimensional nanostructures from 10,000 unique components (DOI: 10.1038/nature24648) (DX)

Fractal assembly of micrometre-scale DNA origami arrays with arbitrary patterns (DOI: 10.1038/nature24655) (DX)

Biotechnological mass production of DNA origami (DOI: 10.1038/nature24650) (DX)

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday in favor of a Virginia man who, as a teen, was once ordered by a lower court to be photographed while masturbating in the presence of armed police officers.

That warrant was ostensibly part of an ongoing sexting investigation into the then-teen, Trey Sims, who had exchanged explicit messages with his then-15-year-old girlfriend. Her mother reported the incident to the Manassas City Police Department in January 2014.

Eventually, the detective assigned to the case, David Abbott, obtained a signed warrant to take photographs of Sims' naked body—including "the suspect's erect penis"—so that he could compare them to Sims' explicit messages.

[...] The 4th Circuit ruled that Sims' lawsuit against the estate of the now-deceased officer who had led the sexting investigation, David Abbott, could move forward. "We cannot perceive any circumstance that would justify a police search requiring an individual to masturbate in the presence of others," two of the 4th Circuit judges wrote. "Sexually invasive searches require that the search bear some discernible relationship with safety concerns, suspected hidden contraband, or evidentiary need."

The case will now be sent back down to a federal district court in Alexandria, Virginia.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/12/forcing-kid-to-masturbate-for-cops-in-sexting-case-was-wrong-court-finds/

Original Submission

takyon writes:

The founder, President, and CEO of PEZY Computing, Motoaki Saito, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding the Japanese government:

The head of Japanese supercomputing firm PEZY Computing was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of defrauding a government institution of 431 million yen (~$3.8 million). According to reports in the Japanese press, PEZY founder, president and CEO Motoaki Saito and another PEZY employee, Daisuke Suzuki, are charged with profiting from padded claims they submitted to the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

On the 21st Green500 list, the top three most efficient supercomputers as well as the #5 most efficient supercomputer all use PEZY-SC2 "manycore" chips.

Previously: PEZY's Next Many-Core Chip Will Include a MIPS 64-Bit CPU
TOP500 Analysis Shows "Nothing Wrong with Moore's Law" and the November 2015 Green500 List
Shoubu Continues to Lead June 2016 Green500 List, World's Fastest Supercomputer Comes in at #3

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

We may now be able to engineer the most important lousy enzyme on the planet

The single most abundant protein on the planet isn't actually very good at its job. And, unfortunately, its job is important: to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and incorporate it into sugars and other molecules that most of Earth's life depends on. Improving its function could help us in a variety of ways, from boosting crop productivity to cleaning up after our carbon emissions.

Unfortunately, the enzyme is also extremely fussy about how it operates, in part as a result of the evolutionary events that put it in plants in the first place. But now, a team of German scientists has figured out how to get the enzyme to work in the standard lab bacteria, E. coli, opening the door slightly to genetically engineering our way to more efficient plants. But the work also makes it clear that things aren't quite as simple as we'd like.

The enzyme has the catchy name "ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase," but everyone knows it as "RuBisCo." Its function in the cell is to take the carbon of carbon dioxide, obtained from the air, and link it to a five-carbon sugar. This makes a six carbon sugar, an essential part of the process of photosynthesis. But it also allows the carbon to be used in a variety of other chemical reactions inside a cell that would never work with carbon dioxide. These include creating the building blocks of DNA and proteins. Through these two functions, the enzyme is essential to most life on Earth.

[...] The bad news? We ultimately need to put these versions back into plants if we're going to make drought-resistant plants and carbon-sucking forests. Given how sensitive the system seems to be to its environment and the other proteins in the cell, that means we probably want to start out with the species we ultimately want to put the genes back into. In other words, if you want to engineer wheat, you probably need to start with the wheat RuBisCo. So there won't be a one-size-fits-all version of any increased-efficiency RuBisCos that we can just pop into any plant we'd like.

Still, the fact that we can now make this enzyme in bacteria is a big step forward. And it could be that the research community will figure out ways of making the system more flexible with time.

