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canopic jug writes:

LBRY, an MIT-licensed, decentralized protocol competing against the likes of YouTube, has an accompanying cryptocurrency. After a three year investigation, the SEC is now suing LBRY Inc, the developer, for $11 million. The SEC is making the accusation that the tokens amount to unregulated security, or tradable financial assets. The LBRY protocol is used by services like Odysee and others.

Apparently the SEC complaint fails to acknowledge steps LBRY has been taking to comply with the law. So far LBRY has spent more than $1 million in legal fees and that, despite multiple attempts to get advice on legal operation from the SEC, none were given.

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged LBRY, a blockchain company, with conducting an unregistered offering of digital asset securities.

According to the SEC's complaint, from at least July 2016 to February 2021, LBRY, which offers a video sharing application, sold digital asset securities called "LBRY Credits" to numerous investors, including investors based in the US. The complaint alleges that LBRY did not file a registration statement for the offering, and that the offering failed to satisfy any exemption from registration. The complaint further alleges that by failing to file a registration statement, LBRY denied prospective investors the information required for such an offering to the public. As alleged, LBRY received more than $11 million in U.S. dollars, Bitcoin, and services from purchasers who participated in its offering.

The SEC's complaint, filed in the federal district court in New Hampshire, charges LBRY with violating the registration provisions of Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933. The SEC seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement plus prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.

LBRY now has a FAQ for the lawsuit because, if the case is as they frame it, all cryptocurrency development will be profoundly affected by the outcome of this case.

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Freeman writes:

Factory mix-up spoils 15 million doses of J&J COVID vaccine:

About 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's one-shot COVID-19 vaccine were ruined, and future vaccine shipments will be delayed. This all follows a mix-up at a manufacturing facility in Baltimore, according to multiple media reports.

Johnson & Johnson had partnered with Emergent BioSolutions to manufacture the active ingredient of its vaccine. But according to two US officials who spoke with Politico, workers at the West Baltimore facility mixed up the ingredients in Johnson & Johnson's vaccine with those for a different coronavirus vaccine. Emergent BioSolutions is also a manufacturing partner of AstraZeneca, according to The New York Times, which first reported the problem.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for AzumaHazuki:

Concerns raised over safety of common food preservative:

A new study is raising questions over the safety of a commonly used food preservative found in hundreds of products. It's suspected the compound, tert-butylhydroquinone (known as tBHQ or E319), impairs effective immune system activity and the researchers are calling for greater surveillance of the immunological effects of food additives.

“The pandemic has focused public and scientific attention on environmental factors that can impact the immune system,” says lead author on the new study, Olga Naidenko. “Before the pandemic, chemicals that may harm the immune system’s defense against infection or cancer did not receive sufficient attention from public health agencies. To protect public health, this must change.”

[...] The study suggests the ToxCast data reveals a number of signs tBHQ influences immune activity. The researchers do, however, make clear these findings are based on animal and mechanistic studies. Further investigation needs to be done to better understand how this compound affects human immune parameters, including “defense against infection, anti-tumor immune responses, and autoimmune reactivity.”

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MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

Australian researchers have discovered the gene responsible for a particularly nasty form of hormone-sensitive breast cancer. They believe their work may also provide a genetic trail of breadcrumbs to hunt other cancers in future.

[...] Among them were estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) cancers called IntClust2, characterized by a section of DNA in chromosome 11 standing out, with one gene in particular, called AAMDC, a potential calling card for some of the most intractable forms of cancer known to humanity.

Source: Major breakthrough as researchers pinpoint exact gene responsible for one of deadliest forms of breast cancer

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Formerly Homeless Man Moves Into the First 3D-Printed Tiny Home

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for c0lo:

Formerly Homeless Man Moves Into the First 3D-Printed Tiny Home:

ICON’s 3D-printed tiny home has finally transitioned from prototype to reality — and the U.S.' first tiny home’s first resident has officially moved in. Tim Shea, 70, a previously homeless man, is the first person to live in a 3D-printed tiny house in the country, and his story proves how the 3D-printed tiny home is more than a feat in engineering and sustainability — it’s also a life-saving technology.

FEATURE-3D-printed Homes Build Hope for U.S. Affordable Housing

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for c0lo:

FEATURE-3D-printed homes build hope for U.S. affordable housing

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - After years of homelessness and hard living, Tim Shea has swapped the sharp corners in his life for the round, flowing design of his new 3D-printed home in Austin, Texas.

In August, Shea became the first person in the United States to move into a 3D-printed home, according to Austin-based developer ICON, in what advocates say is a milestone in efforts to boost the national supply of affordable housing.

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Newly discovered T. rex lookalike with an unusual skull terrorized Patagonia 80 million years ago

Anti-aristarchus writes:

Patagonia, the fine article is from CNN, kinda South of the Border.

