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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for RandomFactor:

no soylents were surprised

Paper blaming COVID-19 on 5G technology withdrawn:

A paper which argued that 5G cellphone technology could lead to infection with the novel coronavirus has been retracted, but not before scientific sleuth Elisabeth Bik wondered whether it was the "worst paper of 2020."

The article, "5G Technology and induction of coronavirus in skin cells," came from a group from Italy, the United States and Russia, and appeared in theJournal of Biological Regulators and Homeostatic Agents. The journal is published by Biolife, which asserts that it's peer reviewed but has not responded to a request for comment.

The abstract is now marked "WITHDRAWN" on PubMed and the paper has disappeared from the journal's website. The abstract has been preserved here.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for RandomFactor:

Tandem catalytic system efficiently converts carbon dioxide to methanol:

Converting carbon dioxide to methanol, a potentially renewable alternative fuel, offers an opportunity to simultaneously form an alternative fuel and cut down on carbon dioxide emissions.

Inspired by naturally occurring processes, a team of Boston College chemists used a multi-catalyst system to convert carbon dioxide to methanol at the lowest temperatures reported with high activity and selectivity, the researchers reported in a recent online edition of the journal Chem.

The team's discovery was made possible by installing multiple catalysts in a single system constructed within a sponge-like porous crystalline material known as a metal-organic framework, said Boston College Associate Professors of Chemistry Jeffery Byers and Frank Tsung, lead authors of the report.

Held in place by the sponge, the separate catalysts work in harmony. Without isolation of the catalytically active species in this way, the reaction did not proceed and no product was obtained, they reported.

The team drew its inspiration from the biological machinery in cells, which use multicomponent chemical reactions with great efficiency, Tsung said.

[...] In addition to achieving site isolation by encapsulating the catalysts, which led to catalyst activity and recyclability, the team discovered an autocatalytic feature of the catalyst that enabled the reaction to be run without the need for large amounts of additives. Most previous reports for similar reactions use large amounts of additives, but the team's approach avoids this necessity and it is the first to use carbon dioxide in an energy-related reaction, Tsung said.

The team plans to do further research into the modularity of both the encapsulation method and the metal-organic frameworks to gain a deeper understanding of the multicomponent system and optimize it further, as well as access new, unexplored reactivity through the formation of new host-guest constructs, Tsung said.

Journal Reference:
Thomas M. Rayder, Enric H. Adillon, Jeffery A. Byers, Chia-Kuang Tsung. A Bioinspired Multicomponent Catalytic System for Converting Carbon Dioxide into Methanol Autocatalytically [$]. Chem May 05, 2020. DOI:10.1016/j.chempr.2020.04.008

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Garmin International hit by ransomware attack, global outages

CheesyMoo writes:

Multiple outlets reporting on a ransomeware attack against Garmin International

TechCrunch:
"An ongoing global outage at sport and fitness tech giant Garmin was caused by a ransomware attack, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the incident."

https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/25/garmin-outage-ransomware-sources/

The Guardian [paywall]:

"Garmin has been forced to shut down its call centres, website and some other online services after a ransomware attack encrypted the smartwatch maker's internal network and some production systems.
The US company shut down services including the official Garmin website and all customer services, including phone lines, online chat and email."

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jul/24/smartwatch-maker-garmin-hit-by-outages-after-ransomware-attack

The Aviationist:
"The FlyGarmin app for pilots using Garmin GPS based instruments and navigation equipment experienced an outage beginning on Jul. 23, 2020, evening, Eastern Daylight Savings Time in the United States. Some sections of the website appear to have been restored after what some media outlets are calling a "ransomware attack"."
https://theaviationist.com/2020/07/25/garmin-aviation-app-and-services-down-in-ransomware-attack/

Garmin Hit by Massive Outage After Possible Ransomware Attack

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for RandomFactor:

Garmin hit by massive outage after possible ransomware attack:

Garmin's fitness wearables like its popular Forerunner series remain disconnected after almost a day. The issue appears to be ransomware related, as hackers have reportedly locked critical internal systems.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Google taken to court by ACCC for 'misleading consumers on targeted ads':

The competition watchdog has launched Federal Court proceedings against Google alleging the tech giant misled Australian consumers about how their personal data was collected and used to improve its advertising service.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced on Monday it had commenced proceedings claiming Google failed to properly inform consumers and did not get their explicit informed consent to expand the scope of personal information that it could collect and combine a user's activity on non-Google sites with the information on their Google accounts.

Google disputes the allegations and said it intends to defend its position.

[...] ACCC chair Rod Sims said the watchdog was taking legal action because it considered Google misled Australian consumers about what it planned to do with large amounts of their personal information, including internet activity on websites not connected to Google.

