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SomeGuy writes:

U.S. Cuts $231 Million Deal To Provide 15-Minute COVID-19 At-Home Tests:

The Biden administration has made a $231.8 million deal with an Australian company to boost availability of the first at-home rapid test for the coronavirus which causes COVID-19 that is available without a prescription. The test, made by Ellume, can send results to a smartphone within 15 minutes of receiving a sample.

The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency authorization to Ellume's rapid test in December, after it showed 96% accuracy in a U.S. clinical study. Those trials included both adults and children of ages 2 years and older.

[...] The test uses a relatively short nasal swab to collect a sample. The sample is put into a digital analyzer linked to a smartphone app.

[...] As part of the new contract, Ellume has committed to providing 8.5 million tests to the federal government said Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the White House COVID-19 Response Team.

[...] the test is not yet commercially available in the U.S. or elsewhere, but that the company would "be making further announcements around [the] rollout and retail plans in the coming weeks."

[...] Because of the expected $30 cost and the need for a smartphone to receive results, this particular test is unlikely to be the game-changer several public health experts have been calling for - a test that families could use routinely at home before leaving the house, to prevent silent spread.

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

These Are the Highest Resolution Photos Ever Taken of Snowflakes:

Photographer and scientist Nathan Myhrvold has developed a camera that captures snowflakes at a microscopic level never seen before.

The first chill of a winter storm is enough to send most people indoors, but not Nathan Myhrvold. The colder the weather, the better his chances are of capturing a microscopic photograph of a snowflake. Now, nearly two years in the making, Myhrvold has developed what he bills as the "highest resolution snowflake camera in the world." Recently, he released a series of images taken using his creation, a prototype that captures snowflakes at a microscopic level never seen before.

Myhrvold, who holds a PhD in theoretical mathematics and physics from Princeton University and served as the Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft for 14 years, leaned on his background as a scientist to create the camera. He also tapped into his experience as a photographer, most notably as the founder of Modernist Cuisine, a food innovation lab known for its high-resolution photographs of various food stuffs published into a five-volume book of photography of the same name that focuses on the art and science of cooking. Myhrvold first got the idea to photograph snowflakes 15 years ago after meeting Kenneth Libbrecht, a California Institute of Technology professor who happened to be studying the physics of snowflakes.

"In the back of my mind, I thought I'd really like to take snowflake pictures," Myhrvold says. "About two years ago, I thought it was a good time and decided to put together a state-of-the-art snowflake photography system...but it was a lot harder than I thought."

upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Putting the latest Starship crash into perspective:

Once again, on Tuesday afternoon, a Starship prototype soared into the clear skies above South Texas like something out of the pages of a science fiction novel. Once again, after reaching a high altitude, the spaceship leaned into a "belly flop" maneuver, making a controlled descent back toward the planet.

And then, once again, a problem within the last few seconds caused the Starship prototype to spectacularly crash near its launch platform.

Seven weeks have passed since the first full-scale Starship prototype, SN8, performed its high-altitude flight. Now, SN9 has met a similar fate. It appeared that one of the two Raptor rocket engines intended to power the final, controlled descent failed to relight (see a great, slow-motion view). As a result, when the vehicle began reorienting itself into a vertical position, it never stopped swinging. Then, BOOM!

So what are we to make of a second high-profile failure of the Starship program? Is this a program on the cusp of failure?

upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Traffic noise makes mating crickets less picky:

A new study shows that the mating behaviour of crickets is significantly affected by traffic noise and other man-made sounds—a finding that could have implications for the future success of the species.

The research, published in the journal Behavioral Ecology, was carried out at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), and involved studying the mating choices of female field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) under different acoustic conditions.

[...] In the control conditions of ambient noise, the females mounted the males much sooner and more frequently when paired with a high-quality courtship song. However, a high-quality courtship song provided no benefit in the white noise and traffic noise conditions, with the researchers finding that courtship duration and mounting frequency were not influenced by the quality or even the presence of a song.

