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upstart writes:

Bacterial soundtracks revealed by graphene membrane:

Have you ever wondered if bacteria make distinctive sounds? If we could listen to bacteria, we would be able to know whether they are alive or not. When bacteria are killed using an antibiotic, those sounds would stop—unless of course the bacteria are resistant to the antibiotic. This is exactly what a team of researchers from TU Delft , led by Dr. Farbod Alijani, now have managed to do: they captured low-level noise of a single bacterium using graphene. Now, their research is published in Nature Nanotechnology.

The team of researchers initiated a collaboration with the nanobiology group of Cees Dekker and the nanomechanics group of Peter Steeneken. Together with Ph.D. student Irek Roslon and postdoc Dr. Aleksandre Japaridze, the team ran their first experiments with E. coli bacteria. Cees Dekker: "What we saw was striking. When a single bacterium adheres to the surface of a graphene drum, it generates random oscillations with amplitudes as low as a few nanometers that we could detect. We could hear the sound of a single bacterium."

The extremely small oscillations are a result of the biological processes of the bacteria with main contribution from their flagella (tails on the cell surface that propel bacteria).

[...] This research has enormous implications for the detection of antibiotic resistance. The experimental results were unequivocal: If the bacteria were resistant to the antibiotic, the oscillations just continued at the same level. When the bacteria were susceptible to the drug, vibrations decreased until one or two hours later, but then they were completely gone. Thanks to the high sensitivity of graphene drums, the phenomenon can be detected using just a single cell.

Journal Reference:
Irek E. Rosłoń, Aleksandre Japaridze, Peter G. Steeneken, Cees Dekker & Farbod Alijani, Probing nanomotion of single bacteria with graphene drums, Nat. Nanotechnol., 2022.
DOI: 10.1038/s41565-022-01111-6

Original Submission

Freeman writes:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/04/bugs-in-100-lenovo-models-fixed-to-prevent-unremovable-infections/

Lenovo has released security updates for more than 100 laptop models to fix critical vulnerabilities that make it possible for advanced hackers to surreptitiously install malicious firmware that can be next to impossible to remove or, in some cases, to detect.

Three vulnerabilities affecting more than 1 million laptops can give hackers the ability to modify a computer's UEFI. Short for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, the UEFI is the software that bridges a computer's device firmware with its operating system. As the first piece of software to run when virtually any modern machine is turned on, it's the initial link in the security chain. Because the UEFI resides in a flash chip on the motherboard, infections are difficult to detect and even harder to remove.
[...]
All three of the Lenovo vulnerabilities discovered by ESET require local access, meaning that the attacker must already have control over the vulnerable machine with unfettered privileges. The bar for that kind of access is high and would likely require exploiting one or more critical other vulnerabilities elsewhere that would already put a user at considerable risk.

Still, the vulnerabilities are serious because they can infect vulnerable laptops with malware that goes well beyond what's normally possible with more conventional malware. Lenovo has a list here of more than 100 models that are affected.

Original Submission

DannyB writes:

QEMU 7.0 Released With Intel AMX Support, Many RISC-V Additions

Since QEMU 6.2 at the end of last year, developers at Red Hat and other organizations have been busy working on QEMU 7.0 as this open-source emulator widely used as part of the free software Linux virtualization stack. QEMU 7.0 brings support for Intel AMX, a lot of ongoing RISC-V work, and more. Some of the QEMU 7.0 highlights include:

- QEMU continues maturing for the RISC-V CPU architecture support. QEMU 7.0 supports RISC-V's 1.0 Vector extension in ratified form, the RISC-V KVM support that was recently mainlined, experimental support for 128-bit CPUs, and support for a variety of other recent RISC-V extensions. The RISC-V virt machine now also supports up to 32 cores.

- QEMU 7.0 on x86 adds support for Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions (AMX). Intel AMX is one of the big additions coming with Xeon Scalable "Sapphire Rapids" processors shipping later this year and open-source Intel engineers have been busy plumbing AMX support throughout the Linux stack.

- Initial bits of SR/IOV support has landed for QEMU's PCI/PCIe code.

[. . . and more . . .]

What if a program ran on an emulator but not on the real hardware? What if real hardware could not keep pace with the development of emulators for that hardware?

See Also:
www.qemu.org
Change Log 7.0

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Arm movement and running speed: Is the partnership overrated?:

The findings, published in the journal Gait & Posture, offer additional fundamental insights regarding limb synchronization during sprint performance.

"Our findings suggest the classic view that arm swing directly drives leg motion to affect performance is not well-supported," said Peter Weyand, an expert in human speed who leads SMU's Locomotor Performance Lab.

[...] The study examined the velocity of participants first sprinting 30 meters with regular arm motion, then again with restricted arm motion. When study participants sprinted with restricted arm motion, their 30-meter sprint time slowed down by only 0.08 seconds on average, a 1.6 percent difference from when the participants sprinted while moving their arms.

