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takyon writes:

Vitamin D supplements don't improve bone health, major study finds

Vitamin D supplements do not improve bone mineral density or prevent fractures or falls in adults, finds a large study that advises health professionals to stop recommending the supplements to most patients.

[...] "Our meta-analysis finds that vitamin D does not prevent fractures, falls or improve bone mineral density, whether at high or low dose," lead author Dr. Mark J. Bolland, associate professor at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, said in a statement. The findings add to previous research suggesting that vitamin D supplements do not prevent disease for the majority.

The research, published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology [DOI: 10.1016/S2213-8587(18)30265-1] [DX], analyzed data from 81 randomized controlled trials -- involving more than 53,000 people -- that studied whether the over-the-counter supplement helped in fractures, falls and bone density. Most studies included women over the age of 65. The team concluded that vitamin D does not prevent fractures or falls, or have a meaningful effect on bone mineral density, concluding that there is little justification in taking them to "maintain or improve musculoskeletal health," adding that there is no need for more trials to explore this.

But the research also concludes the supplement is helpful in preventing rare conditions such as rickets and osteomalacia in high risk groups, which can occur after a prolonged lack of exposure to sunshine, resulting in deficiency.

See also: Vitamin D pills - what's the truth?

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

Scientists have managed to constrain the possible number of dimensions of our universe to 3+1 (3 spatial and 1 time).
According to a new paper on Arxiv https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.08160
A recent merger of neutron stars that was observed in the visible spectrum, as well as with gravity waves, was used to determine that there are no extra dimensions for gravity to leak into. This reinforces our current models based on 3+1 to an extremely high degree of certainty and essentially rules out any theory that requires extra dimensions in order to function.

Quoting the paper:

The observation of GW170817 in both gravitational and electromagnetic waves provides a number of unique tests of general relativity. One question we can answer with this event is: Do large-wavelength gravitational waves and short-frequency photons experience the same number of spacetime dimensions? In models that include additional non-compact spacetime dimensions, as the gravitational waves propagate, they "leak" into the extra dimensions, leading to a reduction in the amplitude of the observed gravitational waves, and a commensurate systematic error in the inferred distance to the gravitational wave source....

The short of it was that there was absolutely no evidence for electromagnetism and gravity to be propagating through a different number of dimensions than the expected 3+1.

These are just some really cool and unexpected results; in my case I was a big supporter of brane theory until this result came out. Now, I don't know what to think. Gravity is too weak to make any sense at all. What do you think?

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Submitted via IRC for Bytram:

From Motherboard.vice.com

Legend holds that King Arthur's reign was foreseen by an enchanted lady in a lake, who granted him the sword Excalibur. By the same rules, Saga Vanecek, an eight-year-old Swedish girl, is now on a divine path to rule a great kingdom after she discovered a 1,000-year-old sword in a lake.

The sword may be Viking in origin and could date back to Arthurian times, in the 5th or 6th centuries, according to experts at the Jönköpings Läns Museum. That its discoverer is literally named Saga is further proof that this is the stuff of legends.

Vanecek found the rusted weapon over the summer while swimming in Vidöstern Lake in Småland with her family. "I felt something with my hand and thought it was a stick, and then I lifted it up and it had a handle that looked like it was a sword," she recounted in an interview with the Swedish news site Värnamo Nyheter.

"Then I lifted it up and shouted at Dad: 'Daddy I found a sword!'"

Girl pulls ancient sword from lake

An eight-year-old found a pre-Viking-era sword while swimming in a lake in Sweden during the summer.

Saga Vanecek found the relic in the Vidöstern lake while at her family's holiday home in Jönköping County.

The sword was initially reported to be 1,000 years old, but experts at the local museum now believe it may date to around 1,500 years ago.

"It's not every day that you step on a sword in the lake!" Mikael Nordström from the museum said.

The level of the water was extremely low at the time, owing to a drought, which is probably why Saga uncovered the ancient weapon.

