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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Bytram:

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Spacecraft with graphene sails powered by starlight and lasers:

Coin-sized pieces of graphene can be accelerated by firing low-powered lasers at them in micro-gravity conditions, say scientists. The technology could be a stepping stone to graphene solar sails, which could propel future spacecraft using starlight or a laser array.

The material was developed at SCALE Nanotech, a startup in Estonia and Germany, with the support of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The project, backed by the European Space Agency, is experimenting with graphene to develop prototype light sails.

"Light sailing is the only existing in-space propulsion technology that could allow us to visit other star systems in a human lifespan," the scientists stated in a paper, published in Acta Astronautica. "In order to best harness radiation pressure, light sails need to be highly reflective, lightweight and mechanically robust."

To make these sails, the team crafted an atomically thin 2D film punctured with tiny holes, and covered it with a layer of graphene. Next, they traveled to the ZARM drop tower, a laboratory at the University of Bremen, Germany, that uses a 146-metre steel tube to simulate micro-gravity conditions to test their graphene coins. When the material was dropped inside and floating effectively weightlessly, it was accelerated 1 m/s2 by zapping it with a 1W laser. The photons in the laser light exerted a pressure on the material causing it to move faster and faster.

[...] Santiago Cartamil-Bueno, coauthor of the paper and the leader of the GrapheneSail team at Scale Nanotech, believes "graphene is part of the solution" to developing practical light sails.

Journal Reference:
Rocco Gaudenzia, Davide Stefaniam, Santiago Jose Cartamil-Buenob. "Light-induced propulsion of graphene-on-grid sails in microgravity", Acta Astronautica (DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.03.030)

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

In a study recently published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Dr. Jade Powell and Dr. Bernhard Mueller from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) simulated three core-collapse supernovae using supercomputers from across Australia, including the OzSTAR supercomputer at Swinburne University of Technology. The simulation models—which are 39 times, 20 times and 18 times more massive than our

[..] Core-collapse supernovae are the explosive deaths of massive stars at the end of their lifetime. They are some of the most luminous objects in the universe and are the birthplace of black holes and neutron stars. The gravitational waves detected from these supernovae help scientists better understand the astrophysics of black holes and neutron stars.

[...] To detect a core-collapse supernova in gravitational waves, scientists need to predict what the gravitational wave signal will look like. They use supercomputers to simulate these cosmic explosions to understand their complicated physics. This allows them to predict what the detectors will see when a star explodes and its observable properties.

[...] OzGrav postdoctoral researcher Jade Powell says, "Our models are 39 times, 20 times and 18 times more massive than our sun. The 39-solar mass model is important because it's rotating very rapidly, and most previous long duration core-collapse supernova simulations do not include the effects of rotation."

The two most massive models produce energetic explosions powered by the neutrinos, but the smallest model did not explode. Stars that do not explode emit lower amplitude gravitational waves, but the frequency of their gravitational waves lies in the most sensitive range of gravitational wave detectors.

[...] The rapidly rotating model showed large gravitational-wave amplitudes that would make the exploding star detectable almost 6.5 million light years away by the next generation of gravitational-wave detectors, like the Einstein Telescope.

Journal Reference:
Jade Powell et al. "Three-dimensional core-collapse supernova simulations of massive and rotating progenitors", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2020). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/staa1048

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for TurkeyWaddle:

Thunderbolt flaw lets hackers steal your data in 'five minutes':

Attackers can steal data from Thunderbolt-equipped PCs or Linux computers, even if the computer is locked and the data encrypted, according to security researcher Björn Ruytenberg (via Wired). Using a relatively simple technique called "Thunderspy," someone with physical access to your machine could nab your data in just five minutes with a screwdriver and "easily portable hardware," he wrote.

