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takyon writes:

Microsoft Surface Duo Is a Foldable Device That Runs Android Apps and Can Make Calls

Although Microsoft has tried its hands with smartphones, it didn't quite work out. However, the Redmond giant is no quitter and is planning to return to the industry with a bang. The company today demoed the Microsoft Surface Duo, something which it calls a communications device instead of a foldable phone.

Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X, the Microsoft Surface Duo has two separate 5.6-inch displays. When unfolded, you get an 8.3-inch tablet, with a visible hinge in the middle. However, given that the first generation of bendable devices do not seem to be doing well, both aesthetically and functionally, this seems like a better approach.

[...] Quite like the bigger Surface Neo, the Microsoft Surface Duo is not a finished product. Thus, don't be disappointed to know that there are no cameras on the back, as the company will likely add some sensors on the final version, which we should expect next year. Microsoft has partnered with Google so that Android apps will work on the Surface Duo seamlessly. We do not know yet if the device will run Android or Windows 10X operating system, which is a new platform optimized for dual-screen devices.

See also: Microsoft introduces Windows 10X for dual-screen devices

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

A gas giant orbiting a tiny red dwarf star thirty light years away has left astronomers baffled because it's not supposed to exist, according to a study published in Science on Thursday.

Under the standard model of planet formation, the object known as GJ 3512 b should have never been born as it’s considered almost impossible for low-mass stars like GJ 3512 to harbour massive gas planets. The protoplanetary disk, a rotating jumble of gas and dust around a young star, simply doesn’t contain enough matter to form hefty gaseous planets when the star is small.

Current theories suggest that planets are grown from smaller bits of debris known as planetesimals glomming together in protoplanetary disks. In order to create a gas giant, a sufficient amount of these planetesimals have to stick together to form a solid core. The rocky centre accumulates gas from the surrounding disk by its gravitational pull, Markus Nielbock, a spokesperson at the Max Planck Institute of Astronomy, who was not explicitly involved in the research, explained to The Register.

“If the disk isn't heavy enough, however, there is not sufficient solid material around that can form those planetesimals quickly enough before they migrate through the disk into the inner regions and eventually fall into the star.”

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Brave new world: Simple changes in intensity of weather events 'could be lethal'

Faced with unprecedented change, animals and plants are scrambling to catch up -- with mixed results. A new model developed by Carlos Botero, assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, and Thomas Haaland, formerly a graduate student at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, helps to predict the types of changes that could drive a given species to extinction.

The study, published Sept. 27 in the journal Ecology and Evolution, challenges the idea that species previously exposed to more variable conditions are more likely to survive extreme events.

"It is difficult to predict how organisms will respond to changes in extreme events because these events tend to be, by definition, quite rare," Botero said. "But we can have a pretty good idea of how any given species may respond to current changes in this aspect of climate -- if we pay attention to its natural history, and have some idea of the climatic regime it has experienced in the past."

[...]Researchers in the Botero laboratory use a variety of tools from ecology and evolutionary biology to explore how life -- from bacteria to humans -- copes with and adapts to repeated environmental change.

For the new study, Botero worked with his former student Haaland, now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, to develop an evolutionary model of how populations respond to rare environmental extremes. (Think: 500-year floods.) These rare events can be tricky for evolution because it is difficult to adapt to hazards that are almost never encountered.

Through computer simulations, Haaland and Botero found that certain traits and experiences emerged as key indicators of vulnerability.

Specifically, they found:

• Species that breed a single time in their lifetime tend to evolve conservative behaviors or morphologies, as if they were expecting to experience an environmental extreme every time.
• In contrast, species in which a single individual can reproduce multiple times and in different contexts (say, a bird that nests several times in a season and in different trees), evolution favors behaving as if environmental extremes simply never happen.

The key insight of this new model is that species belonging to the former, "conservative" category can easily adapt to more frequent or widespread extremes but have trouble adjusting when those extremes become more intense. The opposite is true of species in the latter, "care-free" category.

Journal Reference: Ecology and Evolution, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5675

Original Submission

Freeman writes:

Germany's main research-funding organization, DFG, has determined that a high-profile neuroscientist committed scientific misconduct in his DFG-funded work. That work concluded it is possible to interpret yes-or-no answers from the brain waves of fully paralyzed patients with "locked-in syndrome" due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, aka Lou Gehrig's disease).

[...]Birbaumer's team, included incorrect information in three cases, did not completely record patient examinations by video as they reported, and failed to provide full data on patients.