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takyon writes:

Justice Dept. announces charges against 7 Russian operatives for cyber attacks

Seven Russian military intelligence officers were charged with hacking anti-doping agencies and other organizations, the Justice Department announced at a press conference Thursday.

According to a Justice Department press release, a grand jury in Pennsylvania sent the indictment, which says that beginning around December 2014 and up through May 2018, the operatives conducted sophisticated computer hacking operations that affected people in the U.S., corporations, international organizations and their employees around the world, "based on their strategic interest to the Russian government."

According to Eric Welling, Deputy Assistant Director for the FBI's Cyber Division, these GRU hackers operated under the name "Fancy Bear Hacking Team," the same group of Russian government-backed hackers that was the focus of Special Counsel Robert Muller's indictment of GRU hackers early this summer. Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division, John Demers, said that these hackers were caught "red-handed" in a "conspiracy to hack a variety of individuals and organizations in the United States, Canada and Europe" with the goal of distorting the public's perception of truth.

International anti-doping organizations and officials were targeted by the Russian operatives after they exposed and condemned Russia's athletic doping program. According to Justice Department officials, the operatives tried to publicize information they had stolen in order to undermine and delegitimize the anti-doping organizations.

Update: Russia cyber-plots: Dutch defend decision not to arrest suspects

The Dutch government has defended a decision not to detain four Russians accused of an attempted cyber-attack on the global chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague. The suspected Russian agents were sent home as it was not a criminal inquiry, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.

The US and UK have joined the Netherlands in blaming Russian spies for a series of cyber-plots worldwide. Russia has complained of a "stage-managed propaganda campaign".

Also at the BBC.

Previously: Sports Doping Agency WADA Says Hackers Lifted Olympic Athletes' Medical Records

Related: Former Russian Anti-Doping Boss Dies Suddenly
Betteridge Asks: Will Russian Doping Scandal Lead to Reform of the Olympics?

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

New Zealand will now fine travellers who do not provide phone passwords when they cross the New Zealand border. Travellers who refuse to provide the password to their mobile device will be hit with a fine of up to $5000. This change to NZ law does not bode well for the New Zealand travel industry with an averse reaction from tourists who will now avoid New Zealand. Previously NZ customs officers could demand that a device be relinquished but not the password to unlock it. The intent of the access is to search the phone file-by-file where customs have a "reasonable cause to suspect" that a search is required. In 2017 a total of 537 searches were carried out. The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties has objected to the new law describing it as a grave invasion of personal privacy". Travellers have taken to social media to express their opinion on the new law.

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

I recently applied for a job in Silicon Valley.

The recruiter had me take a battery of tests that measured my verbal, mathematical and visual aptitude. I'd guess it was a mini-IQ test; it wasn't a mini-MMPI. As a result of the tests I was invited to interview onsite.

At the end of the interview the manager declared that he wanted me to take some tests.

His tests were brain teasers he had downloaded from a random website. The brain teasers had nothing to do with the work I was interviewing for. He seemed to ignore the battery of sophisticated tests I had been subjected to, and to believe that he could do better.

What is the REAL purpose of using brain teasers during an employment interview?

Is it just to make the candidate feel stupid? Are any of these people qualified to interpret the results? Are any of them industrial psychologists? Or is this all about power and control?

Please advise.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

The virtual vloggers taking over YouTube

A young Japanese woman sporting a giant pink bow and white opera gloves looks into the camera and gleefully greets her YouTube audience. She's about to try and solve a puzzle. Before diving into the game, she boasts with a smile: "Well, compared to all you humans, I can clear it much faster. No doubt about it!"

Yes, this YouTube personality isn't a real person. While she's voiced by a human, she's a digital, anime-style cartoon. Her name is Kizuna Ai, and she has more than two million subscribers to her channel. She's the most-watched "virtual YouTuber" on the site. Kizuna Ai is part of an emerging trend where 3D avatars – rather than humans – are becoming celebrities on YouTube, with dedicated fanbases and corporate deals. It's becoming so popular that one company is investing tens of millions in "virtual talent" and talent agencies are being established to manage these avatars.