Thunderbolt offers extremely fast transfer speeds by giving devices direct access to your PC's memory, which also creates a number of vulnerabilities. Researchers previously thought those weaknesses (dubbed Thunderclap), could be mitigated by disallowing access to untrusted devices or disabling Thunderbolt altogether but allowing DisplayPort and USB-C access.

However, Ruytenberg's attack method could get around even those settings by changing the firmware that controls the Thunderbolt port, allowing any device to access it. What's more, the hack leaves no trace, so the user would never know their PC was altered.

[...] The attack only requires about $400 worth of gear, including an SPI programmer and $200 Thunderbolt peripheral. The whole thing could be built into a single small device. "Three-letter agencies would have no problem miniaturizing this," Ruytenberg said.

Intel recently created a Thunderbolt security system called Kernel Direct Memory Access Protection that would stop Ruytenberg's Thunderspy attack. However, that protection is only available on computers made in 2019 and later, so it's lacking in any models manufactured prior to that. In addition, many PCs manufactured in 2019 and later from Dell, HP and Lenovo aren't protected, either. This vulnerability might explain why Microsoft didn't include Thunderbolt in its Surface laptops.

Apple computers running macOS are unaffected by the vulnerability unless you're running Boot Camp, according to Ruytenberg.

Intel's official response appears in this blog post.

See Spycheck to test if your system is vulnerable.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their colleagues at the University of Maryland have developed a step-by-step recipe to produce the atomic-scale devices. Using these instructions, the NIST-led team has become only the second in the world to construct a single-atom transistor and the first to fabricate a series of single electron transistors with atom-scale control over the devices' geometry.

[...] Precise control over quantum tunneling is key because it enables the transistors to become "entangled" or interlinked in a way only possible through quantum mechanics and opens new possibilities for creating quantum bits (qubits) that could be used in quantum computing.

To fabricate single-atom and few-atom transistors, the team relied on a known technique in which a silicon chip is covered with a layer of hydrogen atoms, which readily bind to silicon. The fine tip of a scanning tunneling microscope then removed hydrogen atoms at selected sites. The remaining hydrogen acted as a barrier so that when the team directed phosphine gas (PH₃) at the silicon surface, individual PH₃ molecules attached only to the locations where the hydrogen had been removed (see animation). The researchers then heated the silicon surface. The heat ejected hydrogen atoms from the PH₃ and caused the phosphorus atom that was left behind to embed itself in the surface. With additional processing, bound phosphorous atoms created the foundation of a series of highly stable single- or few-atom devices that have the potential to serve as qubits.

hubie writes:

The major drivers in long-term climate models are water and air contamination (through the effects of greenhouse gases), and deforestation. Quite a bit of hay and discussion has been made about the level of contribution of the former, but what is not in dispute is the latter. Between 2000 and 2012, 2.3 million km^2 of forests were cut down, which amounts to 2 × 10^5 Km2 per year. At this rate all the forests would disappear approximatively in 100–200 years. A couple of mathematical biologists considered only the deforestation part and modeled the survivability of our species given the rate of the disappearance of the forests. Their results were not very promising.

In conclusion our model shows that a catastrophic collapse in human population, due to resource consumption, is the most likely scenario of the dynamical evolution based on current parameters. Adopting a combined deterministic and stochastic model we conclude from a statistical point of view that the probability that our civilisation survives itself is less than 10% in the most optimistic scenario. Calculations show that, maintaining the actual rate of population growth and resource consumption, in particular forest consumption, we have a few decades left before an irreversible collapse of our civilisation (see Fig. 5). Making the situation even worse, we stress once again that it is unrealistic to think that the decline of the population in a situation of strong environmental degradation would be a non-chaotic and well-ordered decline. This consideration leads to an even shorter remaining time.

They also note that according to the Kardashev scale, a Type II civilization needs to be able to harness the total energy output of their star to be able to spread across their own stellar system. Our civilization is many orders of magnitude away from that point and it looks like we are exhausting all of our available resources before achieving that technological level. If you believe the mediocrity principle applies, then perhaps the answer to the Fermi paradox question of "where is everybody?" is simply "they are all dead."

