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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Newly discovered giant galaxies dwarf the Milky Way:

Our universe may be filled with unseen giants. Astronomers have discovered two giant radio galaxies, which are some of the largest-known objects in the universe. This revelation suggests that the enormous galaxies may be more common than previously believed.

[...] Giant radio galaxies [are] rare and have jets [that flow perpendicularly to the galaxy's disk] that exceed 22 times the size of our Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, which is also fairly common, and looks like it sounds: a spiral-shaped galaxy with a central bar-shaped structure made of stars.

Now, astronomers have found two giant radio galaxies in a rather small patch of sky.

"We found these giant radio galaxies in a region of sky which is only about 4 times the area of the full Moon," said Jacinta Delhaize, lead study author and research fellow at the University of Cape Town, in a statement. "Based on our current knowledge of the density of giant radio galaxies in the sky, the probability of finding two of them in this region is less than 0.0003 per cent. This means that giant radio galaxies are probably far more common than we thought!"

Journal Reference:
Delhaize, J, Heywood, I, Prescott, M, et al. MIGHTEE: are giant radio galaxies more common than we thought?, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (DOI: 10.1093/mnras/staa3837)

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for requerdanos:

EU Power Sector 2020 - Ember:

Landmark moment as EU renewables overtake fossil fuels

Climate neutrality by 2050 means renewables growth will further accelerate

Ember and Agora Energiewende’s fifth annual report tracking Europe’s electricity transition was published on 25th January 2021. It revealed that renewables overtook fossil fuels to become the EU’s main source of electricity for the first time in 2020.

[...] Renewables rose to generate 38% of Europe’s electricity in 2020 (compared to 34.6% in 2019), for the first time overtaking fossil-fired generation, which fell to 37%. This is an important milestone in Europe’s Clean Energy Transition. At a country level, Germany and Spain (and separately the UK) also achieved this milestone for the first time. The transition from coal to clean is, however, still too slow for reaching 55% greenhouse gas reductions by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050.

[...] Wind generation rose 9% in 2020 and solar generation rose 15%. Together they generated a fifth of Europe’s electricity in 2020. Since 2015, wind and solar have supplied all of Europe’s growth in renewables, as bioenergy growth has stalled, and hydro generation remains unchanged.

Renewables rise is still too slow – wind and solar generation growth must nearly triple to reach Europe’s 2030 green deal targets: from 38 TWh per year average growth in 2010-2020 to 100 TWh per year average growth between 2020-2030. It is encouraging that wind and solar increased by 51 terawatt-hours in 2020, well above the 2010-2020 average, despite facing some impact from Covid-19. The IEA forecast record wind and solar capacity growth in 2021. Still, EU countries need to step up their 2030 commitments considerably. At the moment, national energy and climate plans only add up to about 72 TWh new wind and solar per year, not the 100 TWh/year that are needed.

Initial Patches Posted for Bringing up Linux Kernel on Apple Silicon M1 Hardware

takyon writes:

Initial Patches Posted For Bringing Up The Linux Kernel On Apple Silicon M1 Hardware

It was over the weekend that Corellium began posting their work of Linux booting on the Apple M1. It's now to the extent they can get Ubuntu's Raspberry Pi ARMv8 desktop image booting on Apple M1 hardware to a GUI albeit without any hardware acceleration. The Apple M1 graphics support will remain the big elephant in the room given the big challenges involved in bringing up an entirely new OpenGL/Vulkan driver stack and needing to carry out all of that reverse engineering first under macOS.

Apple M1 Open-Source GPU Bring-Up Sees An Early Triangle

The open-source/Linux Apple M1 work continues to be quite busy this week... The latest is Alyssa Rosenzweig who has been working on reverse-engineering the M1 graphics processor has been able to write some early and primitive code for rendering a triangle.

Alyssa Rosenzweig of Panfrost fame has been working to reverse engineer the Apple M1 graphics as part of the Asahi Linux effort with developer Marcan.

This week the milestone was reached of drawing a triangle using the open-source code. It's an important first milestone but important to keep in mind that this isn't an initial driver triangle but rather hand-written vertex and fragment shaders with machine code for the M1 GPU. Those hand-written shaders are submitted to the hardware via the existing macOS IOKit kernel driver. If not clear enough, this was done on macOS and not the early Linux state as well.

Previously: Your New Apple Computer Isn't Yours
Linus Torvalds Doubts Linux will Get Ported to Apple M1 Hardware
ARM-Based Mac Pro Could Have 32+ Cores

Apple Pulls the Plug on User-Found Method to Sideload iOS Apps on M1 Mac

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

The Defense Intelligence Agency, which provides military intelligence to the Department of Defense, confirmed in a memo that it purchases "commercially available" smartphone location data to gather information that would otherwise require use of a search warrant.