The DFG opened its investigation in 2018 after whistleblower Martin Spüler, at the time a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tübingen, said that he could not replicate the researchers' findings when he reanalyzed their data. An independent expert commissioned by the DFG as well as two other whistleblowers subsequently said that they too could not replicate the findings.

[...]An independent investigation at the University of Tübingen likewise concluded in June that the researchers committed scientific misconduct. The investigation found evidence of selective data collection, missing and incomplete data, and possible data corruption due to flawed analysis.

In statements to Nature, Birbaumer said he accepted the investigations findings but that he stands by the work, which he say still shows "that it is possible to communicate with patients who are completely paralyzed, through computer-based analysis of blood flow and brain currents."

The DFG noted in its statement that the investigators did not draw any conclusions on whether the researchers' approach is valid. Nevertheless, the DFG and the University of Tübingen both recommended that PLOS Biology retract both papers.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/09/communication-with-locked-in-patients-in-question-after-misconduct-finding/

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Could the female orgasm be a happy remnant of evolution?

As a team of researchers pointed out, during intercourse the male orgasm serves an obvious reproductive function: Without it, ejaculation can't happen. But the reproductive role of female orgasm has been much less clear, because ovulation in humans occurs whether a woman has recently had an orgasm or not. So the very existence of the female orgasm in women has long been a physiological mystery. But now U.S. researchers (with the help of some sexually active rabbits) believe they may have solved this riddle.

The new research was led by Gunter Wagner, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale, and Mihaela Pavlicev, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati.

According to the investigators, part of the puzzle has been that the clitoris—the central locus for the female orgasm—is located a good distance above where the real "action" of reproductive intercourse occurs.

That led the team to look further back in the mammalian family tree. And as the two scientists reported in the Sept. 30 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the clitoris is much more central to intercourse for animals such as cats, rabbits and ferrets. In those mammals, the clitoris is located along the reproductive pathway used for intercourse. In fact, in female rabbits, clitoral stimulation and orgasm is actually required to initiate the ovulation needed to reproduce.

That's different from what happens in women, of course. So Wagner and Pavlicev theorized that, somewhere along the evolutionary timeline, the clitoris migrated away from the center of reproductive activity while retaining its ability to release pleasure-inducing hormones.

To test out their theory that the female orgasm is essential to procreation—at least in other mammals—the two scientists injected the anti-depressant fluoxetine (best known as Prozac) into female rabbits.

Since the drug is known to deplete a woman's ability to orgasm, the researchers theorized that, by extension, rabbits who got the shot might be less likely to ovulate. And that was the case: As the female rabbits' ability to orgasm foundered, they ovulated 30% less often, compared to females that didn't get the antidepressant.

More information: Mihaela Pavlicev et al. An experimental test of the ovulatory homolog model of female orgasm, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2019). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1910295116

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Scientists at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management have established a causal relationship between failure and future success, proving German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's adage that "what does not kill me makes me stronger."

The researchers utilized advanced analytics to assess the relationship between professional failure and success for young scientists. They found, in contrast to their initial expectations, that failure early in one's career leads to greater success in the long term for those who try again.

"The attrition rate does increase for those who fail early in their careers," lead author Yang Wang said. "But those who stick it out, on average, perform much better in the long term, suggesting that if it doesn't kill you, it really does make you stronger."

The study, "Early-career setback and future career impact," will be published Oct. 1, in Nature Communications[*].

The findings provide a counter-narrative to the Matthew Effect, which posits a "rich get richer" theory that success begets more success.

"It turns out that, historically, while we have been relatively successful in pinpointing the benefits of success, we have failed to understand the impact of failure," said Dashun Wang, corresponding author and associate professor of management and organizations at Kellogg.

[...]The research does not contradict the Matthew Effect, but rather suggests a complementary path for those who fail.

"There is value in failure," Dashun Wang said. "We have just begun expanding this research into a broader domain and are seeing promising signals of similar effects in other fields."

[*] Nature Communications Open Access Link: Early-career setback and future career impact.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1337

More and more countries are mounting disinformation campaigns online

[...] That's a long way of saying that I forgive you if you'd like to skip today's news and instead just read nothing but explainers and Twitter threads about impeachment. It's kind of the biggest story in the world right now, and it will all play out in new and exciting and probably terrifying ways across all our big social platforms, and if you want to read some speculation on how I'd point you to this savvy Kevin Roose piece on the subject (further excerpted below).

