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upstart writes:

Eternal Change for No Energy: A Time Crystal Finally Made Real:

In a preprint posted online Thursday night, researchers at Google in collaboration with physicists at Stanford, Princeton and other universities say that they have used Google's quantum computer to demonstrate a genuine "time crystal." In addition, a separate research group claimed earlier this month to have created a time crystal in a diamond.

A novel phase of matter that physicists have strived to realize for many years, a time crystal is an object whose parts move in a regular, repeating cycle, sustaining this constant change without burning any energy.

"The consequence is amazing: You evade the second law of thermodynamics," said Roderich Moessner, director of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden, Germany, and a co-author on the Google paper. That's the law that says disorder always increases.

Time crystals are also the first objects to spontaneously break "time-translation symmetry," the usual rule that a stable object will remain the same throughout time. A time crystal is both stable and ever-changing, with special moments that come at periodic intervals in time.

[...] "This is just this completely new and exciting space that we're working in now," said Vedika Khemani, a condensed matter physicist now at Stanford who co-discovered the novel phase while she was a graduate student and co-authored the new paper with the Google team.

Journal Reference:
Mi, Xiao, Ippoliti, Matteo, Quintana, Chris, et al. Observation of Time-Crystalline Eigenstate Order on a Quantum Processor, (DOI: https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.13571)

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

The Ragnarok gang, also known as Asnarok, closed up shop this week, publishing the news to their public website, according to a post published Thursday by analyst firm Recorded Future’s The Record, among other sources.

As a parting “gift,” the group released their decryptor, hardcoded with a master decryption key, for free as well on the portal. Previously, the site was primarily the place where Ragnarok would publish data from victims who refused to pay ransom.

“Ragnarok now becomes the third ransomware group that shuts down and releases a way for victims to recover files for free this summer, after the likes of Avaddon in June and SynAck earlier this month,” according to The Record.

[...] The gang is the latest ransomware group to shutter operations, due in part to mounting pressures and crackdowns from international authorities that already have led some key players to cease their activity. In addition to Avaddon and SyNack, two heavy hitters in the game — REvil and DarkSide – also closed up shop recently.

Other ransomware groups are feeling the pressure in other ways. An apparently vengeful affiliate of the Conti Gang recently leaked the playbook of the ransomware group after alleging that the notorious cybercriminal organization underpaid him for doing its dirty work.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

Researchers from MIT, the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have developed a new way to deliver molecular therapies to cells. The system, called SEND, can be programmed to encapsulate and deliver different RNA cargoes. SEND harnesses natural proteins in the body that form virus-like particles and bind RNA, and it may provoke less of an immune response than other delivery approaches.

The new delivery platform works efficiently in cell models, and, with further development, could open up a new class of delivery methods for a wide range of molecular medicines — including those for gene editing and gene replacement. Existing delivery vehicles for these therapeutics can be inefficient and randomly integrate into the genome of cells, and some can stimulate unwanted immune reactions. SEND has the promise to overcome these limitations, which could open up new opportunities to deploy molecular medicine.

[...] Reporting in Science, the team describes how SEND (Selective Endogenous eNcapsidation for cellular Delivery) takes advantage of molecules made by human cells. At the center of SEND is a protein called PEG10, which normally binds to its own mRNA and forms a spherical protective capsule around it. In their study, the team engineered PEG10 to selectively package and deliver other RNA. The scientists used SEND to deliver the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system to mouse and human cells to edit targeted genes.

[...] “By mixing and matching different components in the SEND system, we believe that it will provide a modular platform for developing therapeutics for different diseases,” said [CRISPR pioneer and senior study author Feng] Zhang.

Journal Reference:
Michael Segel, Blake Lash, Jingwei Song, et al. Mammalian retrovirus-like protein PEG10 packages its own mRNA and can be pseudotyped for mRNA delivery [$], Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.abg6155)

Original Submission

upstart writes:

European Union To Remove The U.S. From Its 'Safe Travel' List:

American travelers in Europe may soon face additional Covid-related restrictions such as quarantines and testing requirements. The European Union has already begun the procedure to remove the United States and five other countries from its "safe travel" list, reports Reuters.

Travelers from countries on the safe list can visit E.U. countries without quarantining by showing only a recent negative test result, while travelers from other countries are discouraged from visiting for non-essential reasons. However as the "safe list" is non-binding, American travelers would not automatically be barred from entry to E.U. countries. The last word will come from each individual E.U. country, which has the authority to impose their own restrictions. In other words, it's going to be a messy patchwork of different rules and regulations across the continent.