[...] A spokesperson for Google said the tech giant updated its ad systems and associated user controls in June 2016 to match the way people use Google products across many different devices.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for carny:

Home-made face masks likely need at least 2 layers to curb COVID-19 spread:

Home-made cloth face masks likely need a minimum of two layers, and preferably three, to prevent the dispersal of viral droplets from the nose and mouth that are associated with the spread of COVID-19, indicates a video case study published online in the journal Thorax.

[...] A team of Australian researchers therefore compared the effectiveness of single and double-layer cloth face coverings (175 g/m² cotton fabric, with a thread count of 170/ inch) with a 3-ply surgical face mask (Bao Thach) at reducing droplet spread.

[...] The video recording showed that the 3-ply surgical face mask was the most effective at reducing airborne droplet dispersal, although even a single layer cloth face covering reduced the droplet spread from speaking.

But a double layer covering was better than a single layer in reducing the droplet spread from coughing and sneezing, the recording showed.

This is just one case, added to which several other factors contribute to the effectiveness of cloth face masks, note the researchers. These include the type of material used, design and fit, as well as the frequency of washing.

Nevertheless, based on their observations, a home made cloth mask with at least two layers is preferable to a single layer mask, they say, adding: "Guidelines on home-made cloth masks should stipulate multiple layers."

And they emphasise: "There is a need for more evidence to inform safer cloth mask design, and countries should ensure adequate manufacturing or procurement of surgical masks."

Journal Reference:
Prateek Bahl, Shovon Bhattacharjee, Charitha de Silva, et al. Face coverings and mask to minimise droplet dispersion and aerosolisation: a video case study [$], Thorax (DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-215748)

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Researchers Disclose New Methods for Replacing Content in Signed PDF Files:

A team of researchers from the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany has disclosed a series of new attack methods against signed PDF files.

Dubbed Shadow Attacks, the new techniques allow a hacker to hide and replace content in a signed PDF document without invalidating its signature. The hacker can create a document with two different contents, one that the signer expects to see and one that will be displayed to the recipient of the document.

"The Signers of the PDF receive the document, review it, and sign it. The attackers use the signed document, modify it slightly, and send it to the victims. After opening the signed PDF, the victims check whether the digital signature was successfully verified. However, the victims see different content than the Signers," the researchers explained.

They have tested 28 PDF viewer applications and found that 15 of them were vulnerable to at least one of the attacks, including apps made by Adobe, Foxit, and LibreOffice. These three organizations have already released patches, but many of the impacted vendors either did not respond to the researchers' messages or they provided no information about the availability of patches.

The same researchers previously disclosed methods for breaking PDF file signatures and making unauthorized changes to signed documents. They have now presented three new attacks on PDF signatures.

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://local12.com/news/investigates/new-treatment-promises-hope-during-pandemic-cincinnati-duane-pohlman-coronavirus-covid:

From Louisiana to Long Island, hyperbaric chambers, once used only to treat divers suffering from the bends, are increasingly being used to treat COVID-19 patients with surprising success.

While the numbers are small, doctors at more than a dozen hospitals across the country say hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is saving the lives of even the most critically ill coronavirus patients.

"The results thus far are pretty impressive," Dr. Thomas Serena, founder and director of the SerenaGroup, a family of wound, hyperbaric and research companies, said in a recent interview.

At NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, New York, Dr. Scott Gorenstein, the director of hyperbaric medicine, said, "I'm encouraged that hyperbaric oxygen could be a benefit."

[...] Their study compared 20 COVID-19 patients who received HBOT to 60 similar patients who did not. While their study is being peer-reviewed and has yet to be published, the results they shared are stunning.

Of the 60 patients who did NOT receive HBOT, half of them needed to be placed on ventilators and 13 died. That's a mortality rate of 22%. At the same time, the 20 patients who did receive HBOT, only two needed to be placed on ventilators and both died, which is a much lower mortality rate of 10%.

"It's small numbers," Dr. Lee noted in a cautious tone but added, "The findings suggest that hyperbaric oxygen could reduce the mortality of this disease by half."

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for RandomFactor:

As if space wasn't dangerous enough, bacteria become more deadly in microgravity.:

All life on Earth evolved with gravity as an ever-present force. Thus, Earth's life has not adapted to spend time in space. When gravity is removed or greatly reduced, processes influenced by gravity behave differently as well.

In space, where there is minimal gravity, sedimentation (when solids in a liquid settle to the bottom), convection (the transfer of heat energy) and buoyancy (the force that makes certain objects float) are minimised.

Similarly, forces such as liquid surface tension and capillary forces (when a liquid flows to fill a narrow space) become more intense.

[...] Worryingly, research from space flight missions has shown bacteria become more deadly and resilient when exposed to microgravity (when only tiny gravitational forces are present).