"We were surprised by the small magnitude of difference between the two experimental conditions. It is generally believed that the arms substantially influence the movement of the legs, and therefore running speed, which clearly is not the case," Brooks said.

[...] "The compensatory torso twisting movements we observed during arm motion restriction indicate that runners swing their arms as the simplest and most natural strategy to prevent undesirable bodily rotations," Clark said.

[...] "Virtually all runners choose to swing their arms to maintain a forward-facing position," Weyand said. "The classic studies on the 'why' of arm motion during human locomotion are 40 or more years old and focused primarily on walking and jogging. So, performance effects were largely unknown," he said.

Journal Reference:
Lance C.Brooks, Peter G.Weyand, and Kenneth P.Clark, Does restricting arm motion compromise short sprint running performance?, Gait & Posture, 94, 2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2022.03.001

Original Submission

Freeman writes:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/04/linkedin-cant-use-anti-hacking-law-to-block-web-scraping-judges-rule/

In a case involving LinkedIn, a federal appeals court reaffirmed Monday that web scraping likely doesn't violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).

The ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit drew a distinction between data that is password-protected and data that is publicly available. That means hiQ Labs—a data analytics company that uses automated technology to scrape information from public LinkedIn profiles—can continue accessing LinkedIn data, a three-judge panel at the appeals court ruled:

Original Submission

Freeman writes:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/04/lithium-costs-a-lot-of-money-so-why-arent-we-recycling-lithium-batteries/

How extreme is the disparity between lithium and lead batteries? In 2021, the average price of one metric ton of battery-grade lithium carbonate was $17,000 compared to $2,425 for lead North American markets, and raw materials now account for over half of battery cost, according to a 2021 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The imbalance of recycling is counterintuitive in terms of fresh material supply as well. Global sources of lithium amount to 89 million tons, most of which originate in South America, according to a recent United States Geological Survey report. In contrast, the global lead supply at 2 billion tons was 22 times higher than lithium.

Despite the smaller supply of lithium, a study earlier this year in the Journal of the Indian Institute of Science found that less than 1 percent of Lithium-ion batteries get recycled in the US and EU compared to 99 percent of lead-acid batteries, which are most often used in gas vehicles and power grids. According to the study, recycling challenges range from the constantly evolving battery technology to costly shipping of dangerous materials to inadequate government regulation.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Rotating blue laser light reveals unimagined dynamics in living cells:

University of Freiburg scientists have employed a microscopy technique known as rotating coherent scattering (ROCS) to resolve cellular-level detail without the need to rely on fluorescence imaging. This means they can make "movies" to study the dynamics of cells because they take images at 100 frames per second. It uses a rapidly rotating blue laser beam, causing lightwaves to scatter at the structures of cells to generate images. They use blue laser light because objects as small as cells and viruses scatter much more light in the blue than in the red, allowing them to get "brighter" pictures. The laser is also directed in at an oblique angle to increase the contrast of the image, much as how you'd look for smudges on surfaces by looking at light reflected at low angles.

The Freiburg physicist and engineers from the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) rotate the oblique laser beam a hundred times per second around the object and thereby produce 100 images per second. "So in ten minutes we already have 60,000 images of living cells, which turn out to be far more dynamic than previously thought," says Rohrbach. Dynamic analyses like this demand enormous computing power to process just one minute of visual material, however. Therefore, a variety of computer algorithms and analytical processes first had to be developed so that the data could be properly interpreted.

[...] "Our primary aim wasn't to generate pretty pictures or films of the unexpectedly high dynamic of cells -- we wanted to gain new biological insights." For instance, the ROCS technology enabled them to observe how mast cells open small pores in just a few milliseconds when stimulated, in order to eject spherical granules at an inexplicably high force and speed. The granules contain the transmitter histamine, which can subsequently lead to allergic reactions.

upstart writes:

Researchers break world record for quantum-encrypted communications:

Researchers in Beijing have set a new quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) world record of 102.2 km (64 miles), smashing the previous mark of 18 km (11 miles), The Eurasian Times reported. Transmission speeds were extremely slow at 0.54 bits per second, but still good enough for text message and phone call encryption over a distance of 30 km (19 miles), wrote research lead Long Guilu in Nature. The work could eventually lead to hack-proof communication, as any eavesdropping attempt on a quantum line can be instantly detected.

[...] The same research team set the previous fiber record, and devised a "novel design of physical system with a new protocol" to achieve the longer distance. They simplified it by eliminating the "complicated active compensation subsystem" used in the previous model. "This enables an ultra-low quantum bit error rate (QBER) and the long-term stability against environmental noises."

