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martyb writes:

How stable is deep ocean circulation in warmer climate? Altered circulation might have cooled northern areas of North America and Europe

If circulation of deep waters in the Atlantic stops or slows due to climate change, it could cause cooling in northern North America and Europe – a scenario that has occurred during past cold glacial periods.

Now, a Rutgers coauthored study suggests that short-term disruptions of deep ocean circulation [also] occurred during warm interglacial periods in the last 450,000 years, and may happen again.

Ironically, melting of the polar ice sheet in the Arctic region in a warmer world, resulting in more fresh water entering the ocean and altering circulation, might have caused previous coolings.

[...] The study, published in the journal Science and led by scientists at the University of Bergen in Norway, follows a 2014 study on the same topic.

"These findings suggest that our climate system, which depends greatly on deep ocean circulation, is critically poised near a tipping point for abrupt disruptions," said coauthor Yair Rosenthal, a distinguished professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. "Although the disruptions in circulation and possible coolings may be relatively short-lived – lasting maybe a century or more – the consequences might be large."

The warm North Atlantic Current -- the northernmost part of the Gulf Stream -- flows into the Greenland Sea. It becomes progressively colder and saltier due to heat loss to the air, eventually sinking and forming the North Atlantic Deep Water formation -- a mass of deep, cold water that flows southward. Melting of the polar ice sheet in the Arctic region would result in more fresh water entering the ocean and disrupting that circulation pattern, potentially causing cooling in northern areas of Europe and North America.

[...] The latest study covers three other warm interglacial periods within the past 450,000 years. During all of them, regardless of the degree of global warming, the scientists found similar century-long disruptions of the North Atlantic Deep Water formation. And they found that such disruptions are more easily achieved than once believed and took place in climate conditions similar to those we may soon face with global warming.

Journal Reference:
Eirik Vinje Galaasen, Ulysses S. Ninnemann, Augustin Kessler, et al. Interglacial instability of North Atlantic Deep Water ventilation. Science, 2020 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay6381

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Eight and a half years into its grand tour of the solar system, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft was ready for another encounter. It was Jan. 24, 1986, and soon it would meet the mysterious seventh planet, icy-cold Uranus.

Over the next few hours, Voyager 2 flew within 50,600 miles (81,433 kilometers) of Uranus' cloud tops, collecting data that revealed two new rings, 11 new moons and temperatures below minus 353 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 214 degrees Celsius). The dataset is still the only up-close measurements we have ever made of the planet.

Three decades later, scientists reinspecting that data found one more secret.

Unbeknownst to the entire space physics community, 34 years ago Voyager 2 flew through a plasmoid, a giant magnetic bubble that may have been whisking Uranus's atmosphere out to space. The finding, reported in Geophysical Research Letters, raises new questions about the planet's one-of-a-kind magnetic environment.

[...] Readings from inside the plasmoid — as Voyager 2 flew through it — hinted at its origins. Whereas some plasmoids have a twisted internal magnetic field, DiBraccio and Gershman observed smooth, closed magnetic loops. Such loop-like plasmoids are typically formed as a spinning planet flings bits of its atmosphere to space. "Centrifugal forces take over, and the plasmoid pinches off," Gershman said. According to their estimates, plasmoids like that one could account for between 15 and 55% of atmospheric mass loss at Uranus, a greater proportion than either Jupiter or Saturn. It may well be the dominant way Uranus sheds its atmosphere to space.

How has plasmoid escape changed Uranus over time? With only one set of observations, it's hard to say.

"Imagine if one spacecraft just flew through this room and tried to characterize the entire Earth," DiBraccio said. "Obviously it's not going to show you anything about what the Sahara or Antarctica is like."

But the findings help focus new questions about the planet. The remaining mystery is part of the draw. "It's why I love planetary science," DiBraccio said. "You're always going somewhere you don't really know."

More information: Gina A. DiBraccio et al. Voyager 2 constraints on plasmoid‐based transport at Uranus, Geophysical Research Letters (2019). DOI: 10.1029/2019GL083909

Original Submission

martyb writes:

Microsoft staff giggle beneath the weight of a 52,000-person Reply-All email storm:

Team Redmond stokes the flames as an exercise in black humor

[...] Microsoft is right now groaning under the weight of a 52,000-person internal Reply-All email storm.

