SoylentNews

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered airlines to temporarily ground some Boeing 737 Max 9 planes for safety inspections after an Alaska Airlines plane lost a cabin panel during a flight on Friday with about 180 people on board. The plane, which had only been in service since November, according to the New York Times, was able to safely land back at Portland International Airport in Oregon, where it had taken off from. There were no major injuries, though the Alaska division of the Association of Flight Attendants said workers described “explosive” decompression in the cabin and reported one flight attendant sustained minor injuries.

[...] Immediately following the incident, Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci put out a statement saying the company would be grounding its fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft for what it expects to be a few days as it conducts safety checks. “Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections,” Minicucci. The FAA order extends the grounding to “approximately 171 airplanes worldwide” that are either operated by US airlines or in US territory.

Minicucci also said that the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what happened with Flight 1282 and “we will fully support their investigation.” The plane had been on its way to Ontario, California. Reuters, citing FlightRadar24, reported that the blowout occurred at around 16,000 feet. In social media posts shared with Reuters and the NYT, passengers can be seen sitting right next to the gaping hole and the fully exposed sky.

Original Submission

mrpg writes:

https://phys.org/news/2024-01-method-straighten-space.html

One of the greatest challenges of modern physics is to find a coherent method for describing phenomena, on the cosmic and microscale. For over a hundred years, to describe reality on a cosmic scale we have been using general relativity theory, which has successfully undergone repeated attempts at falsification.

Albert Einstein curved space-time to describe gravity, and despite still-open questions about dark matter or dark energy, it seems, today, to be the best method of analyzing the past and future of the universe.

To describe phenomena on the scale of atoms, we use the second great theory: quantum mechanics, which differs from general relativity in basically everything. It uses flat space-time and a completely different mathematical apparatus, and most importantly, perceives reality radically differently.

In the quantum description, the phenomena around us are only wavering probabilities of events that we can only measure with limited accuracy.

In an article, published in Frontiers in Physics, I managed to demonstrate that there is a method that combines the above descriptions, although it leads to quite a surprising conclusion.

Journal Reference:
Ogonowski, Piotr. Developed method: interactions and their quantum picture, Frontiers in Physics (DOI: 10.3389/fphy.2023.1264925)

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

India's solar observation mission on Saturday entered the Sun's orbit after a four-month journey, the latest success for the space exploration ambitions of the world's most populous nation.

The Aditya-L1 mission was launched in September and is carrying an array of instruments to measure and observe the Sun's outermost layers.

India's science and technology minister Jitendra Singh said on social media that the probe had reached its final orbit "to discover the mysteries of Sun-Earth connection".

[...] But the latest mission by the Indian Space Research Organization is the first by any Asian nation to be placed in orbit around the Sun.

[...] Aditya, named after a Hindu Sun deity, has traveled 1.5 million kilometers (932,000 miles) from the Earth—still only one percent of the distance between humanity's home planet and the star at the center of our solar system.

It is now at a point where the gravitational forces of both celestial bodies cancel out, allowing it to remain in a stable halo orbit around the Sun.

The orbiter, which reportedly cost $48 million, will study coronal mass ejections, a periodic phenomenon that sees huge discharges of plasma and magnetic energy from the Sun's atmosphere.

[...] India has a comparatively low-budget space program, but one that has grown considerably in size and momentum since it first sent a probe to orbit the Moon in 2008.

In August last year, India became the first country to land an uncrewed craft near the largely unexplored lunar south pole, and just the fourth nation to land on the Moon.

India became the first Asian nation to put a craft into orbit around Mars in 2014, and it is slated to launch a three-day crewed mission into Earth's orbit later this year.

It also plans a joint mission with Japan to send another probe to the Moon by 2025 and an orbital mission to Venus within the next two years.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

It's one of the many new connected bathroom fixtures the company is debuting at CES 2024:

CES is about more than just the gadgets you hold in your hand or sit at the desk to use. It's about the stuff in your bathroom, too, which is why Kohler is using the annual trade show to debut its latest in connected fixtures. The new items include a new shower sprayer, a ventilation fan that helps with humidity after a long shower, and my favorite, the PureWash Bidet Seat with Google and Alexa built-in.

The PureWash Bidet Seat is as standard as any other, but I like that you can talk to it. It's heated, has adjustable temperatures and water pressure, and comes in white or black to match your bathroom style. It also features voice activation via Amazon's Alexa or the Google Assistant. You can use your voice to command the spray pressure and the air dryer—it has a dryer! Ahhh, nice and warm.