The DIA "currently provides funding to another agency that purchases commercially available geolocation metadata aggregated from smartphones," the agency wrote in a memo (PDF) to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), first obtained by the New York Times.

The Supreme Court held in its 2018 Carpenter v. United States ruling that the government needs an actual search warrant to collect an individual's cell-site location data. "When the Government tracks the location of a cell phone it achieves near perfect surveillance, as if it had attached an ankle monitor to the phone’s user," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority in his opinion. "The retrospective quality of the data here gives police access to a category of information otherwise unknowable."

[...] The DIA explains in the memo that it simply does not think the Carpenter ruling applies to it. "DIA does not construe the Carpenter decision to require a judicial warrant endorsing purchase or use of commercially-available data for intelligence purposes," the agency wrote. "DIA's acquisition, use, and storage of commercial geolocation data is governed" not by these civilian law enforcement rules but by the DoD's own "Attorney General-approved data handling requirements."

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

A proposal to replace the giant radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico with a new facility suggests it could be used for tracking space objects as well as for scientific research.

Plans for a potential replacement of the 305-meter radio telescope at Arecibo, whose observing platform collapsed Dec. 1, are still in their early phases. One proposal, developed by observatory staff and submitted to the National Science Foundation (NSF) in a recent white paper, calls for replacing the giant dish with an array of up to 1,000 small dishes, each nine meters across, on a platform spanning the current dish.

“As we move into the future, we feel that phased arrays are probably the right way to go, rather than continue to focus on large single-dish elements,” said Francisco Cordova, director of Arecibo Observatory, during a presentation at a Jan. 21 meeting of a committee supporting the ongoing planetary science decadal survey by the National Academies.

The concept in the white paper would double the sensitivity of the single-dish radio telescope and increase sky coverage by 250% compared to the fixed dish, as well as incorporate a new radar system. “From our perspective as the operator, we feel that the 305-meter was really an invaluable tool,” he said. “But, any future visions of the site really need to be centered around the development of a next-generation instrument.”

That new concept, Cordova said, could serve applications beyond astronomy and planetary science. One of the potential applications he listed on a slide in his presentation was space situational awareness (SSA).

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for FatPhil:

Microsoft patents chatbot technology to revive dead loved ones:

Microsoft has been granted a patent that would allow the company to make a chatbot using the personal information of deceased people.

The patent describes creating a bot based on the "images, voice data, social media posts, electronic messages", and more personal information.

"The specific person [who the chat bot represents] may correspond to a past or present entity (or a version thereof), such as a friend, a relative, an acquaintance, a celebrity, a fictional character, a historical figure, a random entity etc", it goes on to say.

"The specific person may also correspond to oneself (e.g., the user creating/training the chat bot," Microsoft also describes – implying that living users could train a digital replacement in the event of their death.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

Scientists from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the University of Western Australia (UWA) have set a world record for the most stable transmission of a laser signal through the atmosphere.

In a study published today in the journal Nature Communications, Australian researchers teamed up with researchers from the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) and the French metrology lab Systèmes de Référence Temps-Espace (SYRTE) at Paris Observatory.

The team set the world record for the most stable laser transmission by combining the Aussies' phase stabilization technology with advanced self-guiding optical terminals. Together, these technologies allowed laser signals to be sent from one point to another without interference from the atmosphere.

ICRAR adds via their press release:

Lead author Benjamin Dix-Matthews, a PhD student at ICRAR and UWA, said the technique effectively eliminates atmospheric turbulence. "We can correct for atmospheric turbulence in 3D, that is, left-right, up-down and, critically, along the line of flight," he said. "It's as if the moving atmosphere has been removed and doesn't exist. It allows us to send highly-stable laser signals through the atmosphere while retaining the quality of the original signal."

The result is the world's most precise method for comparing the flow of time between two separate locations using a laser system transmitted through the atmosphere.

ICRAR-UWA senior researcher Dr Sascha Schediwy said the research has exciting applications. "If you have one of these optical terminals on the ground and another on a satellite in space, then you can start to explore fundamental physics," he said. "Everything from testing Einstein's theory of general relativity more precisely than ever before, to discovering if fundamental physical constants change over time."

Also at: Science Daily

Journal Reference:
Benjamin P. Dix-Matthews, Sascha W. Schediwy, David R. Gozzard, et al. Point-to-point stabilized optical frequency transfer with active optics [open], Nature Communications (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20591-5)

Original Submission #1  Original Submission #2 

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story by Kevin Stacey, Brown University :

Metallurgists have all kinds of ways to make a chunk of metal harder. They can bend it, twist it, run it between two rollers or pound it with a hammer. These methods work by breaking up the metal's grain structure—the microscopic crystalline domains that form a bulk piece of metal. Smaller grains make for harder metals.