But say you've finished your impeachment reading for the day and are eager to luxuriate in a good old-fashioned tale of platform-based information warfare. In that case may I please recommend a new report from researchers at Oxford University on the usage of disinformation campaigns by governments around the world. And usage is ... well, I bet you can guess!

Here's Davey Alba and Adam Satariano in the New York Times:

The researchers compiled information from news organizations, civil society groups and governments to create one of the most comprehensive inventories of disinformation practices by governments around the world. They found that the number of countries with political disinformation campaigns more than doubled to 70 in the last two years, with evidence of at least one political party or government entity in each of those countries engaging in social media manipulation.

In addition, Facebook remains the No. 1 social network for disinformation, the report said. Organized propaganda campaigns were found on the platform in 56 countries.

You can read the report yourself here. Personally I found it useful to just read a straightforward guide to the varieties of state-sponsored information attacks — most of which have long been in use, of course, by more garden-variety trolls.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Top web browsers 2019: Microsoft's browser share falls to record low

According to data published today by analytics company Net Applications, Microsoft's browser share for September - composed of Internet Explorer (IE) and Edge - fell 1.8 percentage points to 12%, an all-time low. To put the decline in perspective, the browsers accounted for a user share of 12.4% at the first of this year and hit a high of 14% in April.

[...] Firefox added three-tenths of a percentage point to its user share in September, wrapping up the month at 8.7% and marking the second straight month of keeping things in the black. Even so, it was fourth consecutive month that Firefox remained under 9%, tying a record set in May, June, July and August 2016.

[...] Google's Chrome put another 1.3 percentage points on its frame, weighing in for the month at 68.5%, just a tenth of a point off the record high set in July.

Last month, Computerworld noted the odd pattern to Chrome's share, stretches when the browser would add share one month, lose much of it the next. That continued in September - this has been regular as the proverbial clockwork since February - when Chrome went on its growth spurt after shedding 1.4 points in August.

If the tick-tock continues this month, October should be a downer for Chrome.

But as Computerworld has said before, what counts is the long-term movement of a browser. There, Chrome has done well, adding 2.1 percentage points to its share over the last year. Another sign: The 68.5% of September was the second-highest mark for the browser, edged out only by July's 68.6%.

[...] Elsewhere in Net Applications' data, Apple's Safari grew by half a percentage point to 4.4% and Opera Software's browser stayed where it was at 1.4%. Safari's increase was the second straigh,t but was a due entirely to a nearly-two percentage point leap by macOS that put the operating system in unknown territory (and likely on shaky ground; macOS' 11.6% simply won't stand up).

Original Submission

"exec" writes:

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

If you're an athlete, sponsor, journalist or volunteer at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, you'll be using a facial recognition system from Japanese electronics giant NEC and chipmaker Intel to get where you need to be.

Intel is collaborating with NEC to provide "a large-scale face recognition system for the Olympics," said Ricardo Echevarria [intel.com], general manager of Intel's Olympics program. The system is designed to let Olympics organizers "ensure smoothly secure verification for the over 300,000 people at the games who are accredited," he said. People using it will register with photos from government-issued IDs, he added.

[...] The 2020 Olympics organizers say the facial recognition is twice as fast as regular ID checks, meaning shorter waits in line, and that it'll improve security "by preventing spoofing and unauthorized access into important areas in the venue."

The Tokyo 2020 organization didn't say how long it would keep personal data, but said it'll comply with the Personal Information Protection Law. "All personal data is managed and used appropriately during the games and securely deleted afterwards under strict conditions," the organizers said. "Tokyo 2020 collects facial photos of each accredited person, with their consent, when their accreditation card is issued -- similar to the accreditation process at past games."

It won't be a wholesale replacement for the old ways: Accredited personnel at the Olympics will still have to wear traditional ID lanyards, Intel and NEC said. But the facial recognition system will be required: if someone loses their lanyard or tries to get access with one that's stolen, the facial recognition system will block them, NEC said.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

"exec" writes:

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

A rash of ransomware attacks this week targeted hospitals in the U.S. and Australia. The cyberattacks froze the computer systems of several medical facilities, to the point where they needed to turn away new patients and even cancel surgery appointments.

A ransomware attack, reported on Tuesday, impacts the DCH Health System, a regional hospital and medical complex located in Alabama, and left three satellite hospitals turning away patients. A separate attack disclosed on Monday impacted several regional hospitals in Victoria, Australia. There is no indication that the ransomware attacks are connected.

