Can Google Make Stoplights Smarter?

A Google experiment to improve stoplights shows early positive results. But AI-assisted software won’t replace human traffic engineers just yet

Thousands of Corporate Secrets Were Left Exposed. This Guy Found Them All

Security researcher Bill Demirkapi found more than 15,000 hardcoded secrets and 66,000 vulnerable websites—all by searching overlooked data sources.

=== yjc
Meet the beneficiaries of Wimbledon’s recycled tennis balls

With their habitat infringed upon, animal conservationists found an object that makes for a perfect harvest mouse home.

== not isolated and sounds like not given vaccine
Mpox virus detected in Pakistan, health authorities say

A health officer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan district said the location of the confirmed mpox patient, a man the officer said had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, was unknown.

Hot Summer Threatens Efficacy of Mail-Order Medications

Research has shown that packages sometimes spend more than two-thirds of transit time outside the appropriate temperature range.

A B.C. program is helping vulnerable residents breathe easier with homemade air cleaners

The DIY units cost less than $100 to make and help protect against the effects of wildfire smoke.

A Species of Lungfish Claims Title of World’s Largest Animal Genome

Lacking key genes that control selfish bits of DNA, the South American lungfish’s genome just grew and grew.

Scottish isles may solve mystery of ‘Snowball Earth’

esearchers hope the islands will tell us why Earth went into such an extreme icy state for so long and why it was necessary for complex life to emerge.

== wireless shifters??
Researchers Hack Electronic Shifters With a Few Hundred Dollars of Hardware

But do update your Shimano Di2 shifters’ software to prevent a new radio-based form of cycling sabotage.

Online publishers face a dilemma: Allow AI scraping from Google or lose search visibility

Blocking the company’s AI overviews also blocks its web crawler.

== yjc, I believe their work is important
How do you feed wounded raccoons and abandoned baby bats?

Centre is one of about 70 authorized wildlife rehabilitators in Ontario facing rising costs.

First case of more dangerous mpox found outside Africa

The person became infected during a stay in an area of Africa where there is currently a major outbreak of mpox Clade 1.

Scientists believe they now know where the dinosaur-killing asteroid came from

A 10-km-wide asteroid from beyond Jupiter slammed into Earth 66 million years ago.

== courtesy of Charles, worth a read m’thinks
The Fermi Paradox

Physicist Enrico Fermi felt something too—”Where is everybody?”

Researchers Figure Out How To Keep Clocks On the Earth, Moon In Sync

A single standardized Earth/Moon time would aid communications, enable lunar GPS.

Scientists Find Humans Age Dramatically In Two Bursts: At 44, Then 60

US findings suggesting ageing is not a slow and steady process could explain spikes in health issues at certain ages

Research AI Model Unexpectedly Modified Its Own Code To Extend Runtime

Facing time constraints, Sakana’s “AI Scientist” attempted to change limits placed by researchers.

Unprecedented Number of Heat Records Broken Around World This Year

In 2024, 15 national temperature records have been set as weather extremes grow more frequent, climate historian says.

== more on mpox
WHO Declares Mpox Outbreak a Global Health Emergency

Outbreak resembles early days of HIV, say experts, urging accelerated access to vaccines and testing.

== opinion piece, perhaps worth a read
Are We Living in the Age of Info-Determinism?

Increasingly, our networks seem to be steering our history in ways we don’t like and can’t control.

== yet?
New Research Reveals AI Lacks Independent Learning, Poses No Existential Threat

New research reveals that large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT cannot learn independently or acquire new skills without explicit instructions.

WHO To Scrap Weak PFAS Drinking Water Guidelines After Alleged Corruption

Regulations ignored credible research and didn’t fully protect human health, independent scientists say.

Meta killed CrowdTangle, an ‘invaluable’ research tool

It’s going to be even harder to understand what’s happening on Facebook and Instagram.

Famous Stonehenge stone came from Scotland not Wales

The discovery shows the construction of Stonehenge was a far greater collaborative effort than scientists realised.

