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Submission + - Complex Life May Be a Billion Years Older Than We Thought (sciencealert.com)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: A molecular clock is a method that allows scientists to estimate when organisms diverged and when traits first emerged. Basically, all lifeforms on the planet have a few things in common, such as the universal genetic code, an almost-universal set of amino acids, and a universal reliance on ATP for energy.

Scientists can estimate the rate at which mutations occur in a specific DNA sequence, compare the same sequence in multiple species, and work backwards to estimate when those species last shared an ancestor. They can also use a molecular clock to figure out when traits or gene functions first appeared.

Submission + - Idaho Lab Produces World's First Molten Salt Fuel For Nuclear Reactors (cowboystatedaily.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy announced this week that researchers at INL have successfully created the first batch of fuel salt.

Fuel salt is a molten salt mixture used as both a carrier for nuclear fuel and coolant in a molten salt reactor, a type of advanced nuclear reactor.

The fuel salt is critical for conducting the world’s first fast-spectrum, salt-fueled reactor test, known as the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment (MCRE).

The test will help inform the future commercial deployment of a new class of advanced nuclear reactors, something a number of Wyoming-connected companies are proposing to build.

“There is a lot of push for this,” said James King, project lead for the Molten Chloride Experiment at INL. “We need to have a lot of different options so we can move away from less safe power generations methods.

“This is one of those technologies that can move us to better safety.”

The liquid form of the salt fuel means the fuel can’t melt. The technology would also offer another low-carbon alternative to generating power.

Submission + - USA will bar visa applicants who combat disinformation (npr.org) 1

Submitted by ClickOnThis
ClickOnThis writes: The Trump administration wants to bar visa applicants who combat disinformation and hate speech from entering the USA on work visas, on the grounds that they practice 'censorship.' From the article:

The directive, sent in an internal memo on Tuesday, is focused on applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, which are frequently used by tech companies, among other sectors. The memo was first reported by Reuters; NPR also obtained a copy.

"If you uncover evidence an applicant was responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States, you should pursue a finding that the applicant is ineligible" for a visa, the memo says. It refers to a policy announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May restricting visas from being issued to "foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans."

Submission + - Trump stuns auto industry with tiny-car move that promises ultra-cheap wheels (dailymail.co.uk)

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

President Donald Trump says he's moving to legalize Japan's beloved kei cars — the tiny, boxy, almost toy-like vans, trucks, and coupes that have a cult following overseas. And he wants US automakers to start building them here.

This makes a lot of sense in urban settings, especially when electrified. Hopefully these are restricted from highway system.

Submission + - Netflix to buy Warner Bros film and streaming businesses for $72bn (bbc.com)

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

Warner Bros owns franchises including Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, and the streaming service HBO Max. The takeover is set to lead to a radical reshaping of the US film and media industry, but analysts have warned that it could face resistance from competition authorities.

Submission + - College Students Flock to a New Major: AI

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: "At M.I.T., a new program called 'artificial intelligence and decision-making' is now the second-most-popular undergraduate major," reports the New York Times. "Artificial intelligence is the hot new college major. This semester, more than 3,000 students enrolled in a new college of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity at the University of South Florida in Tampa. At the University of California, San Diego, 150 first-year students signed up for a new A.I. major. And the State University of New York at Buffalo created a stand-alone 'department of A.I. and society,' which is offering new interdisciplinary degrees in fields like 'A.I. and policy analysis'."

The fast popularization of products like ChatGPT, along with skyrocketing valuations of tech giants like the chip maker Nvidia, is helping to drive the campus A.I. boom. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft have poured billions of dollars into the technology. And this year, Google and Microsoft announced company efforts to train millions of students and adult workers on A.I."

Submission + - Microsoft faces new complaint for allegedly aiding Israeli war crimes in Gaza (aljazeera.com)

Submitted by Alain Williams
Alain Williams writes: The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has announced it filed a complaint against Microsoft, accusing the global tech giant of unlawfully processing data on behalf of the Israeli military and facilitating the killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

In the complaint, the council asked the Data Protection Commission – the European Union’s lead data regulator for the company – to “urgently investigate” Microsoft Ireland’s processing.

“Microsoft’s technology has put millions of Palestinians in danger. These are not abstract data-protection failures — they are violations that have enabled real-world violence,” Joe O’Brien, ICCL’s executive director, said in a statement.

“When EU infrastructure is used to enable surveillance and targeting, the Irish Data Protection Commission must step in — and it must use its full powers to hold Microsoft to account.”

After months of complaints from rights groups and Microsoft whistleblowers, the company said in September it cancelled some services to the Israeli military over concerns that it was violating Microsoft’s terms of service by using cloud computing software to spy on millions of Palestinians.

Submission + - RoboCop statue rises in Detroit: 'big, beautiful, bronze piece of art' (theguardian.com)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: A 15-year quest ends with a monument, drawing crowds and nostalgia as Detroit embraces its cult-film past

The statue looms and glints at more than 11 feet tall and weighing 3,500 pounds, looking out at the city with, how to put it a characteristically stern expression?

Despite its daunting appearance and history as a crimefighter of last resort, the giant new bronze figure of the movie character RoboCop is being seen as a symbol of hope, drawing fans and eliciting selfie mania since it began standing guard over Detroit on Wednesday afternoon.

Submission + - European Union May Not Ban Combustion Cars After All (caranddriver.com)

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

The European Union's plan to ban new combustion cars starting in 2035 may be over before it has a chance to go into effect, if Germany's leader has anything to say about it.

2035 target was simply infeasible with current technology. While some promising new developments, like solid state batteries, are being worked on, they are not yet ready for mass production.

Submission + - The White House Proposes More Relaxed Fuel-Economy Regulations (caranddriver.com)

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

As anticipated, the Trump administration announced less stringent CAFE standards in an effort to bring down the price of new vehicles.

This is much needed move as they also recently closed a number of loopholes, such as assumed fuel savings credit for engine start-stop technology, that made it more difficult to meet these goals. More so, recent string of engine and transmission failures from multiple manufacturers shows that meeting fleet standards came at a very significant cost of reduced reliability.

Submission + - AI Race Shifting to Technology (theconversation.com)

Submitted by RossCWilliams
RossCWilliams writes: This story suggests that the AI "race" may shift to a competition between competing technologies with Google now working with chips specifically designed for AI. This does raise the question whether AI specific investments will remain useful when the AI bubble deflates.

Submission + - Cosmonaut Suspected of Spying Removed from SpaceX Mission (themoscowtimes.com)

Submitted by jmurtari
jmurtari writes: A Russian cosmonaut has been removed from an upcoming SpaceX mission to the International Space Station after reportedly mishandling sensitive technical materials during training in the United States.

The investigative outlet The Insider reported that Oleg Artemyev, a veteran cosmonaut, allegedly photographed and removed restricted documents at SpaceX’s training facility in Hawthorne, California.

A popular space industry Telegram channel, Yura Prosti, separately claimed that Artemyev had been taken off the mission last week after photographing SpaceX engines and other materials controlled under U.S. export laws.

“It’s hard to imagine an experienced cosmonaut making such a serious mistake unintentionally,” Trishkin told The Insider.

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