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Thursday, April 22, 2021
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Scientists Link Our Neanderthal DNA To Various Modern-Day Problems

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neanderthal dna model in the shadows in a museum

Neanderthal DNA might be one of the causes of the health problems of modern-day people

According to a new study, modern-day humans may be afflicted by health issues such as depression, heart attacks, possibly even smoking, because of their Neanderthal DNA.

Previous research has already shown that present-day people still present traces of their ancient ancestors in their genetic data. However, this latest study argues that we may be carrying more such genes than initially believed.

The study was led by Janet Kelso and Michael Danneman from the Max Planck Institute for Human Anthropology. It was based on the latest finds detected in the Vindija Cave in Croatia as well as the Mezmaiskaya Cave, which can be found in the Republic of Adygea.

While studying the two, the research team discovered a new genome cluster. After examining it more closely, the team determined that modern-day, non-African living people carry about 1.8 to 2.6 percent of Neanderthal DNA. This is slightly higher than the previous estimates, which placed the percentage in between 1.5 to 2.1.

Neanderthal DNA to Blame For Our Health Problems?

The analyzed genetic data comes from a 52,000 years old female specimen detected in Croatia’s Vindija Cave. This was the source of a significant number of DNA samples.

 “Our analyses indicate that Vindija 33.19 was more closely related to the Neanderthals that mixed with the ancestors of present-day humans living outside of sub-Saharan Africa than the previously sequenced Altai Neanderthal,” stated one of the study co-authors, Kay Prüfer.

He then continued by explaining that this led to the identification of 10 to 20 percent more Neanderthal DNA into modern-day humans than before.

It also revealed that this included genetic variants involved in schizophrenia, depression, LDL cholesterol levels, and more.

The team believes that this wide range of health problems might be linked to the Neanderthals’ high interbreeding rates. Research suggests that these lived in small populations of around 3,000 individuals.

This might have caused the small colonies to start interbreeding, which might have also led to the appearance of their health problems and eventual extinction.

Still, the researchers explain that these are, at least at the moment, just theories. They consider that more Neanderthal DNA is needed and has to be analyzed before a conclusion can be reached.

Current study results are available in The American Journal of Human Genetics.

Image Source: Flickr 

The Giant Volcano Of Mars Are Slow Growers

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giant volcano on mars seen from the satellite

The latest research claims that a giant volcano on Mars took millions of years to rise.

The latest research has shown that although Mars had a much higher volcanic activity than previously believed, the Red Planet’s giant volcano was nonetheless quite slow to grow. This new study claims that the Martian volcanoes rose at a rate some 1,000 times lower than Earth’s similar formations.

Research detected that, unlike on Earth, the Red Planet does not have any tectonic plates. In contrast, it appears to have a “stagnant lid”, which is an outer crust that never changes its position.

However, Mars was still noted to have magma plumes, which get pushed from deep within the planet’s mantle. These are capable of rupturing the crust and then erupting and depositing layers of lava and other volcanic ejects.

As such, these magma plumes could well be catalysts for the creation of a volcanic mountain, which will likely continue growing as the rupture and its deposits remain in the same relationship. In some cases, this can reportedly last up to billions of years.

The Giant Volcano on Mars Took Millions To Rise?

Mars is known for hosting the oldest and largest known volcano in the Solar System, but there is still much left to find out about its volcanic structures.

The scientists behind this new research decided to take a closer look at it by studying nakhilites, which are a group of meteorites. They are believed to be the results of a long-lived, single volcano.

Earth currently hosts a group of 18 nakhilitees. These are believed to have gradually landed on Earth after a massive object slammed into one of Mars’s volcanoes some 10.7 million years ago.

The nakhilites were noted to mostly contain basalt, combined with volcanic glass, and feldspar, among others. Using argon-based heating and laser step-heating, the study team was able to estimate when they were created.

“The data show that the nakhilites were not all formed during a single cooling event, but instead reveal a protracted volcanic eruption history on Mars,” say the scientists.

Based on this, the research team concluded that this giant volcano on Mars took more than 93 million years to rise. It also seems to have been the result of four different eruptions.

These latest findings are detailed in a paper in the journal Nature Communications.

Image Source: Wikimedia

The Latest Gravitational Wave Detector Announces Important Discovery

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gravitational wave detector in a room in construction

The team part of the newest gravitational wave detector released an announcement last week.