Journal Reference
Bologna, M., Aquino, G. "Deforestation and world population sustainability: a quantitative analysis", Scientific Reports 10, 7631 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63657-6

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for guy_:

Washington in talks with chipmakers about building U.S. factories:

(Reuters) - The Trump administration is in talks with semiconductor companies about building chip factories in the United States, representatives from two chipmakers said on Sunday.

Intel Corp (INTC.O) is in discussions with the United States Department of Defense over improving domestic sources for microelectronics and related technology, Intel spokesman William Moss said in an emailed statement.

"Intel is well positioned to work with the U.S. government to operate a U.S.-owned commercial foundry and supply a broad range of secure microelectronics", the statement added.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) (2330.TW), on the other hand, has been in talks with the U.S. Department of Commerce about building a U.S. factory but said it has not made a final decision yet.

"We are actively evaluating all the suitable locations, including in the U.S., but there is no concrete plan yet", TSMC spokeswoman Nina Kao said in a statement.

[...] The Trump administration's discussions with chipmakers were reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal, with the report adding that TSMC also has been talking with Apple Inc (AAPL.O), one of its largest customers, about building a chip factory in the United States.

[...] The Journal had also reported that U.S. officials are looking at helping South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co (005930.KS), which has a chip factory in Austin, Texas, to expand its contract-manufacturing operations in the United States.

The U.S. Commerce Department, Samsung and Apple did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday.

Original Submission

NPC-131072 writes:

From Science Alert

In the early morning of 30 June 1908, something exploded over Siberia. The event shattered the normal stillness of the sparsely populated taiga, so powerful that it flattened an area of forest 2,150 square kilometres (830 square miles) in size - felling an estimated 80 million trees.

[...] It is often referred to as the "largest impact event in recorded history", even though no impact crater was found. Later searches have turned up fragments of rock that could be meteoric in origin, but the event still has a looming question mark. Was it really a bolide? And if it wasn't, what could it be?

Well, it's possible we'll never actually know... but according to a recent peer-reviewed paper, a large iron asteroid entering Earth's atmosphere and skimming the planet at a relatively low altitude before flying back into space could have produced the effects of the Tunguska event by producing a shock wave that devastated the surface.

Original Submission

We have had several submissions in the past couple of days about the Ferguson code.

For those that don't know - the Ferguson code, also known as the Ferguson Model or the Imperial College Model, is the epidemiology prediction software and the underlying model upon which the UK government is basing all its decisions relating to combating CV-19.

It appears that there is some question about the accuracy of the model and the repeatability of its predictions.

Thanks to NPC-131072, FatPhil, and nutherguy for their submissions. Details begin below the fold.

Programming Languages: Python Developers Reveal What They Use It For And Their Top Tools:

Data science is often cited as one of the main reasons for Python's growing popularity. But while people are definitely using Python for data analysis and machine learning, not many of those using Python actually identify their role as data scientist in the Python Software Foundation's (PSF) new 2019 developer survey, which was carried out by IDE-maker JetBrains.

[...] The survey is based on responses from 24,000 Python developers from 150 countries.

[...] The order hasn't changed this year, with data analysis remaining Python's top purpose at 59%, followed by web development at 51%, and machine learning at 40%.

Other major applications of Python include DevOps and system administration (39%), programming web tools like crawlers (37%), software testing (31%), education (26%), software prototyping (25%), network programming (21%), desktop development (18%), computer graphics (14%), embedded system development (8%), game development (7%) and mobile development (6%).

However, at 28%, web development remains the top purpose when respondents were asked what they used Python for the most. It is followed by data analysis (18%), machine learning (13%), and DevOps, and system administration (9%).

[...] Which cloud platform do Python developers prefer most? Not surprisingly, Amazon Web Services dominates with a share of 55%, followed by Google Cloud Platform with a 33% share.