Journal Reference:
Adam M Bent, Thomas C Ings, Sophie L Mowles, Anthropogenic noise disrupts mate choice behaviors in female Gryllus bimaculatus, Behavioral Ecology, 02 February 2021, Link, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araa124

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Astronomers Found an Ancient Galaxy with a Halo of Dark Matter:

Some 163,000 light-years from the Milky Way is a much smaller, much more ancient galaxy: Tucana II, so named for the tropical bird-resembling constellation in which it sits. Sitting at the periphery of our galaxy's gravitational pull, Tucana II provides researchers with the opportunity to understand the composition of the earliest galactic structures in the universe.

Now, a team of astronomers has found evidence of an extended dark matter halo around the galaxy. Their research was published today in the journal Nature Astronomy.

"We know [dark matter] is there because in order for galaxies to remain bound, there must be more matter than what we see visibly, from starlight," said Anirudh Chiti, an astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in a phone call. "That led to the hypothesis of dark matter existing as an ingredient that holds galaxies together; without it, galaxies that we know, or at least of the stuff at their outskirts, would just fly apart."

Journal Reference:
Anirudh Chiti, Anna Frebel, Joshua D. Simon, et al. An extended halo around an ancient dwarf galaxy, Nature Astronomy (DOI: 10.1038/s41550-020-01285-w)

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takyon writes:

The NZXT H1 Case Is A Fire Hazard And GamersNexus Has Called Them Out For Poorly Dealing With The Design Flaw

If you haven't heard by now, the NZXT H1 chassis is a fire hazard and has been showcased on multiple occasions catching fire. Even with multiple issues in the case design, NZXT thought it would be enough to provide a nylon replacement screw which was a stopgap advertised as a solution in NZXT's first statement. After many attempts of bringing up the issues, NZXT has issued a recall for the product and issued a public apology for the mishandling of the issue.

The issue with the design of the case was that the metal screw for the riser cable could penetrate and expose the 12V PCIe lane and cause a short circuit. The screw was too close to the 12V PCIe lane and this is a fire safety hazard.

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martyb writes:

High-performance computers are under siege by a newly discovered backdoor:

Kobalos, as researchers from security firm Eset have named the malware, is a backdoor that runs on Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris, and code artifacts suggest it may have once run on AIX and the ancient Windows 3.11 and Windows 95 platforms. The backdoor was released into the wild no later than 2019, and the group behind it was active throughout last year.

[...] While the Kobalos design is complex, its functionalities are limited and almost entirely related to covert backdoor access. Once fully deployed, the malware gives access to the file system of the compromised system and enables access to a remote terminal that gives the attackers the ability to run arbitrary commands.

In one mode, the malware acts as a passive implant that opens a TCP port on an infected machine and waits for an incoming connection from an attacker. A separate mode allows the malware to convert servers into command-and-control servers that other Kobalis-infected[sic] devices connect to.

[...] Those infected with the malware include a university, an end-point security company, government agencies, and a large ISP, among others. One high-performance computer compromised had no less than 512 gigabytes of RAM and almost a petabyte of storage.

Eset said the number of victims was measured in the tens. The number comes from an Internet-scan that measures behavior that occurs when a connection is established with a compromised host from a specific source port.

[...] “The intent of the authors of this malware is still unknown,” they wrote. “We have not found any clues to indicate whether they steal confidential information, pursue monetary gain, or are after something else.”

Also at: SecurityWeek and ThreatPost.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for c0lo:

Data breach compromised info of 1M-plus who sought benefits:

A Washington agency examining how the state fell victim to massive unemployment fraud last year said Monday that files on 1.6 million claims that it obtained for its investigation have been exposed by a data breach — meaning people who already lost work due the pandemic might have to add identity theft to their difficulties.

The breach involved a third-party software vendor, Accellion, which the state Auditor’s Office uses to transmit files. The auditor has been looking into how Washington’s Employment Security Department lost hundreds of millions of dollars to fraudsters, including a Nigerian crime ring, who rushed to cash in on sweetened pandemic-related benefits by filing fake unemployment claims in the names of real state residents.