The DCH Health System, which announced it was hit by ransomware on Tuesday, is a government subdivision that operates a community-owned healthcare system in Alabama, consisting of DCH Regional Medical Center, Northport Medical Center and Fayette Medical Center. These facilities are owned by the public, and the system is operated on behalf of the public by the DCH Health System board of directors.

The three regional hospitals, located in Tuscaloosa, Fayette and Northport, are "closed to all but the most critical new patients," according to a Tuesday release. The release said that cybercriminals are limiting the hospitals' abilities to use their computer systems in exchange for an "as-yet unknown payment."

"Our hospitals have implemented our emergency procedures to ensure safe and efficient operations in the event technology dependent on computers is not available," according to the release. "That said, we feel it is in the best interest of patient safety that DCH Regional Medical Center, Northport Medical Center and Fayette Medical Center are closed to all but the most critical new patients. Our staff is caring for the patients who are currently in the hospital, and we have no plans to transfer current patients."

The hospitals said that local ambulances have been instructed to take patients to other hospitals if at all possible. Patients who come to their emergency departments may be transferred to another hospital when they are stabilized, representatives stated.

No further information is currently available. Threatpost has reached out to DCH about how and when the attack started and which specific operations are impacted.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

No need to cut down red and processed meat, study says

Most people can continue to eat red and processed meat as they do now. A major study led by researchers at McMaster and Dalhousie universities has found cutting back has little impact on health.

A panel of international scientists systematically reviewed the evidence and have recommended that most adults should continue to eat their current levels of red and processed meat.

The researchers performed four systematic reviews focused on randomized controlled trials and observational studies looking at the impact of red meat and processed meat consumption on cardiometabolic and cancer outcomes.

In one review of 12 trials with 54,000 people, the researchers did not find statistically significant or an important association between meat consumption and the risk of heart disease, diabetes or cancer.

In three systematic reviews of cohort studies following millions of people, a very small reduction in risk among those who had three fewer servings of red or processed meat a week, but the association was uncertain.

The authors also did a fifth systematic review looking at people's attitudes and health-related values around eating red and processed meats. They found people eat meat because they see it as healthy, they like the taste and they are reluctant to change their diet.

The five systematic reviews, a recommendation and an editorial on the topic were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine today.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Microsoft announced that Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU) will also be made available for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) to allow them to stay secure during the Windows 10 migration process.

[...] SMBs will be able to purchase the ESUs on a per-device basis for the next three years, with the price to increase every year, in three consecutive 12-month increments.

For information on Windows 7 ESU pricing, customers are advised by Microsoft to reach out to their "Account Team CE for pricing and ordering information tailored to specific customer scenarios."

The Windows 7 ESUs were previously only available to large businesses and education customers that had Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Enterprise volume licensing agreements.

"Extended Security Updates (ESU) includes security updates for critical and important issues as defined by Microsoft Security Response Center(MSRC) for a maximum of three years after January 14, 2020," says Microsoft, following the end of support for Windows 7.

"Starting on December 1, 2019, businesses of any size can purchase ESU through the cloud solution provider (CSP) program," added Spataro. "This means that customers can work with their partners to get the security they need while they make their way to Windows 10."

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

In a not-unexpected move, TSMC late on Monday filed a lawsuit against GlobalFoundries, its pure-play foundry rival, accusing the manufacturer of patent infringment. In the suit, a response to a similar suit filed against TSMC by GlobalFoundries just over a month ago, the world's biggest contract maker of semiconductors is accusing its competitor of illegally using its intellectual property in its various photolithography processes. Furthermore, in order to prevent what they see as ongoing infringement, TSMC is also asking for the courts for an injunction against GlobalFoundries, which would essentially halt the latter's manufacturing lines.

[...] In their complaint, TSMC is demanding injunctions against GlobalFoundries, asking the courts to stop GlobalFoundries from making and selling chips using the allegedly infringing technologies. Which, given the broad nature of TSMC's claims, essentially covers all of GlobalFoundries' production lines in some form or another and would seemingly shutter GlobalFoundries manufacturing operations entirely. The company is also seeking "substantial monetary damages" for prior infringement.

Interestingly, if granted, the injunctions would be much broader than what GlobalFoundries asked for against TSMC back in August. Since the case involves US fabs and is being filed in the US (as well as Germany and Singapore), TSMC can seek remedies against GlobalFoundries directly, whereas GlobalFoundries has to seek import injunctions against TSMC's customers since TSMC's manufacturing takes place outside the US.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Greater Tokyo took a major hit earlier this month from Typhoon Faxai, which stopped regional transport and knocked out power in the eastern prefecture of Chiba.

