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Submission + - Scientists Explored Island Cave, Found 1 Million-Year-Old Remnants a Lost World (popularmechanics.com)

Submitted by fahrbot-bot
fahrbot-bot writes: A spectacular trove of fossils in a discovered in a cave on New Zealand's North Island has given scientists their first glimpse of ancient forest species that lived there more than a million years ago. The fossils represent 12 ancient bird species and four frog species, including several previously unknown bird species. Taken together, the fossils paint a picture of an ancient world that looks drastically different than it does today. The discovery also fills in an important gap in scientific understanding of the patterns of extinction that preceded human arrival in New Zealand 750 years ago.

The team published a study on the find in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.

Submission + - Researchers completely eliminate pancreatic tumors in mice. (www.cnio.es)

Submitted by fahrbot-bot
fahrbot-bot writes: Mariano Barbacid, head of the Experimental Oncology Group at the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), has designed a therapy that successfully eliminates pancreatic tumours in mice completely and durably, with no significant side effects. The study is published in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), with Carmen Guerra as co-lead author and Vasiliki Liaki and Sara Barrambana as first authors.

Current drugs for pancreatic cancer lose effectiveness within months because the tumour becomes resistant. The group from Spain’s National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) has been able to avoid the development of resistance in animal models with a combined triple therapy.

These results “pave the way for the design of combined therapies that may improve survival,” the authors indicate, although this will not happen in the short term. The results are published in PNAS.

Submission + - NASA delays Artemis II to March (nasa.gov)

Submitted by ClickOnThis
ClickOnThis writes: NASA has delayed the Artemis II launch to March of this year, after a wet dress-rehearsal uncovered a hydrogen leak. From the NASA article:

During tanking, engineers spent several hours troubleshooting a liquid hydrogen leak in an interface used to route the cryogenic propellant into the rocket’s core stage, putting them behind in the countdown. Attempts to resolve the issue involved stopping the flow of liquid hydrogen into the core stage, allowing the interface to warm up for the seals to reseat, and adjusting the flow of the propellant.

Teams successfully filled all tanks in both the core stage and interim cryogenic propulsion stage before a team of five was sent to the launch pad to finish Orion closeout operations. Engineers conducted a first run at terminal countdown operations during the test, counting down to approximately 5 minutes left in the countdown, before the ground launch sequencer automatically stopped the countdown due to a spike in the liquid hydrogen leak rate.

Submission + - Hidden Car Door Handles Are Officially Being Banned in China (caranddriver.com)

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

Automakers have increasingly implemented door handles that retract into the bodywork for aerodynamic reasons, but they are now off limits in China.

My issue is with electronic-only door latch mechanism. It should be possible to open the door from both inside and outside the car in case of complete power loss.

Submission + - Scientists found a way to cool quantum computers using noise (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Quantum computers need extreme cold to work, but the very systems that keep them cold also create noise that can destroy fragile quantum information. Scientists in Sweden have now flipped that problem on its head by building a tiny quantum refrigerator that actually uses noise to drive cooling instead of fighting it. By carefully steering heat at unimaginably small scales, the device can act as a refrigerator, heat engine, or energy amplifier inside quantum circuits.

Submission + - Microbes in Space Mutated And Developed a Remarkable Ability (sciencealert.com)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: "Space fundamentally changes how phages and bacteria interact: infection is slowed, and both organisms evolve along a different trajectory than they do on Earth," the researchers explain.

In the weightlessness of space, bacteria acquired mutations in genes involved in the microbe's stress response and nutrient management. Their surface proteins also changed. After a slow start, the phages mutated in response, so they could continue binding to their victims.

The team found that certain space-specific phage mutations were especially effective at killing Earth-bound bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections (UTIs). More than 90 percent of the bacteria responsible for UTIs are antibiotic-resistant, making phage treatments a promising alternative.

Submission + - ReactOS celebrates 30 years in pursuit of becoming an open-source Windows (reactos.org)

Submitted by jeditobe
jeditobe writes: ReactOS, the open-source operating system aimed at binary compatibility with Windows, recently marked its 30th anniversary. Launched in 1996, ReactOS has focused on providing a free alternative to Windows, with compatibility for Windows applications and drivers. Though still in development, it has made significant progress in recent years, including improvements to USB support, better hardware compatibility, and enhanced performance with the release of version 0.4.15. The upcoming 0.4.16 release is set to introduce UEFI support, KMDF and WDDM graphics driver support, marking a major step forward in ReactOS's development.
https://www.phoronix.com/news/...

Submission + - Washington State Wants DRM for 3D Printers (adafruit.com)

Submitted by ptorrone
ptorrone writes: Washington State lawmakers are proposing bills (HB 2320 and HB 2321) that would require 3D printers and CNC machines to block certain designs using software-based “firearms blueprint detection algorithms.” In practice, this means scanning every print file, comparing it against a government-maintained database, and preventing “skilled users” from bypassing the system.

Supporters frame this as a response to untraceable “ghost guns,” but even federal prosecutors admit the tools involved are ordinary manufacturing equipment. Critics warn the language is overbroad, technically unworkable, hostile to open source, and likely to push printing toward cloud-locked, subscription-based systems—while doing little to stop criminals.

Full analysis:
Washington’s 3D Printing Bills Are Bad for STEM, Business, and Open Source

Submission + - New, faster solution to removing PFAS (the 'forever chemicals') from water (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Bruce66423
Bruce66423 writes: 'New filtration technology developed by Rice University may absorb some Pfas “forever chemicals” at 100 times the rate than previously possible, which could dramatically improve pollution control and speed remediations.

'Researchers also say they have also found a way to destroy Pfas, though both technologies face a steep challenge in being deployed on an industrial scale.

'A new peer-reviewed paper details a layered double hydroxide (LDH) material made from copper and aluminum that absorbs long-chain Pfas up to 100 times faster than commonly used filtration systems.'

Comment Microsoft is apparently not managed well. (Score 1) 75

by Futurepower(R) (#65933566) Attached to: Microsoft Forced to Issue Emergency Out-of-Band Windows Update
Apparently Microsoft needs much better management.

Also, the world needs open-source Operating Systems. Improving an operating system should not be a way of making a huge amount of money.

There is a HUGE difference between managing a business to make the most money and serving the users of operating systems well.

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