“I know this is one more worry for Washingtonians who have already faced unemployment in a year scarred by both job loss and a pandemic,” Auditor Pat McCarthy said in a news release. “I am sorry to share this news and add to their burdens.”

[...] Those potentially affected include people who filed for unemployment benefits between Jan. 1 and Dec. 10, 2020. That includes many state workers as well as people who had fake unemployment claims submitted on their behalf.

[...] Other Accellion customers were also affected, including Australia’s securities regulator and New Zealand’s central bank.

McCarthy said the state learned of the attack Jan. 12, after Accellion made a general announcement regarding a security breach, but Accellion said it notified customers Dec. 23. It wasn’t until last week that the Auditor’s Office learned what files might have been accessed, McCarthy said.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Physics of snakeskin sheds light on sidewinding:

Most snakes get from A to B by bending their bodies into S-shapes and slithering forward headfirst. A few species, however—found in the deserts of North America, Africa and the Middle East—have an odder way of getting around. Known as "sidewinders," these snakes lead with their mid-sections instead of their heads, slinking sideways across loose sand.

Scientists took a microscopic look at the skin of sidewinders to see if it plays a role in their unique method of movement. They discovered that sidewinders' bellies are studded with tiny pits and have few, if any, of the tiny spikes found on the bellies of other snakes.

[...] "The specialized locomotion of sidewinders evolved independently in different species in different parts of the world, suggesting that sidewinding is a good solution to a problem," says Jennifer Rieser, assistant professor of physics at Emory University and a first author of the study. "Understanding how and why this example of convergent evolution works may allow us to adapt it for our own needs, such as building robots that can move in challenging environments."

[...] Skins shed from the sidewinders were collected and scanned with atomic force microscopy, a technique that provides resolution at the atomic level, on the order of fractions of a nanometer.

[...] As expected, the microscopy revealed tiny, head-to-tail pointing spikes on the skin of the non-sidewinders. Previous research had identified these micro spikes on a variety of other slithering snakes.

upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

These 'vaccine hunters' are getting their shots ahead of schedule by gaming the system:

Medina, a healthy 25-year-old, moved across the country to live with her parents on the East Coast after her work in the film industry dried up. Anxious to return to work safely, Medina decided in mid-January to go "vaccine dumpster diving."

Though a dumpster, this was not. Rather than dig through a hospital's garbage for vials, Medina staked out a grocery store pharmacy. She wanted to score a leftover vaccine.

She and a friend arrived in the early afternoon, prepared to wait. A line formed behind them. Hours later, when the day's appointments were done, pharmacy staff offered up eight leftover vaccines. Medina and her friend gleefully claimed two of them.

These vaccine seekers, spurred by reports of doses being dumped and feeling antsy for the country's vaccine rollout to pick up the pace, say they want to prevent waste -- by getting their shot early.

They see it as a win-win: They get vaccinated and a precious dose of the Covid-19 vaccine doesn't end up in the trash. But their gain is also a symptom of a lack of coordination in the US vaccination plan -- the initial rollout was much slower than expected, delaying President Joe Biden's plan for "100 million vaccinations in 100 days."

The lucky -- and privileged -- few who get vaccinated early assure what they're doing isn't wrong, although it certainly feels unfair to those who don't have the time or resources to "hunt" for their own.

Unsurprisingly, the hunters have been criticized for "jumping the line." But the hunters argue what they do is more ethical than letting the vaccines expire.

[...] And despite the incredibly high demand for vaccines , vaccination sites across the country have reportedly discarded precious doses after they weren't administered in time. (Both Pfizer and Moderna's Covid-19 vaccines only last a few hours unrefrigerated -- Pfizer's will expire within two hours , and Moderna's within 12 , after the vials are removed from the fridge.)

What are the options? Which ones are fair — and why?

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takyon writes:

Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy to take over in Q3

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will step down later this year, turning the helm over to the company's top cloud executive Andy Jassy.

Jassy joined Amazon in 1997 and has led Amazon's Web Services cloud team since its inception.

Bezos said he will stay engaged in important Amazon projects but will also have more time to focus on the Bezos Earth Fund, his Blue Origin spaceship company, The Washington Post and the Amazon Day 1 Fund.