The change to the so-called "safe list" could become official as soon as Monday. The other countries on the chopping block include Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.

The E.U.'s safe list includes countries outside the 27-member block that are considered safe amid the Coronavirus pandemic due to the low rates of infections. The list is updated periodically based on the latest coronavirus developments in each country.

The threshold for being on the "safe travel" list is having fewer than 75 new Covid-19 cases daily per 100,000 inhabitants over the previous 14 days. Currently the United States has an infection rate roughly seven times above that threshold.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

2,200 Year Old Alexander the Great Statue Discovered in Alexandria:

The Ministry of Antiquities in Cairo has discovered a statue of Alexander the Great within an ancient "residential and commercial zone" in Alexandria that they believe was a trade center in the region during the Ptolemaic period. The archaeologists made their discovery after 9 months of excavations.

The team discovered molds for statues of Alexander the Great at the site as well as an alabaster bust of the iconic ancient leader. Also amongst these items were materials for creating amulets for warriors.

As they explored this area of Alexandria, known as the al-Shatby neighborhoud, "the mission found a large network of tunnel tanks painted in pink for storing rain, flood and groundwater to be used during the draught [sic - drought] time" said Mostafa Waziri, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt to the Xinhua news agency.

Waziri further explained the lay out of the town: "it was composed of a main street and several branch roads that are all connected with a sanitation network."

He believes that the area was active from the 2nd century B.C. to the 4th century A.D. Waziri also noted that the team found an array of pottery pots, coins, plates, fishing tools, and rest houses for travelers. The ruins of the area's buildings combined with the artifacts found there have led the team to believe that the town had a lively market that sold pots and had workshops for the construction of statues, amulets, and other items.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

Researchers from the University of Kent, the Research Institute for Environment Treatment and Vita-Market Ltd have discovered the universal mathematical formula that can describe any bird's egg existing in nature, a feat which has been unsuccessful until now.

Egg-shape has long attracted the attention of mathematicians, engineers, and biologists from an analytical point of view. The shape has been highly regarded for its evolution as large enough to incubate an embryo, small enough to exit the body in the most efficient way, not roll away once laid, is structurally sound enough to bear weight and be the beginning of life for 10,500 species that have survived since the dinosaurs. The egg has been called the "perfect shape."

Analysis of all egg shapes used four geometric figures: sphere, ellipsoid, ovoid, and pyriform (conical), with a mathematical formula for the pyriform yet to be derived.

To rectify this, researchers introduced an additional function into the ovoid formula, developing a mathematical model to fit a completely novel geometric shape characterized as the last stage in the evolution of the sphere-ellipsoid, which it is applicable to any egg geometry.

This new universal mathematical formula for egg shape is based on four parameters: egg length, maximum breadth, shift of the vertical axis, and the diameter at one quarter of the egg length.

This long sought-for universal formula is a significant step in understanding not only the egg shape itself, but also how and why it evolved, thus making widespread biological and technological applications possible.

The actual article is pay-walled, but the abstract is available.

Journal Reference:
Valeriy G. Narushin, Michael N. Romanov, Darren K. Griffin. Egg and math: introducing a universal formula for egg shape, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14680)

Original Submission

This story presents a roundup of a selection of Microsoft Windows 11 prerelease story submissions. Included are the following:

• Windows 11 To Only Support One Intel 7th Gen CPU, No AMD Zen CPUs
• Why Windows 11 Has Such Strict Hardware Requirements, According to Microsoft
• Microsoft Won't Stop You Installing Windows 11 on Older PCs
• Start or Please Stop? Power users mourn features lost in Windows 11 'simplification'

If Windows isn't your cup of tea, then please feel free to skip this story; another story will appear presently. Otherwise, please see the rest of the story below the fold:

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

Mutant DNA sequences inside cellular mitochondria can be eliminated using a bespoke chemical compound. The approach, developed by scientists at Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Science (iCeMS) in Japan, could lead to better treatments for mitochondrial diseases. The researchers published their findings in the journal Cell Chemical Biology.

[...] In some mitochondrial diseases, mutated DNA and normal DNA co-exist. "This state is called heteroplasmy," explains Kyoto University's Takuya Hidaka, the first author of the study. "Mitochondrial function can be maintained by normal mitochondrial DNA when the heteroplasmy level is low. But it is impaired when mutated DNA exceeds a critical threshold. To cure mitochondrial diseases, we need to be able to remove mutant mitochondrial DNA from cells."