In space, bacteria seem to become more resistant to antibiotics and more lethal. They also stay this way for a short time after returning to Earth, compared with bacteria that never left Earth.

Adding to that, bacteria also seem to mutate quicker in space. However, these mutations are predominately for the bacteria to adapt to the new environment – not to become super deadly.

[...] Research has shown space's microgravity promotes biofilm formation of bacteria.

Biofilms are densely-packed cell colonies that produce a matrix of polymeric substances allowing bacteria to stick to each other, and to stationary surfaces.

Biofilms increase bacteria's resistance to antibiotics, promote their survival, and improve their ability to cause infection. We have seen biofilms grow and attach to equipment on space stations, causing it to biodegrade.

---

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Plant Roots Are Melting Permafrost And Unearthing Vast Stores of Carbon Emissions:

As plants begin to spread across melting permafrost, scientists are growing ever more worried their roots will stir microbes into unleashing vast stores of carbon.

To scientists, roots are known as rhizomes, and when these tendrils extend deeper into the soil, it accelerates microbial decomposition by up to fourfold, potentially 'priming' the frozen ground for further thawing.

This mechanism, known as the rhizosphere priming effect (RPE), has been known since the 1950s, and it could have a huge impact on one of Earth's most troubling carbon feedback loops.

Yet today, no climate models include rhizomes as a risk factor for melting permafrost - in large part because the data simply doesn't exist.

[...] For the first time, researchers have now combined high-resolution data on both the spread and depth of key plants growing in Arctic permafrost to determine how much carbon they are actually releasing.

As rising temperatures stimulate further plant growth, the researchers estimate that rhizome priming alone enhances the overall respiration of soil microbes by roughly 12 percent. By 2100, that means an absolute loss of around 40 billion tonnes of carbon from northern permafrost.

[...] To keep global warming under the 1.5 °C threshold, scientists have estimated that at a minimum we must keep our carbon emissions to 200 billion tonnes, and currently, 50 to 100 billion tonnes is put aside for thawing permafrost.

These new figures make up a quarter of that budget, which means there are minute and overlooked ecological interactions that we are clearly not taking into account.

Journal Reference:
Frida Keuper, Birgit Wild, Matti Kummu, et al. Carbon loss from northern circumpolar permafrost soils amplified by rhizosphere priming, Nature Geoscience (DOI: 10.1038/s41561-020-0607-0)

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fliptop writes:

There's been some recent speculation about the effects working from home will have on various parts of the economy, particularly the commercial real estate market. If companies can figure out how to keep employees productive, coupled with the desire for some to relocate to more rural areas (and consequently, farther away from the office), it's possible some companies may reconsider continuing to carry all the overhead associated with having an office.

Which leads to the question: should remote workers accept a pay cut for working remotely?

A recent survey of 600 U.S. adults found 66 percent willing to take a pay cut for the flexibility of working remotely.

To what degree varied, however.

• Fourteen percent would take a one to four percent cut;
• Twenty-nine percent would take a five-to-14 percent cut;
• Seventeen percent would take a 15-to-24 percent cut;
• Seven percent would take a 25 percent or more cut;
• Thirty-four percent would not take a lower salary for flexible remote work.

The survey, taken from July 5 through 7 from Fast, a start-up specializing in online checkout, found COVID-19 safety concerns part of the current appeal of remote working. Thirty-nine percent were less comfortable returning to their physical office compared to 30 days before. However, 65 percent preferred a workplace that gives employees the flexibility to choose where and when they work remotely.

[...] The concept of "localized compensation" or paying someone less for the same work because of where they live is being hotly debated in human resources circles. In May, Facebook drew some backlash after announcing that employees choosing to permanently work remotely will receive salary cuts if they move to less expensive areas.

Originally spotted on The Eponymous Pickle.

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://www.popsci.com/story/animals/bunny-ebola-rabbit-hemorrhagic-disease/

A deadly virus is spreading with alarming speed among wild and domestic rabbits in seven southwestern states. The contagion causes an illness called rabbit hemorrhagic disease that has earned the nickname "bunny Ebola" because the disease causes massive internal bleeding and bloody discharge around the nose and mouth. The virus kills swiftly—as happened in February, when pet rabbits boarding at a veterinary practice in Manhattan suddenly began to die without warning, The New Yorker reported last month.

The disease is deeply worrying for domestic rabbit owners and could also have consequences for wild rabbit, hare, and pika populations. An outbreak last year in northwestern Washington state had devastating impacts on both feral and pet rabbits. Now animal health officials are tracking its spread and trying to protect their most endangered rabbits from a disease that is very contagious and has a high mortality rate.

"They both represent a longtime fear that has come true," says Susan Kerr, an education and outreach specialist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

[...] Known as rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2), it can kill infected rabbits within a few days by causing widespread inflammation, problems with blood clotting and bleeding, and organ failure. "The organs can't do their functions anymore because there is so much blood in them," Kerr says.