It's a movement that has big implications for the future – it could change how brands market their products and how we interact with technology. It could even let us live forever.

Yes, that's right. It could let you "live" forever. The true immortality: being remembered only as an anime girl.

Come to Japan.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Microbes Were Just Found in 'Dark Biosphere' Where They Shouldn't Exist

Thousands of feet below Earth's surface and far beyond the reach of sunlight, scientists recently discovered an unexpected form of life: microbes that typically produce their energy through photosynthesis.

Known as cyanobacteria, these hardy microorganisms have been around for billions of years, and though they're tiny, their photosynthesis prowess — in which they use the sun's energy to turn carbon dioxide into food for growth — played a big part in the planet's history. This activity helped shape a young Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere, laying the groundwork for the emergence of all forms of life.

Today, cyanobacteria occupy a diverse range of environments, from baking deserts to oceans. But everywhere these organisms live, they typically get at least some exposure to sunlight. So, finding these creatures deep underground in total darkness was a big surprise, the researchers said.

In a prior expedition, the scientists had detected a rich subsurface ecosystem in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, an area along the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Spain with enormous reservoirs of sulfide deposits. The researchers performed their second investigation deeper underground, in a previously untouched location at the same site. There, they targeted rocks that they anticipated would contain microbes closely resembling surface bacteria. They did not, however, expect to find cyanobacteria at a depth of 2,011 feet (613 meters). In fact, cyanobacteria were the most abundant organisms in the researchers' samples, the team reported in a new study.

Also at Space.com.

Viable cyanobacteria in the deep continental subsurface (open, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1808176115) (DX)

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takyon writes:

ISS partners show interest in station extension

NASA's partners in the International Space Station are showing a growing interest in extending the station's operations beyond 2024 regardless of NASA initiatives to end direct funding of the station around that time. During an Oct. 1 press conference at the 69th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) here, representatives of three ISS partner agencies said they were open to extending the station's operations to 2028 or 2030 in order to maximize the investment they've made in the facility as a platform for research and preparation for exploration activities beyond Earth orbit.

Jan Woerner, director general of the European Space Agency, said the issue could come up at the next triennial meeting of the ministers of ESA's member nations, scheduled for late 2019. "At the ministerial meeting next year, the ministerial council, I will propose to go on with ISS as well as the lunar Gateway," he said. "I believe that we will go on." At a separate briefing Oct. 2, Woerner emphasized the use of the station as a research platform and encouraged greater commercial activities there. "I believe we should use the ISS as long as feasible," he said. "I always thought 2024 was the end, but now I learned it is 2028, and yesterday I learned it's 2030. So, I will try to convince the ESA member states that ESA should be a partner in the future." However, he noted that ESA could defer the decision on a post-2024 ISS extension until its following ministerial meeting in 2022.

Japan's JAXA and Russia's Roscosmos are also likely to participate until 2028 or 2030.

Separately, a Congressman has introduced the Leading Human Spaceflight Act, which would extend the existing authorization for operating the ISS to 2030:

In his opening statement at a House space subcommittee hearing on the past and future of NASA's space exploration efforts, Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), chairman of the subcommittee, said he was introducing legislation called the Leading Human Spaceflight Act that he said was designed to "provide further congressional direction to NASA."

[...] The proposed extension of the ISS to 2030 in the House bill mirrors language in the Space Frontier Act introduced in the Senate in July. That bill was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee Aug. 1 and awaits action by the full Senate.

That's more time with which we could send BFRs to the ISS to move it, swap modules, or gently disassemble it.

Previously: Can the International Space Station be Saved? Should It be Saved?
Trump Administration Plans to End Support for the ISS by 2025

Original Submission

takyon writes:

A new brain-inspired architecture could improve how computers handle data and advance AI

IBM researchers are developing a new computer architecture, better equipped to handle increased data loads from artificial intelligence. Their designs draw on concepts from the human brain and significantly outperform conventional computers in comparative studies. They report on their recent findings in the Journal of Applied Physics, from AIP Publishing.

