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An Anonymous Coward writes:

In the last few years: millions of accounts have been breached, AWS contains have been compromised, and if a company is storing their data 'in the cloud' then it's probably just a matter of time until someone hacks into it.

Not so for an Australian bank who uploaded 13 thousand customers' records to a third party data service. The bank admitted fault and the "data service" has reportedly deleted the data which included "customer names, date of birth, contact details and in some cases, government identity numbers."

The breach comes a week after NAB hired Ross McEwan, the man credited with turning around Royal Bank of Scotland, as its new chief executive officer, as it hopes to win back customer trust after damaging findings in a public inquiry into the financial sector.

NAB was among the worst hit of the "Big Four" lenders, after the inquiry specifically cited its CEO and Chairman for failing to accept responsibility for the wrongdoings.

Both individuals resigned days later.

I trust my bank. As far as I can kick them. How do I tell if my bank gives my information out?

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Cosmic Ray Update: New Results from the Moon

Note to astronauts: 2019 is not a good year to fly into deep space. In fact, it’s shaping up to be one of the worst of the Space Age.

The reason is, the solar cycle. One of the deepest Solar Minima of the past century is underway now. As the sun’s magnetic field weakens, cosmic rays from deep space are flooding into the solar system, posing potential health risks to astronauts.

NASA is monitoring the situation with a radiation sensor in lunar orbit. The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) has been circling the Moon on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft since 2009. Researchers have just published a paper in the journal Space Weather describing CRaTER’s latest findings.

“The overall decrease in solar activity in this period has led to an increased flux of energetic particles, to levels that are approaching those observed during the previous solar minimum in 2009/2010, which was the deepest minimum of the Space Age,” write the authors, led by Cary Zeitlin of NASA’s Johnson Space Flight Center. “The data have implications for human exploration of deep space.”

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Building on their research showing that an exciting new form of immunotherapy for cancer has activity in patients with glioblastoma, the most common and most deadly form of brain cancer, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have created a new method that could make immune therapy more effective again brain tumors and expand its use against other types of solid tumors. Their study is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

The treatment, known as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy, involves collecting and genetically modifying a patient's immune-fighting T cells to recognize specific targets (antigens) on the surface of tumors, and then returning them to the patient. Two CAR T cell products have been approved by the FDA for treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, respectively cancers of the lymphatic system and blood.

[...] So to boost the effectiveness of CAR T cells, they decided to target a second antigen, the naturally occurring or "wild type" of EGFR. But because EGFR is present in many cells in the body, drugs targeting the protein can cause serious side effects. To overcome this toxicity problem, Maus and colleagues crafted a CAR T cell that can be delivered into the cerebrospinal fluid at the base of the brain. When it gets into the brain, the CAR T then secretes a second type of immunotherapy, called a bi-specific T-cell engager, or "BiTE." BiTEs are antibodies that direct cell-killing T cells to a specific target, somewhat akin to a homing mechanism on a so-called "smart bomb."

[...] When they tested it in models of human glioblastoma, they found that the modified BiTE-secreting CAR Ts eliminated about 80% of the tumors.

The technique holds promise for treating other solid tumors as well, says lead author Bryan D. Choi, MD, from the department of Neurosurgery at MGH.

The biggest barrier they still face in their efforts to bring the research into human clinical trials is financial support, the investigators say.

Bryan D. Choi, et. al. CAR-T cells secreting BiTEs circumvent antigen escape without detectable toxicity. Nature Biotechnology, 2019; DOI: 10.1038/s41587-019-0192-1

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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Scorching temperatures across Europe coupled with prolonged dry weather has reduced French nuclear power generation by around 5.2 gigawatts (GW) or 8%, French power grid operator RTE’s data showed on Thursday.

Electricity output was curtailed at six reactors by 0840 GMT on Thursday, while two other reactors were offline, data showed. High water temperatures and sluggish flows limit the ability to use river water to cool reactors.

