Submission + - cURL removes bug bounties (etn.se)

Submitted by jantangring
jantangring writes: Open source code library cURL is removing the possibility to earn money by reporting bugs, hoping that this will reduce the volume of AI slop reports. Joshua Rogers – AI wielding bug hunter of fame – thinks it's a great idea.

cURL maintainer Daniel Stenberg famously reported on the flood AI-generated bad bug reports last year –

”Death by a thousand slops.”

Now cURL is removing the bounty payouts as of the end of January.

"We have to try to brake the flood in order not to drown”, says cURL maintainer Daniel Stenberg to Swedish electronics industry news site etn.se.

Despite being an AI wielding bug hunter himself, Joshua Rogers – slasher of a hundred bugs – thinks removing the bounty money is an excellent idea.

”I personally would have pulled the plug long ago,” he says to etn.se.

Submission + - UK facial recognition deployment catching someone every 34 minutes (dailymail.co.uk)

Submitted by Bruce66423
Bruce66423 writes: Nice spin:

'Since the cameras were switched on, crime has plummeted compared to November last year.

'So far, police have made 100 arrests, with a third being for offences of violence against women and girls including strangulation and sexual assault.

'Others include those wanted on recall to prison and for burglary and possession of offensive weapon offences.'

The article quotes a false positive rate of 1 in 33,000. A promise to pay the victim of a false positive £10,000 for the first occurrence would help convince me that there isn't an issue. Second time £20,000, third £40,000 etc. If they're really confident, they won't have a problem with this, will they?

Submission + - The World's Longest-Running Lab Experiment Is Almost 100 Years Old (sciencealert.com) 1

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: It all started in 1927, when physicist Thomas Parnell at the University of Queensland in Australia filled a closed funnel with the world's thickest known fluid: pitch, a derivative of tar that was once used to seal ships against the seas.

Three years later, in 1930, Parnell cut the funnel's stem, like a ribbon at an event, heralding the start of the Pitch Drop Experiment. From then on, the black substance began to flow.

At least, that is, in a manner of speaking. At room temperature pitch might look solid, but it is actually a fluid 100 billion times more viscous than water.

Submission + - China's 'fizzy' method recovers 95% lithium from dead batteries with CO2+H2O (interestingengineering.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Chinese researchers have found a method to extract lithium from used lithium-ion batteries using a mix of carbon dioxide (CO) and water. This process is safer than others that involve harsh acids and harmful chemicals, allowing for the reuse of leftover metals while also capturing carbon dioxide.

The first step is to use CO and water to gently dissolve lithium from the batteries. The CO reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which is a very weak acid, a bit like fizzy water.

This, the researchers explain, is just strong enough to pull lithium out of the battery cathode. This resulted in over 95% lithium recovery, which matches harsh chemical methods.

The second part involves the use of cathodes that contain cobalt, nickel, and manganese. Following the process, instead of discarding them, the new method “upcycles” these materials into useful catalysts.

Those catalysts can be reused in energy and chemical reactions. Throughout the entire process, the CO is permanently locked away too.

This is achieved by some of the CO ending up chemically bound in solid by-products. That means carbon sequestration, not emissions.

Interestingly, unlike traditional methods, the new lithium recovery process is able to run at room temperature and normal pressure. No grinding agents or added leaching chemicals are required, making it safer, cheaper, and easier to scale.

“Conducted under ambient conditions without additional grinding aids or leaching agents, this method minimises environmental impact,” the research team explained.

Submission + - China blocks Nvidia H200 AI chips that US government cleared for export – (theguardian.com)

Submitted by AmiMoJo
AmiMoJo writes: Suppliers of parts for Nvidia’s H200 have paused production after Chinese customs officials blocked shipments of the newly approved artificial intelligence processors from entering China, according to a report.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report, which appeared in the Financial Times citing two people with knowledge of the matter. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment made outside regular business hours.

Nvidia had expected more than one million orders from Chinese clients, the report said, adding that its suppliers had been operating around the clock to prepare for shipping as early as March.