Ever since the hit, some media coverage has highlighted the difficulties Japan has in coping with the disaster. There were delays in restoring lifeline services (electricity and water) and this week attention shifted to the plight of local authorities trying to deal with the debris.

[...] At first glance, Typhoon Faxai's devastation might seem to confirm the argument for regional decentralization versus urban density.

But this disaster is drawing attention to the middle ground between these polarized scenarios. For example, an article in Japan's financial daily news Nikkei argued that a combination of disasters, population decline and aging infrastructure may require a strategic retreat into compact and networked cities.

A similar argument was outlined in much greater detail in a report three years earlier from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Endorsing Japan's 2015 National Spatial Strategy, the OECD highlighted the goal of promoting a compact and networked settlement pattern. The OECD pointed out that striking a balance between centralization and decentralization would help bolster cities without writing off the regions.

Under this strategy, three city-regions (Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya) are seen as vital to national prosperity. Communities outside these metropolitan areas are encouraged to network with them to share health, waterworks, power and other essential services.

There are already indications Typhoon Faxai is accelerating the policies to realize compact and networked cities.

But more action is needed to alleviate the dangerous over-concentration of functions, such as government and business, in the Tokyo area. Typhoons are hardly the only hazard.

For example, forecasts indicate Tokyo is likely to be hit by a major earthquake within the next 30 years. The current effort to move functions out of Tokyo should be expanded.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Teenagers are less likely to cooperate and put effort into their mother's requests when they are said in a controlling tone of voice, researchers have found.

Speaking to a son or daughter in a pressurising tone is also accompanied by a range of negative emotions and less feelings of closeness, a new study has discovered.

The experimental study involving over 1000 adolescents aged 14-15 is the first to examine how subjects respond to the tone of voice when receiving instructions from their mothers, even when the specific words that are used are exactly the same.

Lead author of the study Dr Netta Weinstein, from Cardiff University, said: "If parents want conversations with their teens to have the most benefit, it's important to remember to use supportive tones of voice. It's easy for parents to forget, especially if they are feeling stressed, tired, or pressured themselves."

The study showed that subjects were much more likely to engage with instructions that conveyed a sense of encouragement and support for self-expression and choice.

The results, whilst of obvious interest to parents, could also be of relevance to schoolteachers whose use of more motivational language could impact the learning and well-being of students in their classrooms.

"Adolescents likely feel more cared about and happier, and as a result they try harder at school, when parents and teachers speak in supportive rather than pressuring tones of voice," Dr Weinstein continued.

The new study, published today in the journal Developmental Psychology[*], involved 486 males and 514 females, aged 14-15.

[*] Paywalled

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Intel's Cascade Lake-X CPU for High-End Desktops: 18 cores for Under $1000

With someone in the press having broken their embargo earlier today, Intel is lifting the lid earlier than planned on their upcoming Cascade Lake-X family of processors for the high-end desktop (HEDT) market. Similar to the way Intel's Cascade Lake based Xeon Scalable processors are a further revision of their Skylake Xeons, offering clock speed increases and security fixes in hardware, the new HEDT processors will grant higher frequencies, more memory capacity, and better protection against side-channel attacks. The key numbers however are the big drop in Intel's pricing: Intel will be releasing its 18-core part, the Core i9-10980XE, for under $1000.

This pricing is a significant shift in Intel's strategy, and a number of fingers will be pointed at AMD as having made this happen. Next month AMD is set to launch its 16-core Ryzen 9 3950X at $749, which will offer 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes for slots (+4 for M.2, +4 for chipset) and support for 128 GB of DRAM. So Intel needed something similarly speedy, but with more PCIe lanes and more memory support that they could offer for just a bit more, leading to the 10980XE for $979. Ultimately, the on-shelf price is often just slightly higher than tray price, so don't be surprised if retail prices land at around $1000.

All the CPUs will support 256 GB of quad-channel memory (up from 128 GB), and have 48 PCIe 3.0 lanes (up from 44). Memory speed support is listed as DDR4-2933 for 1 DIMM per channel, and DDR4-2666 for 2 DIMMs per channel. All these CPUs have a TDP of 165 W, which Intel states will help the CPUs to turbo longer under Intel's recommended settings (as we know, consumer motherboard manufacturers like to ignore these anyway). All these CPUs are supported in X299 motherboards.

No 16-core part in the lineup, but there are 14 and 18 cores.

Related: 16-Core Ryzen 9 3950X and 24-core Threadripper 3 Will Launch in November

Original Submission