[...] The IBM team drew on three different levels of inspiration from the brain. The first level exploits a memory device's state dynamics to perform computational tasks in the memory itself, similar to how the brain's memory and processing are co-located. The second level draws on the brain's synaptic network structures as inspiration for arrays of phase change memory (PCM) devices to accelerate training for deep neural networks. Lastly, the dynamic and stochastic nature of neurons and synapses inspired the team to create a powerful computational substrate for spiking neural networks.

[...] Last year, they ran an unsupervised machine learning algorithm on a conventional computer and a prototype computational memory platform based on phase change memory devices. "We could achieve 200 times faster performance in the phase change memory computing systems as opposed to conventional computing systems." Sebastian said. "We always knew they would be efficient, but we didn't expect them to outperform by this much." The team continues to build prototype chips and systems based on brain-inspired concepts.

Biosensor response from target molecules with inhomogeneous charge localization (DOI: 10.1063/1.5036538) (DX)

Previously: IBM Chip Processes Data Similar to the Way Your Brain Does
IBM Builds New Form of Memory that Could Advance Brain-Inspired Computers
Simulating Neuromorphic Supercomputing Designs
The Second Coming of Neuromorphic Computing
Novel Synaptic Architecture for Brain Inspired Computing

Original Submission

takyon writes:

SoftBank and Toyota team up to develop services powered by self-driving vehicles

SoftBank is getting into self-driving car services after the Japanese tech giant announced a joint-venture with Toyota in its native Japan.

SoftBank is invested in Uber and a range of other ride-hailing startups like Didi in China and Grab in Southeast Asia, but this initiative with Toyota is not related to those deals. Instead, it is designed to combine SoftBank's focus on internet-of-things technology and Toyota's connected vehicle services platform to enable new types of services that run on autonomous vehicle tech.

Called MONET — after 'mobility network' — the joint venture will essentially assign autonomous vehicles to various different "just in time" services. That just in time caveat essentially means more than on-demand. SoftBank suggests it'll mean that services are performed in transit. That could be food prepared as it is delivered, hospital shuttles that host medical examinations, or mobile offices, according to examples given by SoftBank.

Also at Bloomberg and CNBC.

Related:

*SPOILER* (click to show) *SPOILER* (click to hide)

Toyota Invests $1 Billion in AI and Robots, Will Open R&D Lab in Silicon Valley
A Company Called Nauto Has Partnered With Toyota, BMW to Log Driver Habits
SoftBank Acquires Boston Dynamics and Schaft From Google
Saudi Arabia Planning $500 Billion Megacity and Business Zone
SoftBank to Invest Billions in Uber
SoftBank Acquires 20% of Uber While Massively Devaluing It
Japan Teams up With Uber, Airbus and 19 Others on Flying Taxi Plan
Saudi Arabia Shelves Work on SoftBank's $200 Billion Solar Project

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Jeff Bezos Is Planning to Ship 'Several Metric Tons of Cargo' to the Moon

Blue Origin, described by Bezos as "the most important work I'm doing," signed a letter of intent with German aerospace companies OHB Space Systems and Security and MT Aerospace at the 69th annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Germany on Tuesday. The OHB SE dubbed the lunar project the "Blue Moon" mission in a press release.

It's not clear exactly what cargo the Blue Moon mission would transport, but it likely includes infrastructure designed to start private business on the Moon: The IAC also detailed the launch of the "Moon Race," a competition between Blue Origin, Airbus Air and Space, and other space agencies around the world to develop technology that will bring companies around the world to the Moon.

According to a press release, the competition could involve manufacturing products and technology, manufacturing energy sources for humans to survive, getting access to water and sustaining biological life, such as plant or agricultural life—all on the Moon.

Also at Space.com.