In Germany, PreussenElektra, the nuclear unit of utility E.ON, said it would take its Grohnde reactor offline on Friday due to high temperatures in the Weser river.

Interesting impact of the recent heat wave, right when electrical demand is on the rise.

Previously: Records Tumble as Europe Swelters in Heatwave and the Forecast Isn't Any Better

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/07/siri-records-fights-doctors-appointments-and-sex-and-contractors-hear-it/

Voice assistants are growing in popularity, but the technology has been experiencing a parallel rise in concerns about privacy and accuracy. Apple's Siri is the latest to enter this gray space of tech. This week, The Guardian reported that contractors who review Siri recordings for accuracy and to help make improvements may be hearing personal conversations.

One of the contract workers told The Guardian that Siri did sometimes record audio after mistaken activations. The wake word is the phrase "hey Siri," but the anonymous source said that it could be activated by similar-sounding words or with the noise of a zipper. They also said that when an Apple Watch is raised and speech is detected, Siri will automatically activate.

"There have been countless instances of recordings featuring private discussions between doctors and patients, business deals, seemingly criminal dealings, sexual encounters and so on," the source said. "These recordings are accompanied by user data showing location, contact details, and app data."

Apple has said that it takes steps to protect users from being connected with the recordings sent to contractors. The audio is not linked to an Apple ID and less than 1% of daily Siri activations are reviewed. It also sets confidentiality requirements for those contract workers. We reached out to Apple for further comment and will update the story if we receive it.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

A team of researchers from the Universities of Manchester, Nottingham and Loughborough has discovered a quantum phenomenon that helps to understand the fundamental limits of graphene electronics.

Published in Nature Communications, the work describes how electrons in a single atomically-thin sheet of graphene scatter off the vibrating carbon atoms which make up the hexagonal crystal lattice.

By applying a magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of graphene, the current-carrying electrons are forced to move in closed circular "cyclotron" orbits. In pure graphene, the only way in which an electron can escape from this orbit is by bouncing off a "phonon" in a scattering event. These phonons are particle-like bundles of energy and momentum and are the "quanta" of the sound waves associated with the vibrating carbon atom. The phonons are generated in increasing numbers when the graphene crystal is warmed up from very low temperatures.

By passing a small electrical current through the graphene sheet, the team were able to measure precisely the amount of energy and momentum that is transferred between an electron and a phonon during a scattering event.

[...] Mark Greenaway, from Loughborough University, who worked on the quantum theory of this effect, said, "This result is extremely exciting—it opens a new route to probe the properties of phonons in two-dimensional crystals and their heterostructures. This will allow us to better understand electron-phonon interactions in these promising materials, understanding which is vital to develop them for use in new devices and applications."

More information: P. Kumaravadivel et al. Strong magnetophonon oscillations in extra-large graphene, Nature Communications (2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11379-3

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upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Five or more hours of smartphone usage per day may increase obesity: Recent study found risk of obesity increased by 43%

As smartphones continue to be an inherent part of life and grow as a primary source of entertainment -- particularly among young people -- it leads to a decrease in physical activity. In a recent study presented at the ACC Latin America Conference 2019, university students who used their smartphones five or more hours a day had a 43 percent increased risk of obesity and were more likely to have other lifestyle habits that increase the risk of heart disease.

"It is important that the general population know and be aware that, although mobile technology is undoubtedly attractive for its multiple purposes, portability, comfort, access to countless services, information and entertainment sources, it should also be used to improve habits and healthy behaviors," said Mirary Mantilla-Morrón, a cardiac pulmonary and vascular rehabilitation specialist at the Health Sciences Faculty at the Simón Bolívar University in Barranquilla, Colombia, and the lead author of the study. "Spending too much time in front of the Smartphone facilitates sedentary behaviors, reduces the time of physical activity, which increases the risk of premature death, diabetes, heart disease, different types of cancer, osteoarticular discomfort and musculoskeletal symptoms."