 

Two billion years ago, two massive black holes collided. This past August, thanks to an international detection network, scientists were able to observe the gravitational waves also known as the “ripples in space and time” produced by this stellar crash. Data collected will further help astrophysicists test the theoretical durability of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. It might also contribute to new information about advanced cosmic insights.

Gravitational Wave Detector Aids Important Discovery

On August 14, equipment at the Louisiana and Washington State outposts of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory or LIGO and the Virgo Gravitational Wave Detector in Italy spotted the gravitational waves created by the billion years old collision.

Over 1.8 billion light years old, the event occurred thousands of millennia ago and is now just reaching our observable frontier. According to the data collected, the merged black holes were over 25 times the size of the Sun.

The scientific community is enthusiastic about these observations. These represent the first time that three wave detectors picked up data, thus allowing astronomers to better pinpoint the “source location,”. This helps with telescope positioning.

Why is telescope positioning important? Orbiting objects and cosmic debris offer information and aid the scientific theory. As such, if researchers can arrange telescopic lenses in ideal positions, they can gather otherwise unprocurable insights into the nature of gravity, black hole formation, and wave polarization properties.

Ongoing Research Will Only Lead To More Important Discoveries

Scientists first observed gravitational waves back in 2015, but Einstein first theorized and hinted at their existence some 102 years ago. In the 1970s and 1980s, Joseph Taylor Jr. made significant headway in the field. This latest important discovery is sure to be one of many future events that will help us better understand the universe.

Perhaps even more astonishingly, Penn State’s B.S. Sathyaprakash recently opined, “As far as we can tell, Einstein is still right.”
Image Source: Wikimedia

Levi’s And Google Trucker Jacket With A Smart Sleeve To Go On Sale

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levi's brand on trucker jacket

The Levi’s and Google trucker jacket with a smart sleeve is going on sale starting this week.

As humans, we’re a very hyper-social species, but how else would we communicate our questions, thoughts or casual greetings? With our smartphones always somewhere nearby, that enables our regular conversational needs, but then there are the times when our hands are busy, and we can’t just unlock the screen to reply to a text.

While there might not be an app for that, Google ATAP or the company’s Advanced Technology and Projects Group developed Jacquard. This allows interactivity and connectivity to be incorporated directly into our clothing. It’s essentially a smart sleeve, and the item with the ‘honor’ of premiering it is the Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket, set to go on sale this week.

The Levi’s & Google Trucker Jacket Gets a Release Date

The great part of the Jacquard-infused Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket is that it has the regular appearance and aspects of a jacket. It was presented as being machine washable, among others, but not before removing the snap tag. Still, hidden inside, it has some very advanced technology which allows its wearers to use the sleeve like they would a regular touchscreen.

Embedded in the smart sleeve is a motion sensor that is threaded into the cuff and connected wirelessly to a phone. The Jacquard technology also alerts the wearer about incoming calls or text messages. If requested, the sleeve of the trucker jacket “reads” the texts aloud to you.

Both Levi’s and Google had already announced, presented and offered details about their smart trucker jacket. However, until earlier this week, none had announced an exact date at which this would go on sale. This all changed this week as both companies released statements which revealed that the smart sleeved-jacket would start being available to everyone beginning Wednesday, September 27.

Starting next week, it will become available online and in select Levi’s stores across the United States.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Researcher Lets Himself Electrocuted to Measure the Shocks Delivered by Electric Eels

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Electric eel in a fish tank

A researcher went pretty far to find out how powerful electric eels shocks are

A researcher from Vanderbilt University decided to measure how powerful the electrocution of electric eels is, and he did it in a shocking way – literally. He knew electric eels deliver powerful electric shocks when they’re out of the water so, for a better accuracy, he took an eel out of its natural environment and let it deliver 10 shocks on his arms.

Why do electric eels jump out of the water to attack?

Some time ago, researcher Kenneth Catania observed a peculiar behavior exhibited by electric eels. Each time he used a metallic net to fish them, they leapt out of their fish tank, and tried to attack the net with electric pulses. This made him assume it got out of the water to attack bigger threats placed on land.

He even developed a study on this subject, but felt like it wasn’t complete. Therefore, he decided to go pretty far for science, and see how powerful are the shocks delivered by electric eels. He knew water could have absorbed some of the shock, so attacking on land seemed more effective.