Chinese customs authorities this week told customs agents that Nvidia’s H200 chips were not permitted to enter the country, Reuters reported.

Submission + - China Clamps Down on High-Speed Traders, Removing Servers (yahoo.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: China is pulling the plug on a key advantage held by high-frequency traders, removing servers dedicated to those firms out of local exchanges’ data centers, according to people familiar with the matter.

Commodities futures exchanges in Shanghai and Guangzhou are among those that have ordered local brokers to shift servers for their clients out of data centers run by the bourses, according to the people, who said the move was led by regulators.

The changes threaten a speed advantage that high-frequency traders, made famous by Michael Lewis’ bestseller , and quant hedge funds have long used to beat rivals. By using servers located in the exchanges’ own data centers, these firms can get slightly quicker execution than others — an edge in markets where every millisecond counts.

Futures exchanges have made preliminary plans to add two milliseconds of latency to any servers that connect from third-party computer rooms, two of the people said. It’s not clear if other exchanges are considering the same approach.

The delay will be in addition to the time lag trading firms experience from moving servers away from exchanges, the people said.

A delay of just a few milliseconds would be imperceptible to most investors but it could be enough to impact global firms’ high-frequency trading in stock index futures, convertible bonds and commodities. Some of their trading strategies may not be viable without the fastest access, though it’s unclear how the firms might adapt as they try to stay a step ahead of rivals.

China’s stock exchanges define high-frequency trading as more than 300 orders and cancellations per second through one account or more than 20,000 requests in a single day. Such accounts dropped 20% in 2024 to about 1,600 as of June 30 that year, the China Securities Regulatory Commission has said.

The attempt to shift high-frequency traders away from exchanges comes after Beijing’s years of unease with these firms, who add liquidity to markets but also enjoy execution advantages that are unthinkable for mom-and-pop investors.

Two years ago, regulators imposed tighter rules on automated stock trading. Officials have also threatened to raise fees on high-frequency traders, although so far they haven’t done so.

Submission + - Pesticides May Drastically Shorten Fish Lifespans, Study Finds (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Even low levels of common agricultural pesticides can stunt the long-term lifespan of fish, according to research led by Jason Rohr, a biologist at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Signs of ageing accelerated when fish were exposed to the chemicals, according to the study, published in Science, which could have implications for other organisms.

[...] The research found that fish from pesticide-affected lakes showed shortened telomeres, the caps at the end of chromosomes that are known as the biological clock for ageing. When they shorten, it is a sign of cellular ageing and a decline in the body’s regenerative capacity. The lake populations consisted of younger fish, indicating that the pesticides contributed to shortened lives. Laboratory experiments confirmed the findings and showed chronic low-dose exposure reduced fish survival and degraded telomeres. These effects were not seen with acute high-dose exposure.

Chemical analysis showed chlorpyrifos, which is banned in the UK and the EU but used in the US and China, was the only compound found in the fish tissues that was consistently associated with signs of ageing. These included shortened telomeres and lipofuscin deposition – a buildup of insoluble proteins often described as cellular “junk”. The worrying ageing effects occurred at concentrations below current US freshwater safety standards, Rohr said, suggesting the effects of chemicals and pesticides could be occurring at low levels over the long term.

While short-term exposure to high doses did not appear to cause these ageing issues – though it did cause high toxicity and death in fish – the researchers concluded that it was long-term exposure to low doses that drove the changes. The scientists added that reduced lifespan was particularly problematic because older fish often contribute disproportionately to reproduction, genetic diversity and population stability.

Submission + - Supreme Court Hacker Posted Stolen Government Data On Instagram (techcrunch.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Last week, Nicholas Moore, 24, a resident of Springfield, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to repeatedly hacking into the U.S. Supreme Court’s electronic document filing system. At the time, there were no details about the specifics of the hacking crimes Moore was admitting to. On Friday, a newly filled document — first spotted by Court Watch’s Seamus Hughes — revealed more details about Moore’s hacks. Per the filing, Moore hacked not only into the Supreme Court systems, but also the network of AmeriCorps, a government agency that runs stipend volunteer programs, and the systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides healthcare and welfare to military veterans.