[...] Kohler will have other fixtures on display at CES, including the Rista, a 3D-printed sink. I also hope to glimpse the new Anthem+ Smart Showering controls, which offer remote access to lights, water, and sound through the Kohler Konnect app.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

There's always Windows 10, 11, or Linux!

For now, Steam might continue to work with these older operating systems. Valve announced the retirement as its launcher depends on some software vendors' security patches. More specifically, Steam relies on a version of Google Chrome that's not supported on Windows 7. As you'd expect with such announcements, Valve recommends that users jump to Windows 10 or newer. 

[...] The end of support for these operating systems won't impact many Steam users. December's Steam hardware survey shows these operating systems represent between 0% and 0.01% of Steam users worldwide. However, Windows Server 2019 is still supported as Microsoft will keep rolling out security updates until Jan. 9, 2024, impacting about 0.06% of Steam users.
 
[...] Over 96.40% of Steam users are on Windows, while MacOS and Linux have a negligible share in comparison. It will be interesting to see if newer users would migrate to Windows 10, Windows 11, or any of the Linux distros. Arch Linux Ubuntu 64-bit is a home for 0.15% to 0.14% of Steam's user base.

Original Submission

mrpg writes:

https://techxplore.com/news/2024-01-transistors-based-monolayer-black-phosphorus.html

Journal Reference:
Li, Wanying, Tao, Quanyang, Li, Zhiwei, et al. Monolayer black phosphorus and germanium arsenide transistors via van der Waals channel thinning, Nature Electronics (DOI: 10.1038/s41928-023-01087-8)

Original Submission

taylorvich writes:

https://phys.org/news/2024-01-ancient-roman-wine-production-clues.html

Original Submission

upstart writes:

The 200-foot Vulcan Centaur, in development since 2014, is set for its first flight and poised to make a big impact in the industry:

On Monday, January 8, United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur could finally perform its first flight. ULA has been a rock in the spaceflight industry since its founding in 2006, and with this pending launch, the company is ready to take its next bold step into space. Here's how America's new powerhouse rocket could disrupt the sector and compete with the ever-dominant SpaceX.

The Vulcan Centaur rocket, towering at 202 feet (61.6 meters), is scheduled for liftoff from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex-41. ULA, a collaboration between Lockheed Martin Corporation and Boeing Company, hasn't created a rocket that compares technologically to those belonging to SpaceX, but it still represents a big achievement for the company.

Vulcan Centaur could make serious waves in the spaceflight industry, with ULA potentially matching SpaceX's lower launch prices, according to the Motley Fool. SpaceX, known for revolutionizing space travel with affordable launches like the $67 million Falcon 9, prompted ULA to respond with a more affordable option. Vulcan, set to launch at under $100 million, marks a substantial cost reduction from the company's $400 million Delta IV Heavy. This strategic pricing means ULA can stay somewhat competitive, demonstrated by its shared $2.5 billion Space Force contract with SpaceX, and even without the benefit of reusable rockets.

While this might mean lower revenues for Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the Vulcan Centaur's cost-effectiveness could prove beneficial in the long term. This development signals—hopefully—a tightening competition in the space launch sector. What's more, customers must weigh other considerations beyond just launch costs, such as fairing adaptability and the increasing issue of backlogs. Needless to say, the introduction of SpaceX's Starship megarocket could complicate the landscape for ULA, but only time will tell.

Target launch time: 08-JAN-2024 07:18 UTC

Live coverage begins 06:30 UTC on the ULA website

Original Submission

canopic jug writes:

Multiple sites are reporting on 13-year-old Tetris player, Willis Gibson, also known as Blue Scuti, who played until the NES version gave out. New play methods, such as rolling and hypertapping, were needed to reach a skill level where one can play as long as endurance and the software hold out. In his case it took over half an hour on the NES using rolling:

Blue Scuti is a Tetris prodigy who employs the "rolling" controller technique, a new way of holding and using the NES controller that was popularized in 2021. Rolling surpassed "hyper tapping," which requires players to tap the controller's D-pad 12 times per second, as the fastest and best way of playing Tetris. Rolling is a method where players roll their fingers on the bottom of an NES controller and use that pressure to push the controller into their other hand, which presses the D-pad to move the blocks. With rolling, players can push the D-pad at least 20 times per second, which is fast enough to theoretically play the game until it breaks. The technique has completely revolutionized competitive Tetris over the last few years.

Also at Tom's Hardware, Tetris was finally beaten after 34 years, game kill screen pops up at Level 157 — hypertapping and rolling were key techniques and the BBC, Tetris: How a US teenager achieved the 'impossible' and what his feat tells us about human capabilities.

