JoeMerchant writes:https://earthsky.org/space/interstellar-meteor-papua-new-guinea-2014-u-s-space-command/In 2019, two researchers from Harvard University - Amir Siraj and Avi Loeb, both of whom had published on 'Oumuamua and Comet Borisov earlier - also wrote a study of this meteor, suggesting its interstellar origins. If true, then this meteor - which predates both 'Oumuamua and Comet Borisov by a few years - would be the first known interstellar object.https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/harvard-scientist-avi-loeb-claims-collected-remains-of-extraterrestrial-technology-from-bottom-of-the-pacific-101688188241635.htmlDeep-sea explorers found 50 spherules-molten droplets, about half a millimetre in diameter.Loeb's team collected 35 milligrams of this promising material by dragging a large magnetic sled across the surface of the ocean. The astrophysicist believes that the spherules are most likely made from a steel-titanium alloy"The spherules were found primarily along the most likely path of IM1 and not in control regions far from it," read his blog. "In the coming weeks, we will analyze their elemental and isotopic composition and report our data in a paper submitted to a peer-reviewed journal."https://avi-loeb.medium.com/summary-of-the-successful-interstellar-expedition-61ff4467070dThese sub-millimeter-sized spheres, which appear under a microscope as beautiful metallic marbles, were concentrated along the expected path of IM1 - about 85 kilometers off the coast of Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.-------It's just un-spectacular enough to be believable.Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
upstart writes:Rocky Strikes Back At Red Hat:The world of Linux has seen some disquiet over recent weeks following the decision of Red Hat to restrict source code distribution for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) to only their paying customers. We're sure that there will be plenty of fall-out to come from this news, but what can be done if your project relies upon access to those Red Hat sources?The Red-Hat-derived Rocky Linux distro relies on access to RHEL source, so the news could have been something of a disaster. Fortunately for Rocky users though, they appear to have found a reliable way to bypass the restriction and retain access to those RHEL sources. Red Hat would like anyone wanting source access to pay them handsomely for the privilege, but the Rocky folks have spotted a way to bypass this. Using readily available cloud images they can spin up a RHEL system and use it to download their sources, and they can do this as an automated process.We covered this story as it unfolded last week, and it seemed inevitable then that something of this nature would be found, as for all Red Hat's wishes a GPL-licensed piece of code can't be prevented from being shared. So Rocky users and the wider community will for now retain access to the code, but will Red Hat strike back? It's inevitable that there will be a further backlash from the community against any such moves, but will Red Hat be foolhardy enough to further damage their standing in this regard?Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
upstart writes:The first lithography tools were fairly simple, but the technologies that produce today's chips are among humankind's most complex inventions:
upstart writes:A user submitted a recent Daring Fireball Post discussing Masnick's Impossibility Theorum: Content Moderation at Scale is Impossible to do Well:
upstart writes:Investigations triggered by the cracking of encrypted phones three years ago have so far led to more than 6,500 arrests worldwide and the seizure of hundreds of tons of drugs:
fliptop writes:A new artificial intelligence-based technique for measuring fluid flow around the brain's blood vessels could have big implications for developing treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's:
MIT brain science researchers took a look at comprehension of (and preference for) the use of legalese (legal language used in contracts and so on) vs. the same thoughts expressed in simple sentences. While lawyers did better at understanding their own dialect, nearly everyone, lawyer or not, preferred ordinary English. https://news.mit.edu/2023/new-study-lawyers-legalese-0529