Moore accessed those systems using stolen credentials of users who were authorized to access them. Once he gained access to those victims’ accounts, Moore accessed and stole their personal data and posted some online to his Instagram account: @ihackthegovernment. In the case of the Supreme Court victim, identified as GS, Moore posted their name and “current and past electronic filing records.” [...] According to the court document, Moore faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000.

Submission + - Canada Reversed Tariff on Chinese EV (washingtontimes.com)

Submitted by hackingbear
hackingbear writes: Breaking with the United States, Canada has agreed to cut its 100% tariff [back to 6.1%] on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. He said there would be an initial annual cap of 49,000 vehicles on Chinese EV exports to Canada, growing to about 70,000 over five years. Prior to the 100% tariff, China exported about 41,000 vehicles to Canada in 2023. In exchange, China will reduce its total tariff on canola seeds, a major Canadian export, from 84% to about 15%, he told reporters. Carney said China has become a more predictable partner to deal with than the U.S, the country’s neighbor and longtime ally. After helping the U.S. to arrest Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, who has later been released without admitting guilty by the Biden administration after bickering with China, Canada had followed the U.S. in putting tariffs of 100% on EVs from China and 25% on steel and aluminum under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Carney’s predecessor. China responded by imposing duties of 100% on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood. It added a 75.8% tariff on canola seeds last August. Collectively, the import taxes effectively closed the Chinese market to Canadian canola, an industry group has said.

Submission + - Scientists "resurrect" ancient cannabis enzymes with medical promise (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Scientists have uncovered how cannabis evolved the ability to make its most famous compounds—THC, CBD, and CBC—by recreating ancient enzymes that existed millions of years ago. These early enzymes were multitaskers, capable of producing several cannabinoids at once, before evolution fine-tuned them into today’s highly specialized forms. By “resurrecting” these long-lost enzymes in the lab, researchers showed how cannabis chemistry became more precise over time—and discovered something unexpected: the ancient versions are often more robust and easier to work with.

Submission + - Earth's Flipping Magnetic Field Heard as a Sound Is an Unnerving Horror (sciencealert.com)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Earth's magnetic field dramatically flipped roughly 41,000 years ago. Now you can actually 'hear' this epic upheaval, thanks to a clever interpretation of information collected by the European Space Agency's Swarm satellite mission.

Combining the satellite data with evidence of magnetic field line movements on Earth, geoscientists mapped the Laschamps event and represented it using natural noises like the creaking of wood and the crashing of colliding rocks.

The result – unveiled in 2024 by the Technical University of Denmark and the German Research Center for Geosciences – is an eerie, otherworldly audio track unlike anything you've heard before.

Submission + - Can we afford a space ambulance back to earth

Submitted by sziring
sziring writes: Unless you live under a rock (or in a Moon crater) you are fully aware of the renewed space race. Who will be the first to establish a base on the Moon or Mars? Are we actually ready for such an undertaking both technically and morally? The fact that an astronaut needed to be shuttled back to earth early from the ISS is a telling sign we aren't ready to deal with medical emergencies in the near future. Yes, the Moon and Mars are important first steps to deeper exploration, to what ends I cannot answer. There are plenty of articles and videos out there of all the ways space can kill you. Even NASA has a more friendly article of the "dangers" space presents. We have all seen the articles about knowing that signing up for a Mars mission is a one way ticket, but do we really mean it? What about the Moon? Do we ferry every medical issue back to Earth? Are we ready to draw a line and inform them on Earth you would have survived but due to budget constraints it doesn't look like you will.

Submission + - Canada allows sale of Chinese EVs (www.cbc.ca)

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

Prime Minister Mark Carney's [Canadian] Liberal government has reached a "landmark" trade deal with China. The deal allows up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market. In return, Ottawa expects Beijing to drop canola seed duties to 15 per cent by March.

Canada pivoting and deversifying away from US was inevitable response to Trump Administration trade policy that imposed tariffs on Canada.

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