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for RandomFactor:

Radishes Can Likely Grow in Lunar Regolith - Universe Today:

“We’re trying to show astronauts can use horticulture to grow their own food on the Moon,” said NASA scientist Max Coleman. “We want to do one tiny step in that direction, to show that lunar soil contains stuff which can be extracted from it as nutrients for plants.”

They were about to start doing hands-on tests of soil sensors that might eventually be used on the Moon when the stay-at-home orders were issued. While the team wasn’t able to bring home any lunar simulant or the soil sensors, Coleman decided to innovate. He placed an order online for some desert sand, which doesn’t have any organic matter, so is a good stand-in for the lunar regolith simulant.

[...] He decided to use radish seeds, and ordered them online for home delivery, too.

[...] Also, radishes don’t require a lot of water to germinate, so they provide a good test of what could grow quickly in one lunar day, (28 days, with 14 straight days of sunlight.)

[...] The results were quite surprising: Radishes in the section with the least water germinated first and best, which was interesting because, Coleman said, “we want to see how little water we can get away with.”

The team’s research is helping them develop a small scientific payload on a commercial spacecraft going to the Moon, which, if selected, would be delivered to the lunar surface through the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The team planned to develop the experiment as a suitable payload for a CLPS spacecraft in terms of size, mass, power requirement, and communication needs.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for guy_:

You Can Now Boot a Windows 95 PC Inside Minecraft and Play Doom on it:

A new VM Computers mod has been created for Minecraft that allows players to order computer parts from a satellite orbiting around a Minecraft world and build a computer that actually boots Windows 95 and a variety of other operating systems.

[...] Within Minecraft you simply place a PC case block and then use it to create virtual hard drives to install operating systems from ISO files.

Naturally, the Minecraft community has been experimenting with the VM Computers mod, and someone has managed to get Doom running within Minecraft as a result.

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for guy_:

Garden gnomes keep mysteriously vanishing from a B.C. neighbourhood:

TORONTO -- Neighbours in Victoria are keeping a closer eye on their gardens following a string of garden gnome thefts in the quiet neighbourhood.

Heather Boggs said she realized several of her gnomes had been stolen last Friday when she went to tend to her garden in the West Shore community and saw empty spaces where she would normally find her gnomes.

[...] Luckily the gnome-snatcher was caught in the act as Boggs' doorbell camera filmed the kidnapping as it happened.

[...] Boggs shared the footage on Facebook to warn others and found that her neighbour who lives on the same street had also been targeted.

Sher Gosling told CTV News she believes the same man stole her gnome that would usually welcome guests in front of her home.

[...] While these mythical figures might not seem valuable, for Boggs, one gnome in particular meant a great deal. Boggs is a breast cancer survivor and, as a gift to celebrate her final chemo treatment, her mother gave her a little statue for her garden.

This is, of course, not the first time a gnome has been stolen. Here's one escapade from May 11, 1989.

Stolen Lawn Dwarf Returned with Pictures from His Travels:

Grumpy the traveling lawn dwarf is back where he belongs, concrete feet planted firmly on the porch, following his whirlwind tour of Washington, New York City, Florida and elsewhere.

He even has pictures from his vacation.

takyon writes:

No Longer in Shadows, Pentagon's U.F.O. Unit Will Make Some Findings Public (archive)

Despite Pentagon statements that it disbanded a once-covert program to investigate unidentified flying objects, the effort remains underway — renamed and tucked inside the Office of Naval Intelligence, where officials continue to study mystifying encounters between military pilots and unidentified aerial vehicles.

Pentagon officials will not discuss the program, which is not classified but deals with classified matters. Yet it appeared last month in a Senate committee report outlining spending on the nation's intelligence agencies for the coming year. The report said the program, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force, was "to standardize collection and reporting" on sightings of unexplained aerial vehicles, and was to report at least some of its findings to the public within 180 days after passage of the intelligence authorization act.

While retired officials involved with the effort — including Harry Reid, the former Senate majority leader — hope the program will seek evidence of vehicles from other worlds, its main focus is on discovering whether another nation, especially any potential adversary, is using breakout aviation technology that could threaten the United States.

The lede has been buried for your protection. Do not RTFA.

Previously: Pentagon's UFO Investigation Program Revealed
UFO Existence 'Proven Beyond Reasonable Doubt': Former Head Of Pentagon Program
Newly-Released Video Shows 2015 U.S. Navy Sighting of UFO
The US Navy is Drafting New Rules to Report UFO Sightings
US Navy Spokesman Acknowledges UFO Videos
The Pentagon Releases Official Footage of UFOs. No, Seriously!

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