(CNN)Paleontologists in Argentina have identified a previously unknown species of dinosaur that would have used its huge claws, powerful bite and keen sense of hearing to hunt prey in Patagonia 80 million years ago.
The fossilized remains of Llukalkan aliocranianus include a superbly preserved and uncrushed braincase and were unearthed in the Bajo de la Carpa Formation in Argentina. Llukalkan means "the one who causes fear" in the language of the indigenous Mapuche, and aliocranianus is Latin for "unusual skull."

The “One Who Causes Fear” – Extremely Powerful New Meat-Eating Predator Discovered

upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

The “One Who Causes Fear” – Extremely Powerful New Meat-Eating Predator Discovered:

[...] Around 80 million years ago as tyrannosaurs ruled the Northern Hemisphere, this lookalike was one of 10 currently known species of abelisaurids flourishing in the southern continents.

A fearsome killer, Llukalkan was “likely among the top predators” throughout Patagonia, now in Argentina, during the Late Cretaceous due to its formidable size (up to five meters long), extremely powerful bite, very sharp teeth, huge claws in their feet and their keen sense of smell.

Journal Reference:
Federico A. Gianechini, Ariel H. Méndez, Leonardo S. Filippi, et al. A New Furileusaurian Abelisaurid from La Invernada (Upper Cretaceous, Santonian, Bajo De La Carpa Formation), Northern Patagonia, Argentina, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2020.1877151)

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Supreme Court's pro-Facebook ruling could unleash "flood" of robocalls:

A Supreme Court ruling today in favor of Facebook limits the reach of a 1991 US law that bans certain kinds of robocalls and texts. The court found that the anti-robocall law only applies to systems that have the ability to generate random or sequential phone numbers. Systems that lack that capability are thus not considered autodialers under the law, even if they can store numbers and send calls and texts automatically.

Advocates say the ruling will make it harder to block automated calls and texts, potentially unleashing a "flood" of new robocalls.

[...] "Companies will use autodialers that are not covered by the Supreme Court's narrow definition to flood our cellphones with even more unwanted robocalls and automated texts," said Margot Saunders, the group's senior counsel. The court ruling "interpreted the statute's definition of autodialer so narrowly that it applies to few or none of the autodialers in use today," the NCLC also said.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Judge equates encrypted chats with private thoughts in would-be kidnapping case:

Three men who allegedly plotted to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer will face charges of gang membership, felony firearm possession and providing material support for terrorist acts, but not making terrorist threats. According to a report from the Detroit News, the reason 12th District Court Judge Michael Klaeren dismissed that last charge stems from the way the group interacted with each other. Rather than coordinating out in the open on platforms like Facebook, Joseph Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar — along with four other men with ties to the Michigan militia group Wolverine Watchmen — used private, encrypted chats to communicate.

[...] "There has to be some form of intent here to incite mayhem," Klaeren said, before noting that using an encrypted communications service was not unlike "thinking the thought to yourself."

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Freeman writes:

FDA slams “Real Water” linked to liver failure; water plant manager MIA

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday admonished Nevada-based company Real Water for being uncooperative in a multi-state health investigation linked to its “alkalized” water products. The company is accused of poisoning its customers, causing acute liver failure and other serious health problems in adults, children, and pets.

On March 16, the FDA and the Southern Nevada Health District announced that they were investigating cases of acute non-viral hepatitis (resulting in acute liver failure) in five infants and children, all of whom consumed the company’s alkaline water. The water was the only common link between the five children and infants. Since then, customers have filed several lawsuits making similar claims, including three Californian women who filed a federal lawsuit in Nevada March 22 seeking class-action status.

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Freeman writes:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/04/lineageos-18-1-brings-android-11-to-over-60-smartphones/

The Android community's biggest aftermarket distribution, LineageOS, is now up and running with Android 11. The new release is called "LineageOS 18.1," and builds for over 60 smartphones are hitting official servers for brands like OnePlus, Google, Xiaomi, Sony, Motorola, LG, and even some old Samsung devices.

New Lineage OS 18.1 contains, of course, all the Android 11 features from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), like a new notification panel with a persistent media player, floating "bubble" notifications, one-time permissions, new emojis, a new autofill system for the keyboard, and more. All the Lineage apps now support dark mode, and a fork of the FOSS "Etar" calendar app replaces what Lineage calls the "stagnant and largely unmaintained" AOSP calendar. The FOSS app SeedVault has been included as a built-in backup solution, and Lineage's screen recorder and music apps have been revamped.

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Runaway1956:

A Scientist Taught AI to Generate Pickup Lines. The Results are Chaotic.:

Artificial intelligence is finally learning to flirt. While romantic banter continues to elude the likes of Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant, an advanced AI system out of the United States is being trained to seduce, churning out original pickup lines for the express purpose of scoring a date.

Janelle Shane, a research scientist and author from Colorado, created a squad of courtship bots using one of the most sophisticated text-writing AI algorithms in the world: a language model known as the Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), which uses deep learning to produce human-like text. Researchers claim GPT-3's output is so advanced that it is often difficult to distinguish it from material written by a real, flesh-and-blood human—which, in this case, says some troubling things about the standards we've come to expect from real, flesh-and-blood humans.