Current approaches for such mitochondrial diseases are problematic, explains iCeMS bioengineer Ganesh Namasivayam Pandian, who led the study. Some involve injecting genetic material into cells, which could lead to unwanted alterations. In others, antioxidant drugs are administered to reduce the impacts of the mutant DNA, without addressing the core mutation.

Pandian worked with iCeMS chemical biologist Hiroshi Sugiyama, Takuya Hidaka and colleagues to develop a chemical-based approach that overcomes these issues.

[...] "Our proof-of-concept study can be extended to mitochondrial mutations that cause diseases like Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy, an inherited form of vision loss that currently has no proven treatment," says Pandian.

Journal Reference:
Takuya Hidaka. Targeted elimination of mutated mitochondrial DNA by a multi-functional conjugate capable of sequence-specific adenine alkylation, Cell Chemical Biology (DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.08.003)

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Online Trolls Also Jerks in Real Life: Aarhus University Study:

The internet doesn't turn people into assholes so much as it acts as a massive megaphone for existing ones, according to work by researchers at Aarhus University.

[...] the researchers used representative surveys and behavioral studies from the U.S. and Denmark to establish the reason why people broadly perceive the online environment as more hostile than offline interaction. A pre-print version of the article is available here.

The team considered the mismatch hypothesis, which in the context of online behavior refers to the theory that there is a conflict between human adaptation for face-to-face interpersonal interaction and the newer, impersonal online environment. That hypothesis more or less amounts to the idea that humans who would be nicer to each other in person might feel more inclined to get nasty when interacting with other pseudonymous internet users. The researchers found little evidence for that.

Instead, their data pointed to online interactions largely mirroring offline behavior, with people predisposed to aggressive, status-seeking behavior just as unpleasant in person as behind a veil of online anonymity, and choosing to be jerks as part of a deliberate strategy rather than as a consequence of the format involved. They also found some evidence that less hostile people simply aren't as interested in talking about politics on the internet. These results were similar in both the U.S. and Denmark, even though the two countries have very different political cultures with differing levels of polarization. [...]

"We found that people are not more hostile online than offline; that hostile individuals do not preferentially select into online (vs. offline) political discussions; and that people do not over-perceive hostility in online messages," the researchers wrote. "We did find some evidence for another selection effect: Non-hostile individuals select out from all, hostile as well as non-hostile, online political discussions."

Egyptians Discover Fossil Of New Amphibious Whale

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

Egyptian scientists have discovered the fossil of a new species of amphibious whale that dates back 43 million years, a member of the research team said.

"This is a species that was not known" previously, said Hesham Sallam, an Egyptian palaeontologist from the team.

"This is the first time that an Arab research team, specifically an Egyptian one, is in charge of documenting such a discovery," he said on television late Thursday.

The fossil was found in the Fayum region, a part of Egypt that was once covered by sea and is home to Whale Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The newly discovered species, which was more than three metres (10 feet) long and weighed about 600 kilograms (about 1,320 pounds), has been named Phiomicetus anubis.

Researchers Discover Remains of Four-legged Amphibious Whale in Egypt's Fayoum - Daily News Egypt

upstart writes:

upstart writes:

Astra Rocket 3.3 launch fails - SpaceNews:

WASHINGTON — Astra's third attempt to reach orbit failed Aug. 28 when its Rocket 3.3 vehicle struggled to get off the launch pad and eventually failed in flight.

The small launch vehicle, designated LV0006 by Astra, ignited its five first-stage engines at about 6:35 p.m. Eastern from Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska on Kodiak Island. Various issues, including taking additional time to load propellant and update software configurations, delayed the launch from the opening of the window at 4 p.m. Eastern.

The rocket, instead of immediately ascending vertically, tipped and moved sideways, hovering just about the ground. It took nearly 20 seconds for the sideways motion to stop, at which point the rocket started to ascend.

The rocket continued going up until about two and a half minutes after liftoff, near the end of the first-stage burn. Onboard video broadcast on the launch webcast showed the engines shutting down and the vehicle tumbling, with a call to "terminate" heard on the launch audio.

The company did not immediately provide additional information about the cause of the failure. "Today, after a successful launch and liftoff, Astra's launch vehicle experienced an anomaly in flight," Chris Kemp, co-founder and chief executive of Astra, said in a brief message at the end of the launch webcast.

"While we regret we were unable to accomplish all mission objectives for the Space Force, our team captured a tremendous amount of data from the flight," he added, stating that the company would work with the Federal Aviation Administration, which licensed this launch, to investigate the failure.