The Register understands this one started with a new offer from Microsoft's internal store about discount software deals. While that offer was generous, it didn't apply to all Microsoft staff everywhere, which prompted an early Reply-All message asking why not. And then the snowball started rolling, and nothing could stop it.

We understand the mail went throughout Microsoft – enterprise, cloud and even Xbox folks found it in their inboxes.

Our Microsoft sources tell us staff are now hitting Reply All for the sheer fun of it, posting frivolous messages that celebrate the ridiculousness of the situation.

Laughter is the best medicine?

Original Submission

DannyB writes:

10 Most(ly dead) Influential Programming Languages:

The other day I read 20 most significant programming languages in history, a "preposterous table I just made up." He certainly got preposterous right: he lists Go as "most significant" but not ALGOL, Smalltalk, or ML. He also leaves off Pascal because it's "mostly dead". Preposterous! That defeats the whole point of what "significant in history" means.

So let's talk about some "mostly dead" languages and why they matter so much.

Disclaimer: Yeah not all of these are dead and not all of these are forgotten. Like most people have heard of Smalltalk, right? Also there's probably like a billion mistakes in this, because when you're doing a survey of 60 years of computing history you're gonna get some things wrong. Feel free to yell at me if you see anything!

Disclaimer 2: Yeah I know some of these are "first to invent" and others are "first to popularize". History is complicated!

^<no-sarcasm>
If there were one perfect language we would all be using it already.
_{</no-sarcasm>}

Recently:
(2020-03-11) Top 7 Dying Programming Languages to Avoid Studying in 2019-2020

Original Submission

martyb writes:

Coronavirus: Six heartening stories you may have missed:

It's been just over two weeks since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak, which first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December, a global pandemic.

[...] Infections, the rates of which have accelerated since the outbreak began, have touched nearly every corner of the world and prompted unprecedented and widespread travel restrictions and business closures that threaten a global recession. At least three billion people, including India's 1.3 billion population, have been ordered to stay home.

Even as new cases in China have dropped dramatically, leading to the easing of many restrictions, places such as Italy, Spain, Iran, and the United States have become new hot spots for the virus, for which there is no vaccine or proven treatment.

[...] WHO launches global trial of possible treatments

The WHO launched a global trial to quickly assess the most promising treatments for the virus and the disease it causes. The organisation is currently looking at four drugs or drug combinations that were developed for other illnesses and are already approved for human use and could be made widely available.

[...] UK call for volunteers exceeds expectations

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday night called for 250,000 volunteers to help deliver groceries and medicine to the most vulnerable citizens who have been ordered to self-isolate.

Within 24 hours, more than 400,000 people had signed up. That number soon rose to more than half a million, according to the BBC - larger than Britain's armed forces, which currently stand at just over 192,000.

[...] Air pollution drops

A silver lining of countries locking down across the planet, grinding transport and most industry to halt, has been a marked decline in air pollution.

Satellite imagery has shown pollution in China plummeting as large swaths of the country shut down at the height of the outbreak there.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) on Wednesday confirmed that the concentration of pollutants, in particular nitrogen dioxide, which is largely caused by road transport, recently massively declined in Europe "especially in major cities under lockdown measures".

[...] Italy coronavirus outbreak 'peak' may soon be reached

Italy has so far recorded more than 8,000 deaths and over 80,000 infections.

On Saturday, Italy recorded its highest daily death toll of 793 new fatalities from COVID-19.

However, since then the daily toll, while remaining high, has not surpassed that number. Daily new cases have also leveled off.

[...] US hospitals prepare to use blood plasma as treatment

[...] The US Food and Drug Administration said it is expediting approving the use of recovered patients' plasma to treat the newly infected.

When a person gets infected by a particular virus, the body starts making specially designed proteins called antibodies to fight the infection. After the person recovers, those antibodies float in survivors' blood - specifically in the plasma, the liquid part of blood - for months, even years.

Injecting the plasma into another infected patient could boost the body's ability to fight the infection, lessening the severity of the disease and freeing up hospital resources.

[...] Cuban doctors sent to help overwhelmed Italian health system

Cuba has dispatched a brigade of doctors and nurses to Italy to aid in the fight against coronavirus, following a request from the worst-affected Lombardy region.