"I'm losing my voice from all the screaming your hotness is causing me to do," reads one pickup line, which could all too easily have been lifted from a Tinder DM screenshot. "I will briefly summarize the plot of Back to the Future II for you," reads another.

[...] Of all the lines spouted by Shane's virtual pickup artists, one of the most memorable comes from one of the most primitive minds: a neural network she trained for the exact same purpose back in 2017.

"You look like a thing and I love you."

Hey sailor! Come here often?

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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for c0lo:

Aussie private school bans mullets:

An elite private boys school in Western Australia has banned the mullet hairstyle after deeming the hairdo "not acceptable".

Trinity College in Perth outlined their ban on the retro haircut in its recent newsletter.

"It is without reservation that the College sets clear requirements that ensure health and safety, as well as setting a high standard for personal presentation," the newsletter states.

"The current trend of growing the hair at the back of the head and/or closely cropping the sides of the head to accentuate the 'mullet' style are untidy, non-conventional and not acceptable at Trinity College. As is the trend of long hair and fringes.

"The College expectations on hair styles can be found on Page 18 of the Student Diary."

Students who don't meet the school's grooming standards will be picked up by their parents and ordered to get a haircut.

[...] West Australian Premier Mark McGowan also weighed into the great mullet debate, claiming that while he was personally fond of mullets, rat tails were a step too far.

"I'm very pro mullet, it's a unique Australian invention – one which we've been selling to the world, but I'll let the school make their own decisions," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"I'm pro mullet, I'm not so pro-rat's tails — rat's tails are a bit beyond the pale."

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Anti-aristarchus writes:

There is one city famous for building bridges across city streets, so the squirrels do not get run over. But no one took a survey before. Story at Phys.org. (Why, I have no idea. It is figuratively driving me nuts.)

Human disturbance in urban environments makes some squirrels fail, but others perform better in novel problem-solving.

Unlike natural environments, urban areas have artificial buildings, traffics, less greenery and, most prominently, more humans. Despite these seemingly 'harsh' or stressful characteristics, some wildlife like the Eurasian red squirrel have chosen to settle down in urban environments, and they thrive. Urban wildlife often show higher behavioral flexibility and increased ability to solve novel problems, and thus can exploit new resources. However, which characteristics of urban environments influence animals' performance, and their relative importance, have remained unclear.

In a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a research team led by Itsuro Koizumi of Hokkaido University set out a novel food-extraction problem for wild Eurasian red squirrels in 11 urban areas in Hokkaido, Japan. This problem contains out-of-reach nuts on levers, and the successful solutions are counterintuitive: a squirrel has to push a lever if it is close to a nut, whereas it has to pull a lever if it is far away from the nut.

The researchers also recorded the environmental characteristics in each area, including direct human disturbance (mean number of humans present per day), indirect human disturbance (the number of buildings), green coverage, and squirrel's population size, and then correlated these with squirrels' novel problem-solving performance.

Ah, symbiosis, where we unwittingly train the rodents to be smarter than us, with the inevitable unpleasant outcome. All hail the squirrel named Caesar!

*SPOILER* (click to show) *SPOILER* (click to hide)

Longview, Washington, for those too lazy to google or duck-duck.

Journal Reference:
Characteristics of urban environments and novel problem-solving performance in Eurasian red squirrels, Proceedings of the Royal Society B (DOI: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.2832)

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

If you visit the RusMoloko dairy farm near Moscow, in Russia, you may think you've arrived at a bizarre futuristic film set. Here, cows supposedly roam around fitted with VR headsets.

The VR goggles aren't props for a film, however. They have been specially made for these dairy cows to help them relax in order to produce more milk, according to a press release from Moscow's Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

At least, that's what was reported in a press release from Moscow's Ministry of Agriculture and Food. But it turns out there are some reasons to be skeptical.

https://interestingengineering.com/cows-on-russian-farm-get-fitted-with-vr-goggles-to-increase-milk-production

Original Submission

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for c0lo:

Four Major Vehicle Manufacturers Agree on Swappable Battery Specification:

Just as electric cars are becoming ever more common, the alternative propulsion system is starting to make headway in the motorcycle sphere. Companies such as Harley-Davidson and Zero already have electric models on sale, but other established brands are preparing for the electric future.

[...] The four companies created an organization back in April 2019 for this sort of purpose called the Swappable Battery Consortium for Electric Motorcycles. And the group has now announced that the manufacturers have agreed on the specifications for motorcycle batteries that can be interchanged among each company's motorcycles.

[...] The manufacturers haven't said exactly what the specifications are for these interchangeable batteries, nor when they'll be implemented. But we'll be eagerly awaiting more information in the future.

[Ed. Note - The fine article says that the manufacturers both have and haven't agreed on a specification, so maybe they have agreed to agree on one?]

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