Now, a group of Brown University researchers has found a way to customize metallic grain structures from the bottom up. In a paper published in the journal Chem, the researchers show a method for smashing individual metal nanoclusters together to form solid macro-scale hunks of solid metal. Mechanical testing of the metals manufactured using the technique showed that they were up to four times harder than naturally occurring metal structures.

"Hammering and other hardening methods are all top-down ways of altering grain structure, and it's very hard to control the grain size you end up with," said Ou Chen, an assistant professor of chemistry at Brown and corresponding author of the new research. "What we've done is create nanoparticle building blocks that fuse together when you squeeze them. This way we can have uniform grain sizes that can be precisely tuned for enhanced properties."

[...] Chen says he's hopeful that the technique could one day be widely used for commercial products. The chemical treatment used on the nanoclusters is fairly simple, and the pressures used to squeeze them together are well within the range of standard industrial equipment. Chen has patented the technique and hopes to continue studying it.

"We think there's a lot of potential here, both for industry and for the scientific research community," Chen said.

Journal Reference:
Yasutaka Nagoka et al. Bulk Grain-Boundary Materials from Nanocrystals, Chem (DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2020.12.026)

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story.

Discord-Stealing Malware Invades npm Packages":

The CursedGrabber malware has infiltrated the open-source software code repository.

Three malicious software packages have been published to npm, a code repository for JavaScript developers to share and reuse code blocks. The packages represent a supply-chain threat given that they may be used as building blocks in various web applications; any applications corrupted by the code can steal tokens and other information from Discord users, researchers said.

Discord is designed for creating communities on the web, called “servers,” either as standalone forums or as part of another website. Users communicate with voice calls, video calls, text messaging, media and files. Discord “bots” are central to its function; these are AIs that can be programmed to moderate discussion forums, welcome and guide new members, police rule-breakers and perform community outreach. They’re also used to add features to the server, such as music, games, polls, prizes and more.

Discord tokens are used inside bot code to send commands back and forth to the Discord API, which in turn controls bot actions. If a Discord token is stolen, it would allow an attacker to hack the server.

As of Friday, the packages (named an0n-chat-lib, discord-fix and sonatype, all published by “scp173-deleted”) were still available for download. They make use of brandjacking and typosquatting to lure developers into thinking they’re legitimate. There is also “clear evidence that the malware campaign was using a Discord bot to generate fake download counts for the packages to make them appear more popular to potential users,” according to researchers at Sonatype.

See also: CursedGrabber strikes again: Sonatype spots new malware campaign against Software Supply Chains.

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Runaway1956:

One hull crack located in ISS, another one suspected:

The specialists have discovered one more crack at the International Space Station and suspect that yet another one exists, ISS Russian Segment head Vladimir Solovyov told [news channel] Rossiya-24.

"So far, we have found one place and suspect another, where as some kind of leak exists. We must bring a powerful microscope on a cargo spacecraft and use to examine this place. We are not totally certain so far," Solovyov said.

[...] "We are working on it, of course. We understand clearly that these places are at issue. The[sic] are indeed not airtight, we understand that there could be some other places, but there is no horror in that, I can say it responsible[sic] as the mission head," he assured.

Also At: BoingBoing

Previously:
(2018) NASA and Roscosmos Release Joint Statement on ISS Leak Amid Rumors
(2018) Controversy Over ISS Leak Continues, Spacewalk Planned for November

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for AzumaHazuki:

Fastener with microscopic mushroom design holds promise:

A Velcro-like fastener with a microscopic design that looks like tiny mushrooms could mean advances for everyday consumers and scientific fields like robotics.

In Biointerphases, published by AIP Publishing, researchers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands show how the design can use softer materials and still be strong enough to work.

Probabilistic fasteners work, because they are designed with a tiny pattern on one surface that interlocks with features on the other surface. Currently available fasteners, like Velcro and 3M, are called hook and loop fasteners. That design requires harder, stiff material, which is what causes the loud ripping sound when they are peeled off and why they can damage delicate surfaces, such as fabrics, when attached to them.

New Atlas adds:

"We wanted to prove that, if you go toward these less stiff features, they can be used to attach and detach to soft and delicate surfaces, like fabrics, without damage," says researcher Preeti Sharma, PhD. "It can be used in many applications such as for diapers or silent fasteners for military use. There is still a lot of research to be done, but the mushroom-shaped design worked quite well for soft mechanical fasteners."

The technology may even find use in foot pads for legged robots, which would allow them to walk up walls or across ceilings like geckos. In fact, the lizards actually already utilize a fairly similar mechanism for clinging to flat surfaces.