YouTube video.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

Over the past decade, the Japan Coast Guard has occasionally spotted patches of milky blue water about 5 kilometers (3 miles) north of South Iwo Jima island. The discolored water has been a subtle reminder that the summit of an active volcano—Fukutoku-Okanoba—lurks about 25 meters (80 feet) below the water surface.

On August 13, 2021, there was much more than just discolored water. A photograph taken by a Coast Guard aircraft flying near the volcano showed a towering plume of gas rising several kilometers into the air—a sure sign that explosive “Surtseyan” eruptions were happening.

Satellite observations and follow-up flights filled in more details. The Japanese geostationary satellite Himawari 8 was among the first satellites to observe the eruption, showing its beginning stages at about 21:00 UTC (6 a.m. local time) on August 12, 2021. When NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on the Terra satellite acquired its first image of the event on August 13, it showed a bright plume—likely steam and volcanic gases—streaming from the vent and stretching hundreds of kilometers to the west.

The longevity and vigor of the plume surprised some scientists. “What was remarkable about this eruption is that it went straight from being a submarine event to an eruption cloud reaching the lower boundary of the stratosphere,” explained Andrew Tupper, a meteorologist with Natural Hazards Consulting and a specialist in hazards to aviation. “That is not very common for this type of volcano. We normally see lower-level plumes from submarine eruptions.”

[...] “Aviation and marine warning systems for remote submarine volcanoes are still very much developing,” said Tupper. “Combining cutting-edge satellite data with surface observations gives us the best possible chance to respond in time.”

Original Submission

upstart writes:

The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's next great observatory, passes final ground tests:

NASA and its partners working on the James Webb Space Telescope have completed their final tests of the giant observatory and are now preparing it for a trip to a South American spaceport for a launch later this year.

Conceived more than 30 years ago as a successor of the then new Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb will be the largest observatory ever to be put in orbit. It is designed to use its infrared eyes to peer further into the universe's history than ever before. With its 6.5-meter in diameter gold-plated mirror, the telescope will attempt to answer questions about the formation of first stars and galaxies out of the darkness of the early universe.

At 44 feet (13.2 meters) long and 14 feet (4.2 m) wide, the telescope is about the size of a large tractor-trailer truck, fitted with intricate sun shades that could cover a tennis court once unfolded.

The program faced many delays, not just due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but seems finally on track to start producing ground-breaking astronomical observations. The testing, which took place at the facilities of prime contractor Northrop Grumman in California, made sure that nothing would go wrong with the more than $10 billion spacecraft during launch and once in space.

"NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has reached a major turning point on its path toward launch with the completion of final observatory integration and testing," Gregory Robinson, Webb's program director at NASA headquarters in Washington, said in a statement. "We have a tremendously dedicated workforce who brought us to the finish line, and we are very excited to see that Webb is ready for launch and will soon be on that science journey."

Original Submission

wirelessduck writes:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-28/china-thorium-molten-salt-nuclear-reactor-energy/100351932

Scientists in China are about to turn on for the first time an experimental reactor that's believed by some to be the Holy Grail of nuclear energy — safer, cheaper and with less potential for weaponisation.

Construction on the thorium-based molten salt reactor was expected to be finished this month with the first tests to begin as early as September, according to a statement from the Gansu provincial government.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

$15 drug gets COVID patients off oxygen support in under week – study:

Fourteen out of 15 severe COVID-19 patients who were treated in an investigator-initiated interventional open-label clinical study of the drug TriCor (fenofibrate)[*] didn't require oxygen support within a week of treatment and were released from the hospital, according to the results of a new Hebrew University of Jerusalem study.

Fenofibrate is an FDA-approved oral medication. The results were published on Researchsquare.com and are currently under peer review.

Specifically, the team that was led by HU's Prof. Yaakov Nahmias carried out the study at Israel's Barzilai Medical Center in coordination with the hospital's head of the Infectious Disease Unit, Prof. Shlomo Maayan, and with support from Abbott Laboratories.

[...] The 15 treated patients all had pneumonia and required oxygen support. They were also older with multiple comorbidities, ranging from diabetes and obesity to high blood pressure.

"The results were dramatic," Nahmias told The Jerusalem Post. "Progressive inflammation markers, which are the hallmark of deteriorative COVID-19, dropped within 48 hours of treatment. Moreover, 14 of the 15 severe patients didn't require oxygen support within a week of treatment." The 15th patient was off oxygen within 10 days.