160447812
submission
Thelasko writes:
My pro-Ukrainian online world was punctured on March 2, when I saw two hashtags trending on Twitter: #IStandWithPutin and #IStandWithRussia. Very quickly, disinformation researchers began to see suspicious patterns associated with the hashtags, arguing that both bots and “engagement farming” were being used. A deep dive on the profile picture used by one account propagating the hashtags led to a Polish Facebook group dedicated to dating scams. At least in part, the early signs indicated that a deliberate, if hidden, effort was under way to make these hashtags trend.
The pro-invasion hashtags were enough to make my colleagues and I take notice. By March 9, just under 10,000 Twitter accounts had shared one of the hashtags at least five times, an especially engaged, active “core.” So we decided to do our own research into these accounts: Who was behind them? And what were they doing?Link to Original Source
160048943
submission
Thelasko writes:
The Concordia research base, a French-Italian research facility and the most remote research base in the world, reported a record -11.5 degrees celsius (11.3 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday, climate researcher Stefano Di Battista tweeted that day. That’s about 70 degrees warmer than average, the Washington Post first reported—Eastern Antarctica, where Concordia is based, typically reports temperatures around minus-50 or minus-60 this time of year. Temperatures nearing zero or 10 degrees celsius constitute a “massive heat wave,” the Capital Weather Gang wrote in their report on Friday evening.
As this was happening, Weather stations in the Arctic—in Norway and Greenland—also saw temperatures more than 50 degrees warmer than average.
159912217
submission
Thelasko writes:
Scientists say they have solved one of the biggest paradoxes in science first identified by Prof Stephen Hawking.
At the heart of the paradox is a problem which has threatened to undermine two of physics most important theories. Einstein's general theory of relativity says information about what goes into a black hole cannot come out, but quantum mechanics says that is impossible.
The "yes hair theorem" claims to resolve the paradox by bridging the gap between general relativity and quantum mechanics. The notion of quantum hair allows information about what goes into a black hole to come out again without violating any of the important principles of either theory. It is a simple and elegant solution.
159912201
submission
Thelasko writes:
NASA is ready to roll out the first Space Launch System rocket this week for a countdown rehearsal ahead of a launch later this year.
Agency officials said at a March 14 briefing that they had completed reviews for the scheduled March 17 rollout of the SLS from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center to Launch Complex 39B several kilometers away. Rollout is scheduled to begin at approximately 5 p.m. Eastern and take 11 hours to reach the pad.
159215037
submission
Thelasko writes:
NASA's Curiosity rover snapped a gorgeous, delicate formation on Mars that looks like it could be a branching piece of ocean coral. It's not coral, but it's worth contemplating how we see familiar Earth objects in random shapes on Mars.
The image comes from Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (Mahli) instrument, which NASA describes as "the rover's version of the magnifying hand lens that geologists usually carry with them into the field." So the formation in the image is quite small.
158977671
submission
Thelasko writes:
Glow-in-the dark beaches. Billions of trees planted in a country dominated by the desert. Levitating trains. A fake moon. A car-free, carbon-free city built in a straight line over 100 miles long in the desert. These are some of the plans for Neom — a futuristic eco-city that is part of Saudi Arabia's pivot to go green. But is it all too good to be true?
Neom claims to be a "blueprint for tomorrow in which humanity progresses without compromise to the health of the planet". It's a $500bn (£366bn) project, part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan to wean the country off oil — the industry that made it rich.
158941567
submission
Thelasko writes:
The team analyzed serum samples taken biennially by the military and determined the soldiers’ EBV status at time of first sample and the relationship between EBV infection and MS onset during the period of active duty. In this cohort, the risk of MS increased 32-fold after infection with EBV but was unchanged after infection with other viruses. Serum levels of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker of the nerve degeneration typical in MS, increased only after EBV infection. The findings cannot be explained by any known risk factor for MS and suggest EBV as the leading cause of MS.
158133443
submission
Thelasko writes:
The $100m (£74m) F-35C plane came down in the South China Sea after what the Navy describes as a "mishap" during take-off from the USS Carl Vinson.