Science, 2017. DOI: 10.1126/science.aap9221.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

San Diego continues to face a hepatitis A outbreak:

Like other major cities all along the West Coast, San Diego is struggling with a homeless crisis. In a place that bills itself as "America's Finest City," spiraling real estate values have contributed to spiraling homelessness, leaving more than 3,200 people living on the streets or in their cars.

Most alarmingly, the deplorable sanitary conditions help spread a liver-damaging virus that lives in fæces, contributing to the deadliest U.S. hepatitis A epidemic in 20 years. "Some of the most vulnerable are dying in the streets in one of the most desirable and livable regions in America," a San Diego County grand jury wrote in its report in June — reiterating recommendations it gave the city over the past decade to address homelessness.

San Diego has struggled to do that. Two years ago, Mayor Kevin Faulconer closed a downtown tent shelter that operated for 29 years during winter months. He promised a "game changer" — a new, permanent facility with services to funnel people to housing. But it wasn't enough. The result? Legions of Californians without shelter. A spreading contagion. And an extraordinary challenge to the city's sunny identity that threatens its key tourism industry.

Previously: San Diego Declares Emergency Due to Outbreak of Hepatitis A
San Diego Power-Washing Streets to Fight Hepatitis A Outbreak

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Most U.S. airlines set to limit use of 'smart bags'

"Smart bags, also known as smart luggage, have become more popular over the last few months, and they are expected to be a popular gift this holiday season," said American Airlines. "However, smart bags contain lithium battery power banks, which pose a risk when they are placed in the cargo hold of an aircraft."

The bags generally have USB ports where customers can recharge their phones and other devices. They might also have GPS to track the bag's location in case it gets lost, electronic locks and a weight scale to prevent overpacking. Some even [have] a motor to propel the bags so that they can double as a scooter or just follow their owner around the airport.

Airlines are worried that the batteries could cause a fire in the cargo hold that would go undetected. Most of the bans will allow fliers to check the bags if the battery can be removed and carried by the passenger in the cabin. But many of the bags already on the market have batteries that can't be removed.

American was the first U.S. carrier to announce a new policy Friday to require passengers checking smart luggage to remove the lithium ion batteries. If the bag will be traveling in the cabin, the battery can remain installed as long as it is powered off. Now Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines have announced similar policies set to take effect on Jan. 15. Both airlines will [be] requiring that even carry on bags must have the batteries that removed.

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

The mastermind behind some of the world's biggest and longest-running botnets has been jailed and his vast criminal infrastructure taken down, in part because of a careless operational security blunder that allowed authorities to identify his anonymous online persona.

Officials from the Republic of Belarus reported Monday they detained a participant in the sprawling Andromeda botnet network, which was made up of 464 separate botnets that spread more than 80 distinct malware families since 2011. On Tuesday, researchers with security firm Recorded Future published a blog post that said the participant was a 33-year-old Belarusian named Sergey Jarets.

To most people, Jarets was known only as "Ar3s," the moniker assigned to a highly respected elder in the criminal underground. In online discussions, Ar3s demonstrated expertise in malware development and the reverse-engineering of software. He also acted as a reputable guarantor of deals that were hashed out online. As it turned out, the ICQ number of the figure he used as one of his primary contact methods was registered in several whitehat discussion forums to one Sergey Jaretz.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/12/mastermind-behind-massive-botnet-tracked-down-by-sloppy-opsec/

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Comcast's xFi Advanced Gateway modem is now available nationwide

It's no secret that modems provided by your ISP can leave a lot to be desired. While we generally recommend you use your own hardware when it comes to your internet connection, plenty of people just go with the standard default modem and router. Comcast is making that process just a little bit easier thanks to the xFi Advanced Gateway modem and router. The modem, which the company is billing as the most advanced device it's ever made, made its debut back in May, but starting today it's available in every market that Comcast offers gigabit internet.

The company's goal with this new modem/router is to make setting up, connecting to and using the internet as simple as possible. Comcast's SVP of Hardware Development, Fraser Stirling, told Engadget: "I want your parents to stop phoning you about their internet connection." That was one of the primary goals when designing the interface of xFi app, which we've previously covered in detail. It allows you to set up your WiFi, change and customize settings, set up profiles for use and more. If you want to turn off the WiFi to your kids' devices at 9PM, you can easily do that in the xFi app.

