Telescope #76

Jan 03, 2024

SUSTAINABILITY

We wanted to open the sustainability section with the video below. GE prepared the video and it claims that it reveals, in a sense, the DNA of the company that has been operating for 132 years.

Archaeologists have linked rising and lowering sea levels in the Atlantic Ocean to the ebbs and flows of ancient civilizations in southern Brazil. The findings incorporated several lines of past archaeological evidence, and suggest even large, resilient, and cooperative coastal communities can easily go out with the tide. DETAIL
The United States Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to hear oral arguments in a case looking to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing a federal regulation — the “Good Neighbor” Rule — that protects people in states downwind from industrial and coal plant pollution that drifts across state lines, a press release from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) said. DETAIL
Brazilian lawmakers have approved a bill to allow conservation funds to be used to pave a highway — BR-319 — that cuts through the middle of the Amazon; researchers say the road could threaten the rainforest’s existence, reported Reuters. DETAIL

Researchers at Sweden's Linköping University have developed bioelectronic soil. Bioelectronic soil called eSoil consists of organic materials mixed with a conductive polymer called PEDOT. It is also possible to encounter PEDOT in components such as sensors and OLED displays. This bioelectronic soil could accelerate the growth of plants on farms that grow plants without soil. In this way, bioelectronic soil can also be used in soilless (hydroponic) agricultural areas. DETAIL

HEALTH

Scientists looking to tackle our ongoing obesity crisis have made an important discovery: Intermittent fasting leads to significant changes both in the gut and the brain, which may open up new options for maintaining a healthy weight. DETAIL
Applications continue for the Care4RARE program, which aims to develop and support digital solutions in the field of rare diseases, especially Lysosomal Storage diseases, in cooperation with Teknopark Istanbul and LHUSTEK, under the umbrella of the PharmUp platform established by Sanofi in 2019. DETAIL
Understanding cancer and finding effective treatments has been an ongoing challenge, but recent research has brought a glimmer of hope. Scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking way to combat cancer cells using vibrating molecules, potentially transforming cancer treatment as we know it. At the forefront of this discovery are aminocyanine molecules, commonly used in bioimaging as synthetic dyes. These molecules, when stimulated by near-infrared light, exhibit synchronized vibrations capable of rupturing the membranes of cancer cells. This discovery marks a significant leap in the fight against cancer. DETAIL

DIGITAL / TECHNOLOGY / SCIENCE /AI

While we were spending our time discussing whether artificial intelligence can take away people's jobs, it became reality. Google is reportedly considering replacing some of its human staff with artificial intelligence. According to a report by The Information, the company is looking to either reassign or let go some sales team members whose jobs were recently automated by the company’s new AI tools. DETAIL
The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft on Wednesday, accusing them of using millions of the newspaper's articles without permission to help train chatbots to provide information to readers. DETAIL
Standing at 6 feet 2 inches (188 centimeters) tall and weighing 300 pounds (136 kilograms), NASA's humanoid robot Valkyrie is an imposing figure. Valkyrie, named after a female figure in Norse mythology and being tested at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, is designed to operate in "degraded or damaged human-engineered environments," like areas hit by natural disasters, according to NASA.

Regulators in Japan are preparing new antitrust legislation. This new legislation will require major tech companies like Apple and Google to allow third-party app stores and alternative payment methods for all apps. DETAIL

ENERGY / TRANSPORTATION

Russia announced that it sold 45-50 percent of its oil to China and 40 percent to India following Western sanctions imposed after the Ukraine war. DETAIL

CYBERSECURITY

It looks like Mint Mobile recently suffered a security breach and information including the names, phone numbers, email addresses, and SIM and IMEI numbers of customers was leaked. The carrier did not post about the breach on any of its social channels and instead notified affected customers via email. One of those customers posted a screen grab of the email on Reddit, which was spotted by The Verge. DETAIL
Ubisoft reportedly stopped hackers from stealing 900GB of data from the company, including user data from the game Rainbow Six Siege. The company reportedly discovered the breach 48 hours after the hack, at which point it revoked the hackers’ access before they could remove any data, BleepingComputer reports. DETAIL

Teleskop