The jet is the Navy's newest, and crammed with classified equipment. As it is in international waters, it is technically fair game.
Whoever gets there first, wins.
The prize? All the secrets behind this very expensive, leading-edge fighting force.
"The F-35 is basically like a flying computer. It's designed to link up other assets — what the Air Force calls 'linking sensors to shooters'."
China doesn't have that technology so getting their hands on it would give them a huge leap forward.
156512203
submission
Thelasko writes:
Researchers asked 329 aerospace engineers and 72 neurosurgeons to complete a series of tasks to test their cognition.
The results, published in the British Medical Journal, show few differences with members of the British public.
Researchers said their study was partly carried out to see which profession had the intellectual edge.
It also sought to find out if public perceptions of the sectors were grounded in reality.
156484957
submission
Thelasko writes:
At least one person in the UK has died with the Omicron coronavirus variant, the prime minister has said.
Boris Johnson said the new variant was also resulting in hospital admissions, and the "best thing" people could do was get their booster jab.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid told MPs Omicron now represented 20% of cases in England.
The PM has set a new target for all adults in England to be offered a booster by the end of the month.
Mr Johnson said on Monday that people needed to recognise "the sheer pace at which [Omicron] accelerates through the population" and that they should set aside the idea that Omicron was a milder variant.
156484119
submission
Thelasko writes:
Mr. McIndoe now has big plans for 2022. Breaking character is necessary to help Birds Aren’t Real leap to the next level and forswear actual conspiracy theorists, he said. He added that he hoped to collaborate with major content creators and independent media like Channel 5 News, which is aimed at helping people make sense of America’s current state and the internet.
“I have a lot of excitement for what the future of this could be as an actual force for good,” he said. “Yes, we have been intentionally spreading misinformation for the past four years, but it’s with a purpose. It’s about holding up a mirror to America in the internet age.”
Alternative source
155014345
submission
Thelasko writes:
A new warning for Google Chrome users, as the browser is found harvesting sensitive phone data without users realizing. This isn’t an isolated example with Chrome, and the browser is now increasingly exposed on the privacy front, which should give you a good reason to switch Chrome to an alternative on your phone.
Researcher Tommy Mysk warns that “the motion sensor is accessible to all websites in Android/Chrome by default, [whereas] Safari/iOS protects access by a permission.” What’s much worse, though, is that Chrome does this even when it’s set to private browsing or “incognito” mode. How can this be okay?
Alternative SourceLink to Original Source
154848081
submission
Thelasko writes:
Voters in a Twitter poll have urged Elon Musk to sell 10% of his stake in Tesla in order to pay tax.
More than 3.5 million Twitter users voted in the poll, launched by Mr Musk on Saturday, with nearly 58% voting in favour of the share sale.
The vote could see him dispose of nearly $21bn (£16bn) of stock in the electric carmaker.
He has promised to abide by the result, in response to a "billionaires tax" proposed by US Democrats.Link to Original Source
154653853
submission
Thelasko writes:
Facebook announced last week that it's changing its name to Meta. But the transition might not be without obstacles.
A company is already after the "Meta" trademark — and was well before Facebook rolled out its new moniker.
Arizona-based startup Meta PC founder Zach Shutt told Insider the company filed for the "Meta" trademark in August. The Patent and Trademark Office website confirms the filing, which states that Meta PC first began using the brand for its range of products in November 2020.
Schutt and cofounder Joe Darger said they're willing to stand down if CEO Mark Zuckerberg pays them $20 million, TMZ reported. However, Schutt declined to confirm the amount, or that it made such a proposal.Link to Original Source
154231813
submission
Thelasko writes:
Washington has revoked the US licence of one of China's biggest telecoms companies citing "national security" concerns.
China Telecom must stop providing services in America within 60 days.
Officials said the Chinese government's control of the company gave it the opportunity "to access, store, disrupt, and/or misroute US communications".
This in turn could allow it "to engage in espionage and other harmful activities against the US", they said.Link to Original Source