Does it deliver greater Xfinity speeds to Anonymous Leechers? Yes it does.

Also at Digital Trends, CNET, USA Today, and FierceCable.

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

The idea of suing a website might seem abhorrent to advocates of free speech on the internet, but maybe one case shows that it can be justified?

Whitefish Woman's Lawsuit Over 'Daily Stormer' Harassment Proceeding

The Missoulian is reporting [archive] that a Whitefish woman's lawsuit against a Nazi website is going forward.

Montana Public Radio reports that Andrew Anglin, publisher of The Daily Stormer, is being sued by an individual the website targeted because of the mother of Richard Spencer:

The Daily Stormer called for readers to harass her and her family over her dealings with the mother of white nationalist Richard Spencer.

Image of part of the complaint (PDF).

Northwestern Montana, however, has had some experience in dealing with neo-Nazis in the neighborhood.

Original Submission

RS3 writes:

Although I have two Android phones, I occasionally get flack because I don't use them as phones, nor for email, nor anything I prefer to keep private, and here's a great example of why:

Personal data belonging to over 31 million customers of a popular virtual keyboard app has leaked online, after the app's developer failed to secure the database's server.

The server is owned by Eitan Fitusi, co-founder of AI.type, a customizable and personalizable on-screen keyboard, which boasts more than 40 million users across the world.

But the server wasn't protected with a password, allowing anyone to access the company's database of user records, totaling more than 577 gigabytes of sensitive data.

The database appears to only contain records on the app's Android users.

Additional coverage on ZDNet and RT

Original Submission

Whoever writes:

A new study in Nature [Ed-Abstract only for non-subscribers, but see below.] predicts that climate warming will be 15% greater than previous high estimates have predicted. This new study suggests that humans need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions more than previously expected and more than the Paris Agreement calls for. This study was based on analyzing the earth's "energy budget" (absorption and re-emission of radiation) and inputting that into a number of different climate models.

Also covered in more detail in Phys.org and in the Guardian.

The researchers focused on comparing model projections and observations of the spatial and seasonal patterns of how energy flows from Earth to space. Interestingly, the models that best simulate the recent past of these energy exchanges between the planet and its surroundings tend to project greater-than-average warming in the future.

"Our results suggest that it doesn't make sense to dismiss the most-severe global warming projections based on the fact that climate models are imperfect in their simulation of the current climate," Brown said. "On the contrary, if anything, we are showing that model shortcomings can be used to dismiss the least-severe projections."

Original Submission

"wantkitteh" writes:

Popular cryptocurrency mining pool NiceHash has been taken offline while it's operators investigate a security breach that has resulted in the contents of their Bitcoin wallet being stolen.

Statement here: https://www.nicehash.com/

CNBC's report on the theft details users of the service conducting their own investigation, uncovering a bitcoin wallet implicated in the theft containing 4736.42 BTC, or $67million in real money.

Story here: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/07/bitcoin-stolen-in-hack-on-nicehash-cryptocurrency-mining-marketplace.html

With Nicehash's mining pool services offline and user's trust in the service evaporated, cryptocurrency miners flocking to other auto-switching pools are causing major disruption as servers fail to keep up with the sudden influx of demand. At the time of submission, yours truly has been unable to make contact with ahashpool, zpool, miningpoolhub and hashrefinery, receiving CloudFlare's 522 error indicating that the target server is overloaded.

Additional coverage on Engadget.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Plate tectonics on Jupiter's moon Europa could make finding life there more likely:

Earthquakes could be fueling life on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. Scientists have shown that huge chunks of the moon's ice crust could be sinking others, infusing its underground ocean with chemical food. [...] Geophysicists from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, have shown that tectonic activity is also feasible within Europa's ice shell. They used a computer simulation to map subduction—where one giant slab of ice is forced under another.

The gravitational pull of moons could extend the unfrozen lifetime of subsurface oceans on some objects, such as Pluto and Charon:

Heat generated by the gravitational pull of moons formed from massive collisions could extend the lifetimes of liquid water oceans beneath the surface of large icy worlds in our outer solar system, according to new NASA research. This greatly expands the number of locations where extraterrestrial life might be found, since liquid water is necessary to support known forms of life and astronomers estimate there are dozens of these worlds.