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

It's official: US government approves T-Mobile/Sprint merger

The Justice Department today announced its approval of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger as part of a settlement that requires the merging companies to spin off several assets to Dish Network.

The DOJ decided against filing a lawsuit to block the T-Mobile US purchase of Sprint, even though it reduces the number of major mobile network providers from four to three. In exchange for its approval, the DOJ convinced the companies to sell Dish spectrum licenses, wholesale network access, and Sprint's prepaid business including subsidiaries Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. Boost and Virgin both resell Sprint network access instead of operating their own networks.

Dish would use its newfound assets to resell T-Mobile/Sprint service and to build its own network. The building-its-own-network part is far more crucial for Dish to effectively replace the competition eliminated by the merger, but this is expected to take several years.

The DOJ's approval is not the last one T-Mobile and Sprint need, because 13 states and the District of Columbia sued the companies to block the merger.

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upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Asteroid 2019 OK to flyby Earth at 0.19 LD on July 25 - the largest of the year

Asteroid 2019 OK to flyby Earth at 0.19 LD on July 25 - the largest of the year

A newly discovered asteroid designated 2019 OK is expected to flyby Earth at a distance of just 0.19 LD / 0.00048 AU (71 806 km / 44 618 miles) at 01:22 UTC on July 25, 2019. This object is slightly bigger than today's 2019 OD, making it the largest known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year.

The object belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. It was first observed at SONEAR Observatory, Oliveira, Brazil on July 24, 2019.

Its estimated diameter is between 57 and 130 m (187 - 426 feet).

Close approach is expected at 01:22 UTC at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 24.5 km/s.

See also: A Giant Asteroid Just Skimmed Past Earth, And We Barely Noticed in Time
How Astronomers Missed the Massive Asteroid That Just Whizzed Past Earth
City-obliterating asteroid screamed past Earth the other night – and boffins only clocked it just 26 hours beforehand
'City-killer' asteroid just misses earth, shocks scientists

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DannyB writes:

Retrotechtacular: The Floppy Disk Orphaned By Linux

About a week ago, Linus Torvalds made a software commit which has an air about it of the end of an era. The code in question contains a few patches to the driver for native floppy disc controllers. What makes it worthy of note is that he remarks that the floppy driver is now orphaned. Its maintainer no longer has working floppy hardware upon which to test the software, and Linus remarks that "I think the driver can be considered pretty much dead from an actual hardware standpoint", though he does point out that active support remains for USB floppy drives.

It's a very reasonable view to have arrived at because outside the realm of retrocomputing the physical rather than virtual floppy disk has all but disappeared. It's well over a decade since they ceased to be fitted to desktop and laptop computers, and where once they were a staple of any office they now exist only in the "save" icon on your wordprocessor. The floppy is dead, and has been for a long time.

Still, Linus' quiet announcement comes as a minor jolt to anyone of A Certain Age for whom the floppy disk and the computer were once inseparable.

Next thing, someone will be removing punched card and paper tape reader support. Where does it end?

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DeathMonkey writes:

Russian hackers probed election systems in all 50 states, a new Senate report confirmed Thursday.

The report comes one day after former special counsel Robert Mueller told Congress that the Russian government is working to meddle in U.S. elections "as we sit here."

"It wasn't a single attempt," Mueller said Wednesday of Russia's 2016 election interference. "They're doing it as we sit here. And they expect to do it during the next campaign."

The bipartisan report by the Senate Intelligence Committee released Thursday confirmed previous comments by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that Russian hackers scanned election systems in all 50 states ahead of the 2016 presidential election. DHS initially acknowledged Russian attempts to hack into election systems in just 21 states.

Russia targeted all 50 states in 2016 election hacking campaign, Senate report confirms

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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

A major electricity supplier in South Africa's largest city [(Johannesburg)] has suffered a ransomware attack, leaving some residents without power. City Power revealed on Thursday that its IT systems had been shut down.

"It has encrypted all our databases, applications and network," the company tweeted, referring to the virus.