[...] Cuba has sent its "armies of white robes" to disaster sites around the world since its 1959 revolution. However, the 52-strong brigade of medical personnel represents the first time Cuba has sent an emergency contingent to Italy, which has been brought to its knees by the pandemic, despite being one of the world's richest countries.

Original Submission

martyb writes:

Foods you can freeze besides meat and produce:

A freezer can be a highly useful appliance in your kitchen. You probably already use it to store staples such as frozen veggies and ground beef. However, you may have wondered about other items, especially if you're stocking up to shelter at home to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus. Can you freeze milk, for instance? What about eggs and cheese?

As you'll see, there are several dry and refrigerated pantry items you can freeze too.

[...] All foods will last indefinitely in a frozen state. However, the food is only as fresh as the state it was in prior to freezing. Once it defrosts, it must be used as soon as possible. In general, frozen food will keep for three months in a standard home freezer. The FDA has specific recommendations for the shelf life for foods, but if you aren't using your frozen goods within three months, you're probably buying too much.

[...] According to the USDA, you can freeze almost any food. However, some foods don't freeze well; apples and pears will turn mushy when defrosted, cream sauces will separate and raw tomatoes will never be the same (but you can still put them in sauces).

Fortunately, there are many foods that freeze and defrost beautifully. So, go ahead and stock up on these 10 pantry staples you can freeze:

There are caveats and cautions listed with several of these items, so be sure to read the source article for details before proceeding! The items listed are:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Butter
• Bread
• Flour
• Chocolate
• Fresh herbs
• Cooked rice and pasta
• Nuts

Original Submission

[Ed. note: This is the 40,000th story submission to SoylentNews.org (Thanks everyone!) --martyb]

DannyB writes:

Microsoft Defender for Linux is coming. This is what you need to know:

Microsoft's security tools extend beyond the company's own platforms. While the ambition for Defender for Linux is broad, the first preview is aimed just at servers and does less than on Windows.

[...] When Defender came to macOS as well as Windows, Microsoft announced that the name of the software was changing, from Windows Defender to Microsoft Defender. Hidden in the presentation was a hint about the future: a Linux laptop with a penguin sticker on. Now Microsoft Defender ATP for Linux in is in public preview for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7+, CentOS Linux 7+, Ubuntu 16 LTS or higher, SLES 12+, Debian 9+, and Oracle Enterprise Linux 7. But what does it actually protect those OSes from?

Microsoft already has Linux malware detection in the Defender agents on Windows and Mac, because files get moved from one device to another and you want to catch malware wherever it is -- ideally before it gets onto a vulnerable system. If you're using WSL, Defender already protects you against threats like infected npm packages that try to install cryptominers.

[...] For smartphones, Microsoft seems likely to concentrate on phishing, and not just in email but potentially in messaging apps too.

[...] "But then let's move past endpoints -- let's talk about your whole estate, all of your users and all of your data and all of your communication tools inside of one threat protection environment."

Rest assured that this is guaranteed to have the same quality, security and stability that you have come to expect from the Microsoft brand name. Count on it!

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Human activities have massively changed the Earth over centuries. While Central Europe was covered by dense primeval forests in ancient times, today, farmland, meadows and managed forests dominate the countryside. Humans have transformed natural landscapes into cultural landscapes and many wild animals disappeared, while others found new ecological niches. Bats were particularly successful in the latter process. As so-called cultural successors, many species were able to survive in modern environments, finding shelter in buildings and feeding above arable land and managed forests. But what is the secret of their success? Are they particularly efficient hunters?

To verify this, a research team from Leibniz-IZW equipped two groups of the Common noctule with sensors that recorded the both spatial position and echolocations calls at the place of the tagged bat. From acoustic recordings of special hunting calls, so-called "feeding buzzes," the authors deduced when and where the bats preyed on insects. In addition, the recording of the acoustic environment made it possible to determine whether other bats were present. Individuals of the first population hunted for insects in an area north of Berlin, which is characterized by large wheat, rape[seed] and corn fields. Individuals of the second population went in search of food southeast of Berlin over an area dominated by pine forest. In both areas, bats showed two flight patterns—commuting flight and the small-scale search flight, in which the animals zigzagged around in above a small area. When hunting over the forest, the bats regularly emitted feeding buzzes, both during commuting flight and during small-scale search flight, regardless of whether other bats were around. Apparently, they were successful as individual hunters. Above farmland, however, commuting bats did not emit feeding buzzes. Only after encountering a conspecific, they switched to the small-scale search flight, which was accompanied by many hunting calls.

