ElizabethGreene writes:From Becky Ferreira at Vice:Scientists believe they have identified the oldest fossils on Earth, dating back at least 3.75 billion years and possibly even 4.2 billion years, in rocks found at a remote location in northern Québec, Canada, according to a new study.If the structures in these rocks are biological in origin, it would push the timeline of life on our planet back by 300 million years at a minimum, and could potentially show that the earliest known organisms are barely younger than Earth itself.These presumed microbial fossils were originally collected by Dominic Papineau, an associate professor in geochemistry and astrobiology at University College London, during a 2008 expedition to Québec's Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt, a formation that contains some of the oldest rocks on Earth. Papineau and his colleagues reported their discovery in a 2017 paper published in Nature, which sparked a debate over whether the tubes and filaments preserved in the rocks were a result of biological or geological processes.[...] In the wake of skepticism about the claims of their 2017 study, Papineau and his colleagues employed a host of new techniques to clarify the nature of the mysterious structures in the Canadian rock.[...] "We don't have any DNA, of course, that survived these geological timescales, with the heat and pressure that the rock has suffered," Papineau said. "But what we can say, on the basis of morphology, is that these microfossils resemble those that are made by the modern microbacterium called Mariprofundus ferrooxydans."Journal Reference:
hubie writes:Etsy is an American e-commerce company that allows small businesses or individuals to set up online storefronts, particularly those who make handmade or custom goods. They want to be the marketplace for "unique and creative goods." They claim to host 5.3 million sellers, but this week thousands of those sellers are closing their storefronts for a week to protest some recently imposed changes.
hubie writes:China is planning its first satellite mission to search the Milky Way for exoplanets orbiting stars just like the Sun. The mission goal is to find the first Earth-like planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a star just like the Sun. Such a planet, called an Earth 2.0, would have the right conditions for liquid water and have the potential to harbor life. Although more than 5000 exoplanets were found with NASA's Kepler telescope before it ran out of fuel in 2018, none fit the definition of an Earth 2.0.Exoplanets are found by looking for stellar brightnesses to dim as a planet passes in front. An Earth 2.0 candidate would have an orbital period of about a year and would thus pass in front of its star once a year. You want about three passes to get a decent determination of the oribit, so you need to be observing the same stars for more than three years. The Kepler mission suffered a failure early in its mission that prevented staring at the same spot for long periods of time, so it wasn't possible to determine precise orbits for the explanets it discovered. This new mission will search the same patch of sky with more telescopes gather more data to allow orbits to be calculated.
upstart writes:Qualcomm completes Arriver acquisition to bulk up software prowess in ADAS, self-driving vehicles:Qualcomm wrapped up its acquisition of Veoneer's advanced driver assistance/self driving vehicle software arm on Monday, highlighting the San Diego company's bid to become a key technology supplier to automakers as it diversifies beyond smartphones.Financial details regarding the complex transaction were not available. Qualcomm plans to discuss the terms during its quarterly earnings conference call later this month.But the acquisition of Veoneer's Arriver software division positions Qualcomm to compete head-to-head against industry leader Mobileye in the camera-based autonomous driving and vehicle safety technologies market.[...] Qualcomm already is a significant silicon supplier to automakers, with sales topping $1 billion last year. The company has a $13 billion backlog of pending orders.This pipeline, however, is centered on technologies that provide 4G/5G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, navigation and entertainment, vehicle diagnostics and digital dashboards.Recently, Qualcomm added Snapdragon Ride to its automotive product line-up. It delivers Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and limited self-driving features.To date, Snapdragon Ride customers include General Motors, BMW, Ferrari and Renault. Arriver was a Qualcomm partner before the acquisition.With this deal, Qualcomm isn't aiming to deliver full-fledged driverless capabilities known as Level 4/Level 5 autonomy—at least not yet.Instead, it is targeting Level 2+ and Level 3 autonomy. That means motorists remain behind the wheel but gain ADAS safety features and limited self-driving functionality.Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
hubie writes:NASA has been preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis I rocket, but have hit several issues causing delays, the most recent being a faulty helium gas check valve. They have now announced that a modified wet dress rehearsal will start with a call to stations on April 12. This rehearsal proceeds through as an actual launch activity that scrubs at the T-10 second point. The modified test will focus on filling the core stage with cryogenic propellant, but with minimal propellant operations on the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Following the test, the rocket will be returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building to replace the helium check valve as well as to assess the launch procedures.NASA is streaming live video of the rocket and spacecraft on the Kennedy Newsroom YouTube channel.Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
An Anonymous Coward writes:https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/09/army_3d_barracks/The US Department of Defense is going to use 3D printing techniques to build military accommodation as part of an experimental development program.
canopic jug writes:Raspberry Pi OS "Bullseye" is getting some changes to improve its robustness. Gone is the default user 'pi' with the default password of 'raspberry'. On first-boot, a setup wizard walks through setting a normal user with a regular password, though there are still options for headless installation. Among other improvements, it is now also possible to do the setup with a bluetooth mouse/keyboard exclusively. The old way required at least a wired mouse, if not also a wired keyboard, to connect first.