As a result, the system can withstand much more so-called channel loss that makes it impossible to decode encrypted messages. That in turn allowed them to extend the fiber from 28.3km to the record 102.2 km distance. "The experiment shows that intercity quantum secure direct communication through the fiber is feasible with present-day technology," the team wrote in Nature.

Journal Reference:
Zhang, Haoran, Sun, Zhen, Qi, Ruoyang, et al. Realization of quantum secure direct communication over 100 km fiber with time-bin and phase quantum states [open], Light: Science & Applications (DOI: 10.1038/s41377-022-00769-w)

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Texas can get to net zero by 2050 and simultaneously bolster the economy:

Texas could eliminate its carbon pollution in fewer than 30 years, and decarbonizing would actually strengthen the state's economy, according to new research from energy scientists at The University of Texas at Austin.

The report warns that global markets are already casting a wary eye on goods and services that rely on fossil fuels. Those shifting consumer preferences could mean trouble for Texas, which built an economy larger than those of most countries on the strength of its oil and natural gas industries. Texas risks losing its economic footing unless it embraces new approaches to energy production, the report says.

[...] But Texas, despite its reputation for big rigs and black gold, is also an emerging clean-energy hub, with breathtaking solar and wind potential. The state is well positioned to decarbonize, according to the report, titled "Don't Mess with Texas: Getting the Lone Star State to Net-Zero by 2050." The researchers studied four approaches to reaching net-zero emissions. To their surprise, all four approaches produced greater economic output than "business as usual"—the state's annual gross domestic product was anywhere from 1.6% to 7.9% higher.

[...] "This doesn't have to mean the decimation of the oil and gas industries," Webber said. For example, the team's analysis finds that keeping some natural gas in the power sector's fuel mix provides valuable dispatchability when other resources are not available.

[...] Accompanying the report is a new online tool, the Texas Energy Policy Simulator (TX-EPS), with which anyone can test their ideas about decarbonizing the state. TX-EPS was developed by climate/energy think tank Energy Innovation.

[...] "The thing Texas does is deploy at scale. That's our superpower," Webber said. "We can do things at a globally relevant scale in a matter of decades or even years."

Original Source: Texas Can Get to Net Zero by 2050 and Simultaneously Bolster the Economy

Original Submission

hubie writes:

The most complicated and expensive part of the supply chain is the last-mile delivery, where the costs can account for up to 28% of the total transportation cost and is projected to increase. The two main issues driving these costs will be the continual rise of e-commerce as well as rapid global urbanization, so there is a need for ways to optimize the delivery process to reduce costs. Urbanization leads to continued growth of traffic, which leads to transportation delays, higher fuel costs, and larger environmental impacts. These factors have led companies to consider deliveries by drone, but drones have limited battery capacities. Instead of looking at company delivery trucks as mobile charging stations from which to launch drones, a group of researchers considered utilizing public transportation vehicles to serve that purpose.

The idea of letting drones recharge or hitch rides on buses and trams to conserve energy was first introduced by Stanford researchers. The researchers in this work extended that idea to using multiple drones and multiple warehouses operating around the actual transportation nodes of a city (Bremen, Germany) and found that this is an attractive and viable approach that can be implemented in the real world.

Journal Reference:
Moadab, A., Farajzadeh, F. & Fatahi Valilai, O. Drone routing problem model for last-mile delivery using the public transportation capacity as moving charging stations. Sci Rep 12, 6361 (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10408-4

Original Submission

hubie writes:

The rover will collect samples and search for signs of life as it explores an ancient and now-dry river channel

After collecting eight rock-core samples from its first science campaign and completing a record-breaking, 31-Martian-day (or sol) dash across about 3 miles (5 kilometers) of Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover arrived at the doorstep of Jezero Crater's ancient river delta April 13. Dubbed "Three Forks" by the Perseverance team (a reference to the spot where three route options to the delta merge), the location serves as the staging area for the rover's second science expedition, the "Delta Front Campaign."

"The delta at Jezero Crater promises to be a veritable geologic feast and one of the best locations on Mars to look for signs of past microscopic life," said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "The answers are out there – and Team Perseverance is ready to find them."

The delta, a massive fan-shaped collection of rocks and sediment at the western edge of Jezero Crater, formed at the convergence of a Martian river and a crater lake billions of years ago. Its exploration tops the Perseverance science team's wish list because all the fine-grained sediment deposited at its base long ago is the mission's best bet for finding the preserved remnants of ancient microbial life.

[...] "The delta is why Perseverance was sent to Jezero Crater: It has so many interesting features," said Farley. "We will look for signs of ancient life in the rocks at the base of the delta, rocks that we think were once mud on the bottom of 'Lake Jezero.' Higher up the delta, we can look at sand and rock fragments that came from upstream, perhaps from miles away. These are locations the rover will never visit. We can take advantage of an ancient Martian river that brought the planet's geological secrets to us."