The conclusion of the scientists: Above farmland, prey is presumably rare and only found in larger numbers at a few places—for example, on hedges or ditches. This is why bats eavesdropped on their fellow bats when foraging above farmland. When they recognized a successful hunt by the feeding calls of their neighbor, they joined the group of hunting conspecifics and switched to small-scale search flights in order to effectively feed on the swarm of insects they had tracked down. Over forests, on the other hand, there is likely to be more prey, which may also be more evenly distributed. Here the animals were successful even without eavesdropping.

More information:
Manuel Roeleke et al. Landscape structure influences the use of social information in an insectivorous bat, Oikos (2020). DOI: 10.1111/oik.07158

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for SoyCow8162:

An enterprise SSD flaw will brick hardware after exactly 40,000 hours:

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has warned that certain SSD drives could fail catastrophically if buyers don't take action soon. Due to a firmware bug, the products in question will be bricked exactly 40,000 hours (four years, 206 days and 16 hours) after the SSD has entered service. "After the SSD failure occurs, neither the SSD nor the data can be recovered," the company warned in a customer service bulletin.

[...] The drives in question are 800GB and 1.6TB SAS models and storage products listed in the service bulletin here. It applies to any products with HPD7 or earlier firmware. HPE also includes instructions on how to update the firmware and check the total time on the drive to best plan an upgrade. According to HPE, the drives could start failing as early as October this year.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Sharp will acquire two-thirds of NEC Display Solutions (NDS) and form a joint venture to take the two companies' products to market.

NDS makes LCD displays, professional projectors, and digital cinema products and solutions. The company has a sales of 63.2 billion yen ($571m) but has struggled in recent years as margins for displays have shrunk amid growing competition.

Sharp makes sensors and camera modules, as well as some panels for Apple's iPhones. The Osaka-based firm was bought by Foxconn owner, Honn Hai, in 2016 for $3.8bn after years of heavy losses.

In a trading update, Sharp said it was acquiring NEC's display business due to its strength in the European and North American markets. Sharp reckons that the combined business will benefit from scale and cross-selling, which will help its 5G-capable 8K screens find more buyers.

"This joint venture between Sharp and NEC Display Solutions will bring even greater value and benefits to customers and partners by extending our state-of-the-art product portfolios together with a range of professional service offerings," said president of NDS, Hisatsugu Nakatani.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for SoyCow8162:

Chinese digital spying is becoming more aggressive, researchers say:

FireEye, a US cybersecurity firm, says that it has seen a concerning spike in activity from what appears to be a Chinese hacking group called APT41. The attacks are being deployed against companies in the US, Canada, the UK and several other counties, which is atypical of Chinese hackers' typical strategy of focusing on a few particular targets. According to FireEye's report, the group is exploiting software flaws in applications and hardware developed by Cisco, Citrix and others to gain access to target companies' networks and download files via FTP, among other strategies. According to the firm, the attacks began on January 20th, dipped during the Chinese New Year celebrations and COVID-19 quarantine measures and are now back at full scale, affecting 75 of FireEye's customers.

[...] Chinese government contractors carrying out cyber attacks is nothing new, but the scope of these current initiatives is concerning. Companies in about 20 countries are being targeted, and APT41 is carrying out subsequent attacks frequently: "This activity is one of the most widespread campaigns we have seen from China-nexus espionage actors in recent years," says FireEye. "This new activity from this group shows how resourceful and how quickly they can leverage newly disclosed vulnerabilities to their advantage." Whether the attackers are purposely taking advantage of a reduced cybersecurity workforce during the coronavirus pandemic or the timing is just a coincidence remains to be determined.

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

Google Play, the company's official repository for Android apps, has once again been caught hosting fraudulent and potentially malicious apps, with the discovery of more than 56 apps—many of them for children—that were installed on almost 1.7 million devices.

Tekya is a family of malware that generates fraudulent clicks on ads and banners delivered by agencies including Google's AdMob, AppLovin', Facebook, and Unity. To give the clicks the air of authenticity, the well-obfuscated code causes infected devices to use Android's "MotionEvent" mechanism to imitate legitimate user actions. At the time that researchers from security firm Check Point discovered them, the apps went undetected by VirusTotal and Google Play Protect. Twenty-four of the apps that contained Tekya were marketed to children. Google removed all 56 of the apps after Check Point reported them.