A further 22% of Python developers use DigitalOcean, and 20% use Heroku. Microsoft Azure comes in at fifth place with a 19% share while 12% use PythonAnywhere.

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for SoyCow2736:

France is using AI to check whether people are wearing masks on public transport:

France is integrating new AI tools into security cameras in the Paris metro system to check whether passengers are wearing face masks.

The software, which has already been deployed elsewhere in the country, began a three-month trial in the central Chatelet-Les Halles station of Paris this week, reports Bloomberg. French startup DatakaLab, which created the program, says the goal is not to identify or punish individuals who don’t wear masks, but to generate anonymous statistical data that will help authorities anticipate future outbreaks of COVID-19.

“We are just measuring this one objective,” DatakaLab CEO Xavier Fischer told The Verge. “The goal is just to publish statistics of how many people are wearing masks every day.”

The pilot is one of a number of measures cities around the world are introducing as they begin to ease lockdown measures and allow people to return to work. Although France, like the US, initially discouraged citizens from wearing masks, the country has now made them mandatory on public transport. It’s even considering introducing fines of €135 ($145) for anyone found not wearing a mask on the subway, trains, buses, or taxis.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Russia's space agency on Sunday confirmed one of its rockets used in past launches and floating in space has broken down, leaving debris in orbit.

The agency said the Fregat-SB upper stage rocket was used to deliver the Russian scientific satellite Spektr-R to orbit in 2011.

"The breakdown happened on May 8 2020" between 0500 and 0600GMT, above the Indian ocean, the agency said in a statement.

"Currently we are working to collect data to confirm the quantity and orbit parameters of the fragments," it said.

Wkipedia entry on the Spektr-R.

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

High-frequency audio could be used to stealthily track netizens

Technical folks looking to improve web privacy haven't been able to decide whether sound beyond the range of human hearing poses enough of a privacy risk to merit restriction.

People can generally hear audio frequencies ranging from 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz, though individual hearing ranges vary. Audio frequencies below and above the threshold of human hearing are known as infrasound and ultrasound, respectively.

[...] A warning from America's trade watchdog, the FTC, in 2016 and research published the following year identifying 234 Android apps listening covertly for ultrasound beacons, helped discourage inaudible tracking.

Several of the companies called out for these privacy-invading practices, such as SilverPush, have moved on to other sorts of services. But the ability to craft code that communicates silently with mobile devices through inaudible sound remains a possibility, both for native apps and web apps. Computer security researchers continue to find novel ways to use inaudible audio for data exfiltration. And ultrasound is still used for legitimate operations – Google's Cast app, for example, relies on an ultrasonic token when pairing with a nearby Chromecast.

[...] Weiler raised the subject three weeks ago – one element in a larger debate about reducing the fingerprinting surface of the Web Audio API. And last week, the discussion thread was closed by Raymond Toy, a Google software engineer and co-chair of the W3C's Audio Working Group.

Toy argued that if a developer is allowed to use a specific audio sampling rate, no additional permission should be required – few users enjoy dealing with permission prompts, after all. And other web developers participating in the debate expressed concern that limiting available frequency ranges could introduce phase shifting or latency and that there's no sensible lower or upper threshold suitable for everyone.

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for nutherguy:

Alien life could be growing in more places than we realised, study suggests:

Alien life could flourish in many more kinds of environment than we had previously realised, a new study has suggested.

In the new research, scientists found that microorganisms could survive and grow in an atmosphere made entirely of hydrogen. That suggests the same could be happening elsewhere in the universe, the researchers indicate, and that alien life could be growing in similar places.

Away from Earth, there are many exoplanets that are much bigger than our planet and have large amounts of hydrogen in their atmosphere. Those atmosphere tend to extend more than those that are similar to our atmosphere, meaning they are easier to see through the telescopes we use to scour the universe for alien planets.