Previously:
(2023) Hackers' Delight: a History of MIT Pranks and Hacks
(2023) Tetris' Creators Reveal the Game's Greatest Unsolved Mysteries
(2021) Tetris is no Longer Just a Game, but an Algorithm that Ensures Maximum Hotel Room Occupancy
(2014) Happy 30th Birthday Tetris!

Original Submission

upstart writes:

SpaceX Illegally Fired Workers Critical of Elon Musk, US Labor Agency Says:

Rocket and satellite maker SpaceX on Wednesday was accused by a U.S. labor agency of unlawfully firing eight employees for circulating a letter calling founder and CEO Elon Musk a "distraction and embarrassment."

A regional official with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint claiming SpaceX violated the workers' rights under federal labor law to band together and advocate for better working conditions.

The letter sent to SpaceX executives in June 2022 focused on a series of tweets Musk had made since 2020, many of which were sexually suggestive. The employees claimed Musk's statements did not align with the company's policies on diversity and workplace misconduct, and called on SpaceX to condemn them.

The complaint also accuses SpaceX of interrogating employees about the letter, disparaging the workers who were involved, and threatening to fire workers who engaged in similar activity.

[...] The case is the latest to accuse companies run by Musk of violating employees' rights under labor and employment laws.

Reuters in November documented at least 600 previously unreported workplace injuries at SpaceX facilities, including crushed limbs, electrocution, head injuries and one death. SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment on the findings.

In October, the NLRB issued a complaint accusing X, the Musk-owned social media service formerly known as Twitter, of illegally firing an employee over tweets challenging the company's return-to-office policy. X has denied wrongdoing.

And electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), where Musk is CEO, has faced several NLRB complaints amid a union organizing campaign and numerous lawsuits alleging widespread race discrimination at its factories. Tesla has said it does not tolerate discrimination.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

An incredibly early release of 86-DOS has been found, imaged, and shared on the Internet Archive. The disk appears to be an original release of version 0.1 C of 86-DOS from Seattle Computer Products (1980) and includes several utilities, along with a game. Moreover, according to the disk label, what we see is just the eleventh disk off the duplication line. This is an important finding, as 86-DOS is a direct ancestor of PC DOS and MS-DOS.

Archive.org member f15sim shared the early 86-DOS disk image on the Internet Archive’s site just ahead of the New Year.  We even get to see a photo of the disk in its paper sleeve, where “Serial #11” can be seen printed. Before this 86-DOS release was unearthed on its 5.25-inch floppy disk, the earliest version that had been saved for posterity was version 0.34.

[...] NTDEV highlights the Spartan nature of 86-DOS version 0.1 C. The OS is delivered as a floppy disk containing just nine files. The core OS standard COMMAND.COM was included, which interprets command line instructions like dir, copy, clear, and format. The disk also contained utilities for file and disk copying, a basic text editor, plus two or three development utilities.

The development utilities were important to 86-DOS releases as users would be short on software unless they sourced or translated existing 8-bit Z80 CP/M programs for the 8086 architecture. Thus, there was an assembly language program called ASM.COM, a code compiler app called HEX2BIN.COM, and a Z80 to 8086 translator dubbed TRANS.COM.

Last but not least, it is interesting to see that an OS as primitive as this release included a game. CHESS.COM was accompanied by instructions in CHESS.DOC, which would probably be essential reading on a no-graphics rendition of this complex strategic game.

To test 86-DOS yourself, you can grab the disk image directly from Archive.org and then follow the instructions provided here to get a working SIMH/AltairZ80 Simulator compatible with the disk image.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

'Giant' predator worms more than half a billion years old discovered in North Greenland:

Fossils of a new group of animal predators have been located in the Early Cambrian Sirius Passet fossil locality in North Greenland. These large worms may be some of the earliest carnivorous animals to have colonized the water column more than 518 million years ago, revealing a past dynasty of predators that scientists didn't know existed.

The new fossil animals have been named Timorebestia, meaning 'terror beasts' in Latin. Adorned with fins down the sides of their body, a distinct head with long antennae, massive jaw structures inside their mouth, and growing to more than 30cm in length, these were some of the largest swimming animals in the Early Cambrian times.

"We have previously known that primitive arthropods were the dominant predators during the Cambrian, such as the bizarre-looking anomalocaridids," said Dr. Jakob Vinther from the University of Bristol's Schools of Earth Sciences and Biological Sciences, a senior author on the study. "However, Timorebestia is a distant, but close, relative of living arrow worms, or chaetognaths. These are much smaller ocean predators today that feed on tiny zooplankton."