The discovery "highlights once again that the Google Play Store can still host malicious apps," Check Point researchers Israel Wernik, Danil Golubenko, and Aviran Hazum wrote in a post published on Tuesday. "There are nearly 3 million apps available from the store, with hundreds of new apps being uploaded daily–making it difficult to check that every single app is safe. Thus, users cannot rely on Google Play's security measures alone to ensure their devices are protected."

To make the malicious behavior harder to detect, the apps were written in native Android code—typically in the C and C++ programming languages. Android apps usually use Java to implement logic. The interface of that language provides developers with the ease of accessing multiple layers of abstraction. Native code, by contrast, is implemented in a much lower level. While Java can easily be decompiled—a process that converts binaries back into human-readable source code—it's much harder to do this with native code.

Source: ArsTechnica

Original Submission

Fnord666 brings us the following story from ArsTechnica:

"Network-centric warfare" is the hot concept in modern military thinking—soldiers fighting not just with weapons but within a web of sensors and computation, giving them and their commanders superior awareness of the battlefield. But the problems this approach was conceived to solve are timeless. I'm here, the enemy is out there somewhere. How do I find them? How do I keep track of them? Once the battle has started, how do I know where to move? Heck, how do I even keep track of my own people?

Long before IoT concepts littered the world, the navies of the early 20th century were among the first to take a systematic approach to answering these questions. Sail had given way to steam and European colonies had metastasized around the world. Warships were moving faster and required coordination across greater distances than ever. Meanwhile, telegraphs and radio allowed instant communications at previously unheard-of distances. All of this combined to create a revolution in how navies used information.

The article is an interesting vision into naval battlefield information and how it has evolved over the past two centuries.

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

From ArsTechnica:

A recently discovered hack of home and small-office routers is redirecting users to malicious sites that pose as COVID-19 informational resources in an attempt to install malware that steals passwords and cryptocurrency credentials, researchers said on Wednesday.

A post published by security firm Bitdefender said the compromises are hitting Linksys routers, although BleepingComputer, which reported the attack two days ago, said the campaign also targets D-Link devices.

It remains unclear how attackers are compromising the routers. The researchers, citing data collected from Bitdefender security products, suspect that the hackers are guessing passwords used to secure routers' remote management console when that feature is turned on. Bitdefender also hypothesized that compromises may be carried out by guessing credentials for users' Linksys cloud accounts.

The router compromises allow attackers to designate the DNS servers [that] connected devices use. DNS servers use the Internet domain name system to translate domain names into IP addresses so that computers can find the location of sites or servers users are trying to access. By sending devices to DNS servers that provide fraudulent lookups, attackers can redirect people to malicious sites that serve malware or attempt to phish passwords.

[...] To prevent attacks on routers, the devices should have remote administration turned off whenever possible. In the event this feature is absolutely necessary, it should be used only by experienced users and protected by a strong password. Cloud accounts—which also make it possible to remotely administer routers—should follow the same guidelines. Moreover, people should frequently ensure that router firmware is up-to-date.

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

A state government that infringes someone's copyright doesn't have to worry about getting sued, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday. The high court held that federalism trumps copyright law, effectively giving states a free pass.

The case pitted a North Carolina videographer, Frederick Allen, against the state of North Carolina. The state was the legal owner of a famous shipwreck, the Queen Anne's Revenge. It was the flagship of legendary pirate Blackbeard until it ran aground off the coast of North Carolina in 1718. A company discovered the wreck in 1996 and got a contract from the state to do recovery work. The company hired Allen to document those efforts with photos and videos.

Allen spent more than a decade documenting the recovery operation, and he retained copyright protection for his work. But North Carolina published some of his photos on its website without permission. Eventually, the state agreed to pay Allen $15,000 in compensation. But then North Carolina published his work online a second time without permission, and Allen sued.

The Tar Heel state argued that Allen's lawsuit should be dismissed under the principle of sovereign immunity. Since the 1990s, a series of Supreme Court rulings has severely limited the ability of individuals to sue state governments.

Source: ArsTechnica

Original Submission