Related: Blue Origin to Compete to Launch U.S. Military Payloads
NASA Administrator Ponders the Fate of SLS in Interview (Blue Origin targets Moon landing by 2023)
SpaceX Reveals Plan to Fly Yusaku Maezawa and Artists "Around the Moon" in a BFR
Blue Origin Wins Contract to Supply United Launch Alliance With BE-4 Rocket Engines

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Google Podcasts creator program opens to provide training, funding, & promote inclusivity

With the Android app's launch in June, the Google Podcasts creator program was also teased to promote inclusive storytelling and increase diversity in podcasting. Google is now opening sign-ups for a training program that will feature seed funding to create unique and sustainable shows.

The Google Podcasts creator program aims to address two imbalances as the industry is skyrocketing in popularity: "Women and people of color are still underrepresented as hosts, and many of the world's most popular podcasts hail from western, urban areas." It has three main pillars:

1. Empowering and training underrepresented voices through an accelerator program
2. Educating a global community with free tools
3. Showcasing participants' work as a model for others

The first pillar begins now, with Google partnering with PRX to lead and manage the program, including the 20-weeks of training. Interested partners can submit pitches for unique shows that highlight diverse viewpoints.

Also at TechCrunch.

Previously: Google Podcasts App Launches, Years After It Canceled a Similar App

Related: Public Radio Companies Acquire a Podcast App
Changing Face of Radio Distribution

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Intel's Customized SoC for HP: Amber Lake-Y with On-Package LTE Modem

Announced earlier this week, HP's Spectre Folio convertible notebook already looks remarkable due to its leather exterior. As it appears, the system is as impressive inside as it is on the outside, as it incorporates a custom Intel's Amber Lake-Y multi-chip-module that features an LTE modem.

According to a report from PC World, the internal design of the Spectre Folio PC convertible notebook was co-developed by HP and Intel engineers under Intel's Innovation Excellence Program, which is aimed at enabling PC makers to bring state-of-the-art designs to the market. The product uses a tiny, jointly-designed motherboard that measures only 12,000 mm² and is based around a unique multi-chip module that carries Intel's Amber Lake-Y SoC, a PCH (platform controller hub), and Intel's Intel XMM 7560 LTE Advanced Pro Cat16/Cat 13 modem.

[...] Intel is not new to selling complete platforms comprised of a CPU, a chipset, and a communication module. Back in 2000s the company made a fortune selling its Centrino-branded sets containing the aforementioned elements. By selling multiple chips at once, Intel naturally increases its revenue, whereas system vendors ensure compatibility. Therefore, platform-level integration is a win-win for all parties. With that said, this is the first time we've seen Intel put a CPU, a PCH, and a cellular modem onto one multi-chip-module in this fashion. So this may be the start of a trend for the company.

Related: Apple Could Switch From Qualcomm to Intel and MediaTek for Modems
Intel Announces Development of 5G Modems (Due in 2019)
AMD Creates Quad-Core Zen SoC for Chinese Console Maker
ARM Aims to Match Intel 15-Watt Laptop CPU Performance

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation reports:

Just a third of Americans can pass a multiple choice "U.S. Citizenship Test", fumbling over such simple questions as the cause of the cold war or naming just one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for.

And of Americans 45 and younger, the passing rate is a tiny 19 percent, according to a survey done for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

Worse: The actual test only requires that 60 percent of the answers be correct. In the survey, just 36 percent passed.

Among the embarrassing errors uncovered in the survey of questions taken from the U.S. Citizenship Test and conducted by Lincoln Park Stragtegies:

• 72 percent of respondents either incorrectly identified or were unsure of which states were part of the 13 original states.
• 24 percent could correctly identify one thing Benjamin Franklin was famous for, with 37 percent believing he invented the lightbulb.
• 12 percent incorrectly thought WWII General Dwight Eisenhower led troops in the Civil War.
• 2 percent said the Cold War was caused by climate change.

Also at Sputnik and The Tri-City Herald

Original Submission