[...] Researchers hope that if such microorganisms are growing on other planets, they may one day be detectable from Earth. They tend to produce a huge variety of gases, which could eventually become thick enough on their home planets that we would be able to spot them from across the universe, they suggest.

The discovery also shows how experiments in labs on Earth could help illuminate the search for alien life on other planets, they write in the study.

The paper, 'Laboratory studies on the viability of life in H2-dominated exoplanet atmospheres', is published in Nature Astronomy.

Original Submission

canopic jug writes:

System adminsitrator Chris Siebenmann has found Modern versions of systemd can cause an unmount storm during shutdowns:

One of my discoveries about Ubuntu 20.04 is that my test machine can trigger the kernel's out of memory killing during shutdown. My test virtual machine has 4 GB of RAM and 1 GB of swap, but it also has 347 NFS[*] mounts, and after some investigation, what appears to be happening is that in the 20.04 version of systemd (systemd 245 plus whatever changes Ubuntu has made), systemd now seems to try to run umount for all of those filesystems all at once (which also starts a umount.nfs process for each one). On 20.04, this is apparently enough to OOM[**] my test machine.

[...] Unfortunately, so far I haven't found a way to control this in systemd. There appears to be no way to set limits on how many unmounts systemd will try to do at once (or in general how many units it will try to stop at once, even if that requires running programs). Nor can we readily modify the mount units, because all of our NFS mounts are done through shell scripts by directly calling mount; they don't exist in /etc/fstab or as actual .mount units.

[*] NFS: Network File System
[**] OOM Out of memory.

We've been here before and there is certainly more where that came from.

Previously:
(2020) Linux Home Directory Management is About to Undergo Major Change
(2019) System Down: A systemd-journald Exploit
(2017) Savaged by Systemd
(2017) Linux systemd Gives Root Privileges to Invalid Usernames
(2016) Systemd Crashing Bug
(2015) tmux Coders Asked to Add Special Code for systemd
(2016) SystemD Mounts EFI pseudo-fs RW, Facilitates Permanently Bricking Laptops, Closes Bug Invalid
(2015) A Technical Critique of Systemd
(2014) Devuan Developers Can Be Reached Via vua@debianfork.org
(2014) Systemd-resolved Subject to Cache Poisoning

Original Submission

martyb writes:

First off, on behalf of myself and the staff here at SoylentNews, here's wishing all the Moms out there a Happy Mother's Day! (For all mine did for me, I think it should last at least a month!) [Update: apparently this is for the USA; other countries have other dates. The sentiment, however, remains the same!)

Also, I hereby express the best possible wishes for our entire community as we try to navigate a path through the COVID-19 pandemic. Take the precautions you deem necessary to protect yourself, your loved ones, and all you meet. Please be careful out there!

Should you, or someone you know, be suffering at this time — be it from COVID-19 or any other reason — I can attest to the support I received from the community when I had a health-related situation last fall. You guys (and gals!) are the best!

Folding@Home: Our Folding@Home (F@H) team keeps chugging along! Historically, the F@H effort had been geared towards understanding Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's disease, cancer and the like. People donate their unused processing power (CPUs and and video cards) to perform simulations of how proteins fold. This, in turn, helps locate a way to interfere with the progression of a disease. For the past few months, the focus has shifted to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In concert with that, there has been a huge increase in hardware donated to the cause. So, though our team rank has recently been slipping in the overall standings, I'm happy to report it's from the huge outpouring of support from around the world being brought to the cause.

Top place on our team is held by cmn3280 with just over 300 million points. Next we have LTKKane who just passed 222 million points. And not to be outdone, Runaway1956 has been running hard and is on the cusp of reaching 200 million points (and adding about 1.5 million points per day!) Pop into the #folding channel on IRC (Internet Relay Chat) or reply to this story if you'd like to join our team!

Read past the fold for info about the "Silly Season", subscriptions, site server issues, and plans.