The researcher let himself be electrocuted to measure the power of the eel shocks

Therefore, he built a complex machine which could measure how much electricity flowed through his arm as he was electrocuted, and then allowed the eel to attack him 10 times. This is how he observed the intensity of the current reached a maximum of 50 milliamps. This was enough to activate Catania’s pain receptors, and made it instinctively withdraw his hand each time he received the shocks.

Finless, as the researcher nicknamed the eel, was merely a young specimen, which measured only a bit over one foot in length. These measurements, no matter how painful they were, allowed scientists to measure how much electricity would an eel deliver, depending on its size. All the other details regarding this study have been published in the journal Current Biology.


Image Source: Flickr

Researchers Managed to Take Control of Smart Home Assistants with Inaudible Commands

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Apple smart home speaker

Smart home assistants can be controlled without the knowledge of their owners

Researchers made an alarming discovery regarding smart home assistants. It seems these devices are not so foolproof, as they found a way to control them without the knowledge of the owners. By using sounds imperceptible to the human ear, they can easily take commands and put the security of the owners at risk.

Smart home assistants can be easily hijacked

This technique can be used by hackers anytime to make smart home assistants download a harmful software. In other cases, this could turn out even more serious, as these assistants often control locks or other security devices. The assistants affected by this vulnerability include Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, as well as similar equipment from Huawei and Samsung.

The discovery was made by researchers from Zhejiang University in China. They took typical voice commands given to smart home assistants, and then converted them to ultrasonic frequencies. These cannot be heard by humans, but the devices can pick them up.

Using this method, they managed to take over iPhones and MacBooks with Siri, PCs with Cortana on Windows 10, Amazon speakers, or new models of Samsung Galaxy with Bixby. They managed to make these devices open malicious links or execute other commands.

This poses a huge security issue

The problem lies both in their hardware and in their software. These devices shouldn’t be able to pick up such sounds. Also, the software they operate on should tell when the command comes from a human, and listen only to them.

Usually, a smart home assistant can perform an action only if the command comes from several inches away. However, researchers managed to get hold of them even from a distance of a few feet. This poses a lot of security risks, and should act as a warning for manufacturers to refine their devices, and make them more secure.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Sony Improves Its Noise Cancellation Technology with Two New Headphone Models

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Pair of wireless headphones

This month, Sony will release two versions of noise-cancelling headphones

Last year, Sony surprised us with what most people regarded as the best headphones on the market which featured noise cancellation – MDR-1000X. However, the company wanted to take this technology even further, and will debut three new models during the IFA conference.

One of the new models is the successor of the aforementioned headphones, MDR-1000XM2. If you are familiar with the last year’s model, the new version features most of those already present in MDR-1000X. Apart from customizable noise cancellation, they also feature ambient sound mode and touch control.

Sony has brought improvements since last year

However, since the model is new, they also need to feature some novelties. The improvements are quite exciting, allowing you to enjoy their greatness on and on. Sony has enhanced their battery life, so you can use them for 30 hours without charging, even if you have noise cancellation and Bluetooth turned on.

This is an improvement of about 10 hours from the previous model. Also, in case you’re in a hurry, Sony introduced a Quick Charge mode. This means that you can keep them charging for only 10 minutes, and you get around an hour of battery life. If this has captured your attention, you won’t have to wait long until you can buy the headphones. They will be available this month for $350.

There is an in-ear variant as well

Noise cancellation is not an exclusive for over-ear headphones. Sony will also release the in-ear counterpart, WI-1000X. These will feature the behind-the-neck style, and will be available for $250. They will offer you over 10 hours of music while using both Bluetooth and noise cancellation. Also, they can alert you any time you get a call, and handle any kind of high-resolution audio.

Both variants come with a companion app, Sony Headphones Connect App. This will offer many other advantages, by improving the quality of the sound and allowing to customize everything you hear. In less than a month, you can enjoy any variant you like, and plunge into the special universe they create.
Image Source: Pixabay

Have Any Eclipses Ever Led to Vision Loss Events?

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Woman watching the eclipse safely

Watching the eclipse without protective gear can cause vision loss

There are a hundred million reasons why one shouldn’t look up at the sun during an eclipse, but the most important one is probably the fact that you could go blind. You probably didn’t dare to do it without wearing protective gear, but we definitely know someone who tried it. However, did the Monday eclipse cause any vision loss victims?