[...] "Timorebestia were giants of their day and would have been close to the top of the food chain. That makes it equivalent in importance to some of the top carnivores in modern oceans, such as sharks and seals back in the Cambrian period."

fliptop writes:

Facing more than 30 lawsuits from victims of its massive data breach, 23andMe is now deflecting the blame to the victims themselves in an attempt to absolve itself from any responsibility, according to a letter sent to a group of victims seen by TechCrunch:

"Rather than acknowledge its role in this data security disaster, 23andMe has apparently decided to leave its customers out to dry while downplaying the seriousness of these events," Hassan Zavareei, one of the lawyers representing the victims who received the letter from 23andMe, told TechCrunch in an email.

[...] But in a letter sent to a group of hundreds of 23andMe users who are now suing the company, 23andMe said that "users negligently recycled and failed to update their passwords following these past security incidents, which are unrelated to 23andMe."

"Therefore, the incident was not a result of 23andMe's alleged failure to maintain reasonable security measures," the letter reads.

Zavareei said that 23andMe is "shamelessly" blaming the victims of the data breach.

"This finger pointing is nonsensical. 23andMe knew or should have known that many consumers use recycled passwords and thus that 23andMe should have implemented some of the many safeguards available to protect against credential stuffing — especially considering that 23andMe stores personal identifying information, health information, and genetic information on its platform," Zavareei said in an email.

"The breach impacted millions of consumers whose data was exposed through the DNA Relatives feature on 23andMe's platform, not because they used recycled passwords. Of those millions, only a few thousand accounts were compromised due to credential stuffing. 23andMe's attempt to shirk responsibility by blaming its customers does nothing for these millions of consumers whose data was compromised through no fault of their own whatsoever," said Zavareei.

Previously:

• 23andMe: Profiles of 6.9 Million People Hacked
• 23andMe Says Private User Data is Up for Sale After Being Scraped

Original Submission

Frosty Piss writes:

https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/gentoo_starts_offering_binaries/

I'm not one of these Nancy-Boys who just downloads some binaries and call it an operating system. I compiled my Gentoo, right here on my own computer, but now that's history.

In what many thought might be a prank, The geeks at Gentoo announced they will now offers 20-plus gigabytes of pre-compiled binaries, from desktops to office suites, to speed up installations and updates.

Although this is exactly how basically all other current Linux distributions work, it is a significant departure for Gentoo, which previously was an almost entirely source-based distro. With Gentoo, the install disk that gets you started must by definition be pre-compiled, up to now, when you install Gentoo, it fetches the source code and compiles it on your machine for your machine, specifically optimized for your computer's specific CPU and the individual functionality and configuration you chose.

For now, the full range of pre-compiled binary packages will focus on x86-64 and Arm64.

Original Submission

taylorvich writes:

https://newatlas.com/medical/regenerate-pancreatic-beta-cells-insulin-type-1-diabetes/

Researchers have taken a big step forward in the quest to regenerate the pancreatic beta-cells damaged by type 1 diabetes. Using FDA-approved drugs usually given to patients with rare cancers, they reprogrammed pancreatic cells to produce and secrete insulin in response to glucose. The discovery could mean that, one day, diabetics won't need to take multiple daily insulin injections.

Pancreatic beta-cells synthesize, store and release insulin. But, in type 1 diabetes (T1D), the immune system selectively destroys these cells over time, leading to a lifelong dependence on exogenous insulin administration for survival. While insulin therapy helps control blood glucose, it doesn't prevent, stop, or reverse the destruction of the pancreas' insulin-secreting cells.

For many years, research has focused on identifying novel therapies that stimulate beta-cell growth and function to restore insulin production in type 1 diabetics. Now, in an exciting breakthrough, researchers at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, have brought us a step closer to making this a reality, regenerating damaged pancreatic cells so they can produce insulin and functionally respond to blood glucose levels.

"We consider this regenerative approach an important advance towards clinical development," said Sam El-Osta, the study's corresponding author. "Until now, the regenerative process has been incidental and lacking confirmation; more importantly, the epigenetic mechanisms that govern such regeneration in humans remains poorly understood."

The study builds upon previous proof-of-concept research by Baker Institute scientists, where they used an EZH2 inhibitor with a naturally derived drug to stimulate ductal progenitor cells, descendants of stem cells, into beta-like cells capable of producing insulin. Ductal cells are exocrine cells that form the lining of the tubes (ducts) that deliver pancreatic enzymes.

Journal Reference:
Al-Hasani, Keith, Marikar, Safiya Naina, Kaipananickal, Harikrishnan, et al. EZH2 inhibitors promote β-like cell regeneration in young and adult type 1 diabetes donors [open], Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01707-x)

Original Submission