== yjc, going to happen a lot more places
Despair as the sea slowly swallows a Kenyan beauty spot

Most of the wells or boreholes that used to give them fresh water have now turned saline, forcing them to look for alternative sources of drinking water.

== scary if you ask me
Deep-Live-Cam Goes Viral, Allowing Anyone To Become a Digital Doppelganger

Using one photo and free software, someone can impersonate your appearance in a video chat.

Six Ransomware Gangs Behind Over 50% of 2024 Attacks

Plus many more newbies waiting in the wings.

Zoo enlists breastfeeding mothers to help orangutan

30 women had signed up and a rota was created for the mothers to visit the zoo with their babies.

2024 Crypto Overview: Players, Laws, and Trends

Cryptocurrency is essentially digital money that operates independently of a centralized authority like a government or bank.

Hackers may have leaked the Social Security Numbers of every American

A dump of 2.7 billion records includes names, aliases and known physical addresses.

Why is Elon Musk’s X struggling with technical problems?

This Space is not available.

Mpox declared public health emergency in Africa

Scientists from the Africa CDC say they are alarmed by the speed at which a new strain of mpox has been spreading.

Artificial Intelligence Could Soon Turn Anyone into an Expert Tracker

Scientists are working on a machine learning tool that could, one day, identify individual animals from photographs of their footprints.

Horses Can Plan and Strategize, New Study Shows

A new study has suggested horses quickly adapt to a treat-based game with changing rules.

Milky Way May Escape Fated Collision With Andromeda Galaxy

Fresh simulations find even chance our Galaxy avoids a cosmic crash in a few billion years.

Excess Memes and ‘Reply All’ Emails Are Bad For Climate, Researcher Warns

Most data stored on power-hungry servers is used once then never looked at again.

== duh!
Federal Appeals Court Finds Geofence Warrants Are ‘Categorically’ Unconstitutional

The court found that geofence warrants constitute the sort of “general, exploratory rummaging” that the drafters of the Fourth Amendment intended to outlaw.

== still strikes like putting all your eggs in one basket
The ‘superfood’ taking over fields in northern India

Known as makhanas, fox nuts or lotus seeds, they are prized for their nutritional value.

How extreme weather affects food prices in Canada

Fires, floods, heat waves and drought put pressure on prices all the way to the grocery shelf.

Reservoir of liquid water found deep in Martian rocks

The discovery comes from analysis of data from Nasa’s Insight lander, which took a seismometer to Mars.

Gas Pipeline Players in Talks To Fuel AI Datacenter Demand

Utility tapped out? Why not build your own?

== paywall?
An Army of Sea Urchins Could Help Save Coral Reefs

The creatures eat harmful algae, but they’re disappearing. Scientists are trying to grow more of them.

Booming solar industry has a growing appetite for weed-chomping crews

‘We start thinking about agriculture at our solar projects on Day 1,’ says developer

Can Food Scientists Re-Invent Sugar?

Scientists at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering are researching a “sugar-to-fiber” enzyme (normally used by plants to create stalks).

== paywall?
Are We Entering an AI Price-Fixing Dystopia?

Algorithmic collusion appears to be spreading to more and more industries. And existing laws may not be equipped to stop it.

Kia and Hyundai’s New Anti-Theft Software is Lowering Car-Stealing Rates

Between early 2020 and the first half of 2023, thefts of Hyundai and Kia models rose more than 1,000%.

Here’s a hot take: Let’s focus on how we feel heat, not global warming

From passive cooling to positive attitude about sweat, On Barak examines the history of heat

Beer and salt among Roman ‘mega-industries’

The need to supply the army was a “key driver” of the growth of industries across Roman Britain.

Terraforming Mars Could Be Easier Than Scientists Thought

Tiny rods made from martian ingredients could trap heat and warm planet.

Samsung’s New EV Battery Tech: 600-Mile Ranges, and 9-Minute Charges?

Many think this lithium-ion alternative will nearly double vehicle range and reduce charging time, dramatically changing the perception and performance of electric vehicles.