Ralph Choo, from the School of Optometry and Vision Science in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, declared that he didn’t receive any complaints from people experiencing worrying symptoms after watching the eclipse. This is great to hear, but what if some symptoms appear later?

Some people might still be seeing sun spots, but this is no reason to worry yet. In fact, the most common symptom of severe eye damage is blurred vision, but only in the center. Near the periphery of the visual field, people should have almost normal vision.

Several reports from Monday encouraged people not to freak out if the eclipse left them with headaches. These don’t mean affected vision, as they are more likely to have been caused by a prolonged sun exposure or a higher sensitivity to light. Since then, most of these headaches must have already disappeared.

Has anyone ever experienced vision loss after watching the eclipse?

But is it actually possible to get completely blinded after watching an eclipse? After the 1999 astronomical phenomenon, researchers performed a case study where they analyzed different symptoms which appeared after watching the eclipse.

This is how they found 70 cases of people who lost their vision within two days after the phenomenon. Eighty-four percent of the patients experienced abnormal macular appearance, meaning that their retinas gradually lost their function. Fortunately, no vision loss events had occurred for the next six months.

Fortunately, you can still recover if your eyes suffer damage from the sun. It might take about 12 months for your eyes to recover, so the vision loss is not permanent. However, the time of recovery depends on the intensity of the UV rays you’ve been exposed to.
Image Source: Health.mil

Researchers Find Over 90 Volcanoes Trapped Under the Antarctic Ice

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The crater of Mount Erebus in Antarctica

The Antarctic Ice is hosting over 100 volcanoes which threaten to become active

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – You would probably expect the highest concentration of volcanoes in the world to be placed somewhere in the Pacific, but scientists have just found out you were wrong. They discovered over 90 volcanoes trapped beneath the ice layer of Antarctica. This makes the continent the most ‘volcano populated’ area in the world.

At first, this might sound extremely unlikely. The idea of volcano implies fire and heat, so they will most probably not be found in a region covered in ice. However, Earth surprises us again, as Antarctica has plenty of volcanic activity.

More volcanoes hidden under the Antarctic ice

Previously, researchers knew of about 50 volcanoes hidden underneath the ice. A recent discovery surprised everyone, as their number nearly tripled, and this might not be all. Scientists are suspecting even more volcanoes could be hidden on the bottom of the sea.

Researchers haven’t been able to find these newly discovered volcanoes so far as they lie hidden under the ice layer. In fact, some of them might be covered by ice measuring more than a mile. Therefore, they required advanced technology to spot them, such as radars, satellite observations, or advanced geological data.

Global warming threatens the peace and quiet of these volcanoes

These volcanoes are not active, but the situation might not stay like that forever, posing threats to the sea level. Also, the current environmental state of the planet could be a trigger. As ice keeps melting, the pressure around the volcanoes might get relieved, facilitating an eruption.

Many ice shelves have already broken into pieces, setting icebergs free into the sea. The latest event of the kind was so massive that the entire balance of the ice shelf is in danger. This might lead to dozens of serious consequences, including sea level rise, ice melting and, of course, a trigger of volcanic activity in the Antarctic.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Microchipped Employees in Wisconsin Were Volunteers in a So-Called “Chip Party”

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two work colleagues

The media was buzzing with the dreadful consequences some Wisconsin workers exposed themselves to the moment they received chip implants. Most of them concerned the idea of losing their freedom at work and in their spare time. However, the true story holds some not so apocalyptic details. For instance, the company threw a so-called “chip party” where the microchipped employees volunteered for an experiment.

Microchipped Employees Are Just the First Persons to Test the Technology of t the Future

On Tuesday, dozens of workers at a Wisconsin tech company agreed to participate in a test. In today’s world, almost everyone is dependent on their plastic cards or cash. Losing them would trigger lots of struggles with the police and bank. On top of that, the paperwork, documents, and IDs don’t seem to be part of this world anymore.

Therefore, the Three Square Market in River Falls organized an event only for insiders. They hired a tattoo artist to implant a chip of the size of a rice grain in the arm with a syringe. However, the exercise was not mandatory. Only those who volunteered participated in this project.

At the end of the day, 41 out of 85 Three Square Market employees were walking with new implants. The company is based on manufacturing self-checkout kiosks so they are already used to innovative technology. Company president Patrick McMullan explained this inside event as a way to adapt to future solutions.