"These objects need to be considered as potential reservoirs of water and life," said Prabal Saxena of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, lead author of the research published in Icarus [DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2017.11.023] [DX] November 24. "If our study is correct, we now may have more places in our solar system that possess some of the critical elements for extraterrestrial life."

List of largest lakes and seas in the Solar System.

Also at Brown University (EurekAlert).

Porosity and salt content determine if subduction can occur in Europa's ice shell (open, DOI: 10.1002/2017JE005370) (DX)

Original Submission

takyon writes:

When astronomers were trying to determine the mass of a "super-Earth" exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf K2-18, they found a second one:

When K2-18b was first discovered in 2015, it was found to be orbiting within the star's habitable zone (aka. "Goldilocks Zone"). The team responsible for the discovery also determined that given its distance from its star, K2-18b's surface received similar amounts of radiation as Earth. However, the initial estimates of the planet's size left astronomers uncertain as to whether the planet was a Super-Earth or a mini-Neptune.

For this reason, Cloutier and his team sought to characterize the planet's mass, a necessary step towards determining it's atmospheric properties and bulk composition. To this end, they obtained radial velocity measurements of K2-18 using the HARPS spectrograph. These measurements allowed them to place mass constraints on previously-discovered exoplanet, but also revealed something extra.

[...] Essentially, their radial velocity measurements revealed that K2-18b has a mass of about 8.0 ± 1.9 Earth masses and a bulk density of 3.3 ± 1.2 g/cm³. This is consistent with a terrestrial (aka. rocky) planet with a significant gaseous [envelope] and a water mass fraction that is equal to or less than 50%. In other words, it is either a Super-Earth with a small gaseous atmosphere (like Earths) or "water world" with a thick layer of ice on top.

They also found evidence for a second "warm" Super Earth named K2-18c, which has a mass of 7.5 ± 1.3 Earth masses, an orbital period of 9 days, and a semi-major axis roughly 2.4 times smaller than K2-18b. After re-examining the original light curves obtained from K2-18, they concluded that K2-18c was not detected because it has an orbit that does not lie on the same plane.

K2-18b was discovered by the Kepler Space Observatory in 2015.

Also at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

Characterization of the K2-18 multi-planetary system with HARPS: A habitable zone super-Earth and discovery of a second, warm super-Earth on a non-coplanar orbit

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Oath and Mozilla are in a legal battle over a Yahoo search deal

Yahoo's new owner Oath — which, in turn, is owned by telecom giant Verizon — is now in a legal battle with browser company Mozilla over a search deal that was struck by former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer.

Last week, Yahoo Holdings and Oath filed a complaint against Mozilla, alleging that it improperly terminated an agreement between Mozilla and Yahoo. Now, Mozilla just filed a cross-complaint, claiming breach of contract.

Mozilla announced that it was going back to Google, which had been its longtime search provider, in mid-November in the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Google had remained its partner in other countries and Mozilla also has deals with Yandex in Russia and Baidu in China. At the time, it also announced a new browser, Firefox Quantum.

Mozilla's counter-claim says that Yahoo!/Oath missed payments.

Yahoo Holdings complaint and Mozilla blog post.

Also at The Register and ZDNet.

Previously: Firefox Deal With Yahoo not Secured. Mozilla Could Lose Their Main Sponsor
Mozilla Could Walk Away from a New Yahoo Owner and Still Get $1 Billion
Verizon to Buy (Parts of) Yahoo! For $4.83 Billion
Verizon to House Yahoo! and AOL Under "Oath" Brand

Original Submission

takyon writes:

An engineering company is developing an automated system to help get spacewalking astronauts to safety. Spacewalking astronauts at the International Space Station currently wear a Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) jet backpack that must be manually controlled:

Getting stranded during a spacewalk is a terrifying scenario for any astronaut to imagine — but what if space station crew members could simply press a button during such an event and be immediately transported back to safety?

That's the idea behind new technology in development dubbed the "Take Me Home" button. It's a complex system of hardware and software that could be incorporated into a space suit and can automatically guide an astronaut home during an emergency in space. The concept is currently being developed with partial NASA funding at Draper, an engineering company with a long history of creating technologies for crewed spaceflight.

Original Submission