[...] Bezos will transition to executive chairman of Amazon's board.

Also at The Guardian and TechCrunch, Ars Technica, CNET, and Mashable

See also: Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO after record-smashing 2020 ends with first $100-billion quarter

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Family Photo Snapped by Solar Orbiter Shows Venus, Earth And Mars Gleaming Like Stars:

Every now and again, we get a little glimpse of just how far human ingenuity has gone.

Quite literally: The above image was taken by a spacecraft travelling through the Solar System while it was at a distance of 251 million kilometres (156 million miles) from Earth – more than the distance between Earth and the Sun by nearly half again.

It was snapped by NASA and the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter, a mission to study the Sun, on 18 November 2020, while en route to its destination. It joins a burgeoning tradition of photos of Earth taken by instruments far beyond where humans ourselves can venture.

But it's not just Earth in Solar Orbiter's image; Venus and Mars make an appearance, too, 48 million and 332 million kilometres from the spacecraft, respectively. It's a lovely family portrait when you think about it – three rocky planets, so similar in many ways, but so very different from each other – seen through a scientific instrument – the Heliospheric Imager – designed to study the heart of the Solar System.

Original Submission

martyb writes:

Elon Musk's SpaceX announces a spaceflight intended to raise money for St. Jude hospital:

SpaceX announced Monday that it would fly a crew of private citizens into orbit around the Earth, potentially by the end of the year, in a multiday mission designed to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

[...] [SpaceX] plans to fly a crew of four — all private citizens — to the International Space Station early next year.

The flight announced Monday would mark another significant milestone in the privatization of spaceflight, as private companies erode governments' long-held monopoly on human spaceflight. It is being funded by Jared Isaacman, the 37-year-old founder and chief executive of Shift4 Payments, a payments technology company. Isaacman, an accomplished pilot who flies commercial and military aircraft, would command the mission and is donating two of the seats to St. Jude.

One is going to a yet-to-be named health-care worker at the hospital. The other seat would be raffled off, in an attempt to raise at least $200 million for St. Jude.

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

In recent years these release windows have slowly decreased and this process was accelerated in the COVID pandemic. Increasingly, traditional delays have come down, and in some cases, release windows have disappeared completely. Warner Bros, for example, now releases movies on HBO Max and in theaters simultaneously.

This shift is nothing short of a historic breakthrough. While more choice is good for consumers, these changes also breed uncertainty. Some movie industry insiders and theater owners, for example, fear that their income will be negatively impacted. At the same time, there are concerns that piracy will spike.

These and other questions are addressed in new research conducted by Carnegie Mellon's Initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics (IDEA). The research group, which received millions of dollars in gifts from the Motion Picture Association, just analyzed how early releases affect piracy and box office revenue.

The results are published in a non-peer-reviewed paper titled The Impact of Early Digital Movie Releases on Box Office Revenue: Evidence from the Korean Market.

South Korea is the fourth largest movie market according to the article. I wonder how representative these results are of the top three (US, China, Japan)?

Source: https://torrentfreak.com/research-movie-release-window-boost-revenue-not-piracy-210127/

Journal Reference:
Liang, Yangfan, Burtch, Gordon, Cho, Daegon, et al. The Impact of Early Digital Movie Releases on Box Office Revenue: Evidence from the Korean Market, (DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3749476)

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

A hacker by the name of [ea] has figured out how to get a root shell on the Bosch LCN2kai head unit of their 2015 Xterra, and it looks like the process should be the same for other vehicles in the Nissan family such as the Rogue, Sentra, Altima, and Frontier. If you want to play along at home, all you have to do is write the provided image to a USB flash drive and insert it.

Now for those of us who are a more interested in how this whole process works, [ea] was kind of enough to provide a very detailed account of how the exploit was discovered. Starting with getting a spare Linux-powered head unit out of a crashed Xterra to experiment with, the write-up takes the reader through each discovery and privilege escalation that ultimately leads to the development of a non-invasive hack that doesn't require the user to pull their whole dashboard apart to run.

Original Submission