Journal Reference:
Preeti Sharma, Vittorio Saggiomo, Vincent van der Doef, et al. Hooked on mushrooms: Preparation and mechanics of a bioinspired soft probabilistic fastener, Biointerphases (DOI: 10.1116/6.0000634)

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Report: Samsung may build $10 billion advanced chipmaking plant in Austin

Samsung could build a $10 billion advanced logic chipmaking plant in Austin, according to media reports, potentially adding to the company's existing multibillion-dollar facilities in Central Texas.

If it happens, the Samsung expansion would add to a series of recent stunning wins for Austin's technology sector. In just the past six months, Austin saw electric automaker Tesla pick it as the site for a $1 billion assembly facility and software giant Oracle move its corporate headquarters to Austin.

Citing people familiar with the plans, Bloomberg news service reported that Samsung is considering spending more than $10 billion on the plant, which could be Samsung's most advanced yet. The report said that the final investment amount could fluctuate.

[...] According to the Bloomberg report, the new Samsung facility would be potentially capable of fabricating chips as advanced as 3 nanometers. Construction could start as early as this year, with major equipment added in 2022, and operations as early as 2023.

Also at Bloomberg, The Verge, and Notebookcheck.

Related: Washington in Talks with Chipmakers about Building U.S. Factories
TSMC Will Build a $12 Billion "5nm" Fab in Arizona

Original Submission

[2021-01-24 16:56:40 UTC: UPDATE 2]

SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket at 10:30 ET (1630 UTC). The booster -- its 5th flight -- successfully landed on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You. All 143 of the satellites on board were released at their scheduled times. Lastly, both fairing halves were successfully caught by the recovery ships Ms Tree and Ms Chief

[2021-01-23 14:37:05 UTC: UPDATE 1]

Although SpaceX pressed ahead with fueling of the Falcon 9 booster on Saturday morning, the company scrubbed the launch attempt of the Transporter-1 mission a few minutes before the window opened due to weather. Conditions at Cape Canaveral violated the electrical field rule for a safe launch. The company now plans to try to launch again on Sunday morning, with the launch window opening at 10am ET (15:00 UTC).

Original story appears below.

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for c0lo:

Could we harness energy from black holes?:

A remarkable prediction of Einstein's theory of general relativity -- the theory that connects space, time and gravity -- is that rotating black holes have enormous amounts of energy available to be tapped.

[...] [Now] physicists Luca Comisso of Columbia University and Felipe Asenjo of the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile have found a new way to extract energy from black holes by breaking and rejoining magnetic field lines near the event horizon, the point at which nothing, not even light, can escape a black hole's gravitational pull.

"Black holes are commonly surrounded by a hot 'soup' of plasma particles that carry a magnetic field," said Comisso. "Our theory shows that when magnetic field lines disconnect and reconnect in just the right way, they can accelerate plasma particles to negative energies, and large amounts of black hole energy can be extracted."

The U.S. National Science Foundation-funded research results could allow astronomers to better estimate the spin of black holes and possibly discover a source of energy for the needs of an advanced civilization, Comisso said.

[...] "Thousands or millions of years from now, humanity might be able to survive around a black hole without harnessing energy from stars," Comisso said. "It is essentially a technological problem. If we look at the physics, there is nothing that prevents it."

Journal Reference:
Luca Comisso, Felipe A. Asenjo. Magnetic reconnection as a mechanism for energy extraction from rotating black holes, Physical Review D (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.103.023014)

Original Submission

TomTheFighter writes:

Mira Furlan has passed away - at the age of 65 - far too young.

Babylon 5 is one of the great stories - top notch writing and acting - and Mira's portrayal of Delenn is memorable.

Good bye and thank you.

Mira Furlan, 'Lost' and 'Babylon 5' actress, dead at 65:

Actress Mira Furlan, best known for her roles in the television series "Lost" and "Babylon 5," has died. She was 65.

Furlan's Twitter account confirmed her passing on Thursday with a photo that included her death date as Jan. 20. It also shared a past quote from Furlan.

"I look at the stars. It's a clear night and the Milky Way seems so near. That's where I'll be going soon. 'We're all star stuff', I suddenly remember Delenn's line from Joe's script. Not a bad prospect. I am not afraid. In the meantime, let me close my eyes and sense the beauty around me. And take that breath under the dark sky full of stars. Breathe in. Breathe out. That's all," the quote reads.

[...] "Very few people knew that side of Mira: the fiery, fearless side that fought ceaselessly for art. She brought all of those traits to Delenn, and in turn I tried to write speeches for her that would allow her to comment on what was happening to her homeland without calling it out by name," Straczynski wrote.