Some virtual care companies putting patient data at risk, new study finds

Canadian researchers have patient privacy concerns as industry grows post-COVID.

Is Iceland entering a new volcanic era?

This week, Iceland woke up to yet another day of fire, as towering fountains of lava lit up the dark morning sky.

== yjc (yes, I’ve always disliked Apple’s philosophy)
== protect customer security or, more likely, Apple profits?
Apple Is Lobbying Against Right To Repair Six Months After Supporting Right To Repair

It is our belief that the bill’s current language around parts pairing will undermine the security, safety, and privacy of Oregonians by forcing device manufacturers to allow the use of parts of unknown origin in consumer devices.

== I ain’t trying to make money with my websites, but those that are
== (as a side or fulltime hustle) are going to suffer if this continues
== without some form of compensation for content creators
Who makes money when AI reads the internet for us?

A new feature from the Arc browser puts search result summaries on a single web page that it creates on its own, cheating websites out of valuable traffic.

SpaceX Launches NASA’s PACE Satellite To Study Earth’s Oceans, Air and Climate

PACE is going to show us the biology of the oceans at a scale that we’ve never been able to see before.

== yjc
Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award winner

A stunning image of a young polar bear drifting to sleep on an iceberg, by British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani, has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.

== paywall??
Will Plants Ever Fertilize Themselves?

Biologists aim to engineer crops that can eat nitrogen straight from the air.

== this strikes me as a really bad idea
OpenAI Developing Software That Operates Devices, Automates Tasks

Agent software to automate complex tasks by taking over a users’ device.

Deep Abandoned Mine In Finland To Be Turned Into a Giant Gravity Battery

It should be capable of storing 2 megawatts of energy.

World temperatures go a full year above 1.5 C warming limit, EU scientists say

Hottest January on record just passed, though the level above normal was lower than previous 6 months.

Nuclear fusion: new record brings dream of clean energy closer

Nuclear fusion has produced more energy than ever before in a experiment, bringing the world a step closer to the dream of limitless, clean power.

== very Canadian perspective
Should manufacturers do more to stop vehicle theft? Updated rules could force them

Automakers, experts say there’s no ‘silver bullet’ to stop rampant vehicle theft.

== so is stealing a spider’s web, perhaps its very life, really justified?
Spider webs catch more than prey. They’re also jam-packed with animal DNA

Australian researchers say spider webs can be a powerful tool for measuring biodiversity.

NASA Spots Signs of Twin Volcanic Plumes on Jupiter’s Moon Io

The second of a pair of close flybys adds to the treasure trove of data that scientists have about Jupiter’s volcanic moon.

A shallow, salty lake in B.C. could point to origins of life on Earth

Researchers found Last Chance Lake has right ingredients for formation of early life.

Space-based Research May Lead To Cancer ‘Kill Switch’

Frustrated by the constraints of Earth, a team of California scientists took tumor research to space—and may have discovered a ‘kill switch’ for cancer.

How security experts unravel ransomware

It’s usually law enforcement, or a mistake by the ransomware gang, that lets them reverse the process.

Cern Aims To Build $21 Billion Collider To Unlock Secrets of Universe

Research lab submits plans for next-generation model at least three times size of Large Hadron Collider.

Scientists Have 3D Bioprinted Functioning Human Brain Tissue

A new method for assembling neuron cultures horizontally instead of vertically helps solve for a longstanding issue.

Bluesky is ditching its waitlist and opening to everyone

The Twitter alternative is no longer invitation-only.

Unique flying reptile soared above Isle of Skye

A unique species of flying reptile, or pterosaur, that lived 168-166 million years ago has been discovered on the Isle of Skye.

Explorers think they’ve found Amelia Earhart’s long-lost plane. Not everyone’s convinced

Is this orange blob the answer to an 87-year-old mystery?

== yjc (had article on this some time back)
John Cage: Organ playing 639-year-long piece changes chord

The longest - and slowest - music composition in existence had a big day on Monday - it changed chord for the first time in two years.

Scientists are calling for a new Category 6 for hurricanes — because they already exist

With storms growing more powerful, researchers say we’re underestimating the risk.

== a dangerous world awaits us
Scammers use deepfakes to steal $25.6 million from a multinational firm

A Hong Kong-based finance worker deposited the money after interacting with a deepfake of the CFO.

== a changing world
152 Birds Named After People Will Be Renamed - But How?

Scientists announced they’re changing the names of birds named after people. Things are about to get complicated.

== yjc, paywall ??, opinion piece, but…
== a bit lengthy, but I read it all, and, humbly, in total agreement
The Atlantic Warns of a Rising ‘Authoritarian Technocracy’

Silicon Valley has its own ascendant political ideology. It’s past time we call it what it is.

== I really don’t understand why anyone expects them, or most other huge business groups, to do anything but lie
The Fossil Fuel Industry Knew About Climate Change Since 1954

Documents show industry-backed Air Pollution Foundation uncovered the severe harm climate change would wreak

Japan’s moon lander took this eerie photo before being enveloped by lunar night

The SLIM lander has since gone dormant, and it may not survive the two-week-long lunar night.