City Power's website remains offline and residents have reported problems via social media with their electricity supplies. The ransomware attack initially affected customers' ability to buy pre-paid electricity and also hampered the firm's efforts to respond to localised blackouts.

A spokesman for City Power told the BBC that more than a quarter of a million people might have been affected.

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CheesyMoo writes:

Two metres (6.6ft) long, the femur found at Angeac is thought to have belonged to a sauropod, a plant-eating dinosaur with a long neck and tail.

Sauropods, common in the late Jurassic era, were among the largest land animals that ever existed.

Palaeontologists say they are amazed at the state of preservation of the bone. [...] "We can see the insertions of muscles and tendons, and scars," Ronan Allain of the National History Museum of Paris told Le Parisien newspaper.

Link to the BBC article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49129765

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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the demonstration of a "new-type tactical guided weapon" on Thursday as a warning to South Korea to stop importing high-tech weapons and conducting joint military exercises with the United States, state media KCNA said on Friday.

North Korea test-fired two new short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, South Korean officials said, its first missile test since Kim and US President Donald Trump agreed to revive denuclearisation talks last month.

The KCNA report did not mention Trump or the US, but it said Kim criticised South Korean authorities for carrying on with joint exercises, which are usually conducted with US troops.

"We cannot but develop nonstop super-powerful weapon systems to remove the potential and direct threats to the security of our country that exist in the South," Kim said, according to KCNA.

He accused South Koreans of "double dealing" for saying they support peace but simultaneously importing new weapons and conducting military drills.

South Korea's leader should stop such "suicidal acts" and "should not make a mistake of ignoring the warning," Kim said.

Kim said he was satisfied with the rapid response and low-altitude trajectory of the weapon, which he said would make it difficult to intercept.

Seoul's National Security Council said on Thursday it believed the missiles were a new type of ballistic missile, but it would make a final assessment with the US.

Ballistic missile tests would be a violation of UN Security Council resolutions that ban North Korean use of such technology. North Korea rejects the restriction as an infringement of its right to self-defence.

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takyon writes:

SpaceX Falcon 9 booster nails landing in lead-up to next NASA-sponsored reuse milestone

SpaceX has nailed its 24th Falcon booster reuse and 44th Falcon booster landing with Falcon 9 B1056's flawless Landing Zone-1 recovery, setting the booster up to become the first SpaceX rocket NASA has flown on three times.

According to NASASpaceflight.com, NASA had already moved from a conservative "maybe" to a much firmer "yes, but..." on the second-reuse question, pending – of course – the successful completion of B1056's second launch and landing. As of now, the Block 5 booster has indeed successfully completed its second orbital-class mission, setting itself up for a milestone NASA reuse that could happen as early as December 2019 on CRS-19, Dragon 1's second-to-last planned International Space Station (ISS) resupply mission.

SpaceX's Starhopper nails first untethered flight as CEO Elon Musk teases next test

Starhopper has completed its first untethered flight ever, simultaneously a small step for the awkward prototype and a giant leap for SpaceX's Starship/Super Heavy program as the next-gen launch vehicle is carried into a new phase: flight testing.

Despite the spectacular and reportedly successful hover and divert test, Starhopper's powerful Raptor engine appears to have started a significant fire, placing SpaceX's Starhopper pad in a precarious position per the fire's apparent adjacency to full liquid oxygen tanks. Ironically, despite Starhopper's seeming predilection as of late towards catching itself on fire, the large rocket testbed appears to be entirely unscorched as a brush fire burns around a few hundred feet distant.

[...] According to Elon Musk, the SpaceX CEO will present an update on the company's progress designing, building, and testing Starship and Super Heavy soon after Starhopper's first successful flight, meaning it could potentially happen within the next week or two. Additionally, Musk deemed Starhopper's July 25th flight a success and indicated that SpaceX would attempt to put Starhopper through a more ambitious 200m (650 ft) hop in a week or two, continuing what is expected to be an increasingly arduous serious of tests for the prototype.