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Microsoft looking to add advertisements to free-to-play games:

Microsoft is creating a program that would enable companies and various advertisers to advertise in free-to-play Xbox games, according to Business Insider. Ads could appear in these games as digital-rendered billboards in car-racing games, the outlet added, citing sources close to the matter.

The company is considering creation of a private marketplace, where only select brands would be able to buy ad space and display ads in ways that don’t disrupt gameplay. The goal is to avoid an outcry from gamers.

"We are always looking for ways to improve the experience for players and developers but we don't have anything further to share," a Microsoft spokesperson told TheStreet. The spokesperson didn't dispute the report.

[...] According to Business Insider, Microsoft has no intention of taking a cut. The company plans to let developers and ad-tech companies share this advertising revenue.

In this case, why would Microsoft take such a risk of alienating certain players? One possibility is that Microsoft, which aims to buy out Activision Blizzard, wants to attract developers by offering them additional sources of income.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Variable schedules harm workers and businesses:

Variable work schedules—which employers increasingly use to maximize profits amid unpredictable market conditions—can actually undermine organizational performance, especially in crisis periods such as the pandemic, according to Cornell research.

[...] For decades, employers have altered the number and timing of employees' work hours on a daily or weekly basis in order to respond quickly to changing conditions. Chung studied the impact of this practice by integrating insights from literature on flexible staffing, turnover and organizational resilience, with data from 1,678 stores of a U.S.-based fast-food restaurant chain

"Research in the last decade has built a convincing theoretical and empirical record that workers in units with variable work schedules suffer from unstable earnings, negative mental and physical health outcomes, and work-life conflicts," wrote Chung, a student in the field of human resources.

[...] Human resources theory suggests that flexible staffing can hedge against volume and demand uncertainty, but through this study, Chung found that its value can expire if overused because variable work schedules can beget another source of uncertainty: loss of human capital due to high turnover.

[...] "The findings suggest that managers need to rethink the implication of the environmental disruption (COVID-19 in this study) with respect to the use of certain HR practices," she said. "In particular, the loss of human capital resulting from the use of flexible staffing practices may be a roadblock for firms seeking to bounce back from adversity."

Journal Reference:
Chung, H. (2022). Variable work schedules, unit-level turnover, and performance before and during the COVID-19 pandemic [open]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(4), 515-532.
DOI: 10.1037/apl0001006

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Mars scientists look to less expensive missions - SpaceNews:

The National Academies is scheduled to release the latest decadal survey for planetary sciences April 19. The report will set priorities for planetary science and astrobiology missions for 2023 through 2032.

The previous planetary science decadal survey, released in 2011, recommended as its top priority for large, or flagship, missions a rover that could cache samples for later return to Earth. NASA ultimately implemented that recommendation as Mars 2020, with the Perseverance rover currently collecting those samples.

Agency officials, speaking at a conference on low-cost Mars mission options in Pasadena, California, in late March, acknowledged it’s unlikely another flagship-class Mars mission will be the top priority of the new decadal survey. Even if it was, the expense of the ongoing Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign to return the samples Perseverance is caching makes it unlikely the agency could afford another large mission this decade.

[...] At the conference, many were pinning their hopes on smaller missions, both orbiters and landers, that could address key scientific issues. Recent studies, one by the Mars Architecture Strategy Working Group (MASWG) and another by a committee organized by Caltech’s Keck Institute for Space Studies, concluded that low-cost Mars missions were both feasible and useful.

Bruce Jakosky of the University of Colorado, who chaired the MASWG study, said at the conference that there was potential for missions with a total lifecycle cost of between $100 million and $300 million. “We think missions in this range have the potential to do outstanding science,” he said.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

The Lyrid meteor shower peaks April 21-22:

One of the oldest known meteor showers is gracing the night sky next week — coinciding with the celebration of our planet, known as Earth Day. There hasn't been a meteor shower in months, and the Lyrid shower marks the end of the drought.

[...] The Lyrid meteor shower lights up the night sky every year from around April 15 to 29, as particles shed from Comet 1861 G1 Thatcher. The comet last passed through the inner solar system in 1861 — and it will not return until 2276 due to its 415-year orbit.

[...] Lyrid meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Lyra the Harp, located near the well-known star Vega, giving the shower its name.

[...] The Lyrids meteor shower is predicted to peak at 4 UTC on Friday, April 22, according to EarthSky.

Unfortunately, this year, a bright waning moon will illuminate the sky during the shower, making it more difficult to spot shooting stars.

If you look directly at the radiant — the point where the meteors appear to be coming from, which will be in the constellation Lyra — the shooting stars will be short. To see longer and more spectacular meteors, it's better to look away.

Find yourself a dark spot and remember to Keep Looking Up!.

Original Submission