“And when we came across it and saw it being used in other societies, we said, ‘Why not us?’.”

The Chip Allows People to Save Time When They Go through Security Doors or Purchase Products

Each chip has a unique serial number that functions as a key to certain features within the headquarters. The microchipped employees can now enjoy streamlined activities, such as purchasing products from the company store, sign onto their work computers or get passed the security doors. They can now do all these and much more with just a swing of their hand. On top of that, there are no GPS tracks in the chip to endanger the freedom of the employee.

McMullan stated that this is the perfect way to test the product before commercializing it. There are already other companies that inquired about the microchip. Three Square Market hopes to revolutionize the world and get rid of the feeble physical documents. For instance, in the future people will be able to board a plane in just a matter of minutes.

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Rihanna and French President Macron Debated Education Goals

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rihanna

Pop star Rihanna seems resolute in her decision to boost the international state of education. One of her most important steps in this direction was this week’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two of them sat together to talk about education goals and how they can take action on their findings.

Rihanna Announced Only That She Would Have a Big Announcement to Make in September Following Her Meeting with Macron

On Wednesday, pop singer Rihanna participated in a one-on-one meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. After their Paris discussion, Macron turned to Twitter to confess that the 264 million children who don’t have access to education have become a priority to him.

Macron also tagged some social action groups such as Global Citizen and the Clara Lionel Foundation that Rihanna started. The Global Partnership shared with its followers details on their global ambassador’s agenda with Macron which contains a fund raising initiative for global education goals.

Rihanna also participated in a press conference after her appointment with the French President. She declared that the two of them debated crucial topics on education from different angles. However, the celebrity and Global Partnership ambassador revealed no clear conclusions of the meeting. On the other hand, she did disclose that there is going to be an important announcement in September.

Rihanna Activates for the Education Goals Set by the Global Partnership

Nonetheless, this is not Rihanna’s first interaction with a high-profile leader. The influencer appealed to several other countries such as Canada, Argentina, and Germany. Her social media proposal encouraged all these nations to work together to mobilize efforts for education funding. The post was seen by at least 75 million online users who constitute the community that follows the artistic career and activism of Rihanna.

The pop singer is helping the Global Partnership to reach its 2020 goals. The most urgent matter is to raise a total of $2 billion in three years. All these funds will aid 89 countries. Unfortunately, all these nationals constitute 78% of world’s populations without access to education.

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SNES Classic Preorder Was an Accident

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nintendo headquarters

Nintendo’s NES Classic was full of drama when the company announced the end of production. Therefore, there was no surprise when the same intense atmosphere applied for the new SNES Classic as well. This vintage system is stuck to a lot of fans’ mind. The company notified the public that the Super Nintendo Classic would appear on shelves on September 29 for $80. Despite this announcement, thousands of consumers were trying to go through an overnight preorder option.

Several Snes Classic Preorders Were Cancelled on Saturday

There are a few more months left until the vintage platform appears on the market. However, on Friday night Walmart seemed to accept preorders for such a coveted product in the gaming industry. Therefore, users jammed the website trying to secure a product for themselves. On the other hand, this window of opportunity was opened for just several hours to the disappointment of those asleep or at work.

This event soon took viral proportions. Reddit hosted an entire thread for all those fans who missed this opportunity. Therefore, they comforted themselves by sharing with others the story that kept them away from their computer and their chance to become the early owners of a retro console.

However, on Saturday night, many lucky buyers turned out to be not so lucky after all.  That’s because they started receiving messages from Walmart stating that their preorder would not go through anymore. The general pretext regarded incorrect payment details as well as other vague issues.

It Remains Unclear If the Overnight Preorder Opportunity Stands True or Not

Nonetheless, with the power of social media, those who were lured in by the idea of a preorder started to understand one thing. A print screen of a conversation between a client and a Walmart customer care agent suggested that the whole SNES Classic preorder fuss was just an accident. Therefore, everyone who managed to seize this opportunity would eventually have their payments canceled. At the same time, there surfaced other such conversations yet with different answers.

The new retro model is going to feature a more exciting lineup of games than its predecessor. On top of that, Nintendo reassured its fans that there would be more available consoles this time to accommodate the high demand. However, it is still unclear what generated exactly the preorder mess.

Image source: 1

 

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