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Herro makes go-ahead jumper with 0.5 seconds left as Heat beat Magic 89-88See Spot... sitThe "silly season" of news coverage used to refer to the dog days of summer, when there was so little of importance happening that newspapers and cable channels filled the vacuum with fluff. Not this year. Starting in October and gaining intensity through the season, Americans have found themselves awash in panicky health and safety warnings about previously unappreciated threats. It started with warnings about your black plastic spatulas and other such implements. Spurred by a study and press release issued Oct. 1 by the Seattle nonprofit Toxic-Free Future, news organizations from coast to coast — including The Los Angeles Times — posted articles advising consumers to ditch their black food utensils and children's toys with black plastic pieces. The black spatula panic was soon outrun by the drone panic, which has Americans scanning the skies for menacing aircraft. As is typically the case, both of these panics springs from a nugget of truth. It's true, for example, that chemicals that could theoretically harm people's health at high exposure levels can be found in some household products — chiefly chemical flame retardants in black plastic electronic devices that have been banned from new uses but have been getting recycled into the consumer stream. It's also true that drones, ranging in size from the lightweight models deployed by hobbyists to large commercial models, are becoming a pain in the neck, with the largest craft posing a real danger to commercial aircraft . But the distance between those nuggets of reality and the level of public hysteria is so great that the latter can be explained mostly by two factors: the desire for clicks on news sites and to fill newspaper columns, and the impulse of preening politicians to show they're attentive to constituents' concerns, no matter how dubious. Let's take these panics in order, starting with the black utensils. For a time, press advisories that people ditch their black spatulas were impossible to ignore. The most alarmist was probably an offering from The Atlantic, which was headlined: " Throw Out Your Black Plastic Spatula /It's probably leaching chemicals into your cooking oil." The piece ran under an illustration of a black spatula dripping sinister goblets of melting plastic, against a background of bilious green. It gave prominent space to the Toxic-Free Future study, as well as to research papers by the British scientist Andrew Turner, who has been studying the contamination of household goods by those electronic flame retardants for years. A few points about the Toxic-Free Future paper, which spurred all that news coverage. First, it's based in part on a massive mathematical error. The paper calculates that users of "contaminated kitchen utensils" would have a median intake of BDE-209, one of the common flame retardants, of 34,700 nanograms per day. (A nanogram is a billionth of a gram.) The paper states that this daily exposure "would approach" the reference dose set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of 7,000 nanograms per kilogram of body weight per day, which the the paper says pencils out at 42,000 nanograms per day for a 60-kilogram adult. Pretty good ground for concern, since the EPA uses the reference dose to measure the level of health risk from exposure to a toxin. Except: 7,000 times 60 isn't 42,000; it's 420,000. The median intake for a 60-kilogram adult, in other words, isn't anywhere close to the EPA's reference dose. Toxic-Free Future has issued a correction to its paper , acknowledging that the daily intake it calculated doesn't "approach" the EPA reference dose but is one-tenth of the reference dose. (The Times has followed up with an article about the correction ; several other publications that went to town on the black utensil threat have also done so.) But it also says "the calculation error does not affect the overall conclusion of the paper." Megan Liu, the paper's lead author, told me that it wasn't really designed as a risk assessment, but chiefly as a study of how much of these contaminants has entered the consumer economy through kitchen utensils, children's toys and other products. "Flame retardants shouldn't even be in these products at all," she says, which is true. Yet the issue for the average consumer is how dangerous are these products, really? The answer is, not very. In a study cited by Liu's paper, researchers found that some chemicals leached from a black spatula into cooking oil. The Atlantic's take on this was that the paper "found that flame retardants in black kitchen utensils readily migrate into hot cooking oil." Not so readily, however: The researchers cut a black spatula into small pieces and basted them in 320-degree cooking oil for 15 minutes . Who does that? As epidemiologist Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz points out, "most people don't leave their spatulas in the fryer and walk away for a quarter of an hour ." More issues are related to this paper. One is that 60 kilograms, or about 132 pounds, isn't the average weight of American adults. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention places the average weight for an adult male at about 200 pounds, and for a female about 171. Using those weights would have shown that the potential for health effects is even more remote than the overheated news coverage of the paper suggests. In any case, the evidence for long-term human health effects from the normal exposure to these chemicals is scanty. It comes almost entirely from experiments on lab mice and rats subjected to doses unlikely to occur in the real world, and to an experiment on human cells also in the laboratory. Of course, if you're inclined to eliminate all artifacts of modern commerce from your life, no one is stopping you. Liu and her colleagues observe that kitchen implements made from wood or stainless steel are widely available. They've also properly noted that among the real problems with the recycling of plastics in consumer goods is that we don't know anything about how much goes into which products and where they've come from. Some legislatures have moved toward requiring more disclosure, which is to the good. But if you spent the last few weeks or months doing a hard target search for black implements in your house, you probably didn't have to. Now on to the drones. When I first heard of New Jersey residents expressing panic over mysterious lights overhead, I flashed on the Firesign Theatre line, "Big light in sky slated to appear in East." Except that the Firesign Theatre was a satire troupe of the 1960s and '70s, the line originated in their parody of a post-apocalyptic news broadcast, and the game was given away by the title of their best album, "Don't Crush that Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers." The current panic appears to be for real. All the worrying got me thinking about the interview I conducted in September with Sean M. Kirkpatrick , who had recently retired as the Pentagon's chief investigator of UFO reports. As he had written in a Scientific American op-ed , he and his team had been overwhelmed by a "whirlwind of tall tales, fabrication and secondhand or thirdhand retellings of the same," producing "a social media frenzy and a significant amount of congressional and executive time and energy spent on investigating these so-called claims." Sound familiar? The claims of an invasion of the Eastern seaboard by swarms of drones has every marker of a groundless social media frenzy. This started with some truly baroque partisan speculation; on Dec. 11, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) cadged himself some airtime on Fox News by claiming that his home state was under attack from Iran. "I'm going to tell you the real deal," he said. "Iran launched a mother ship that contains these drones. It's off the East Coast of the United States of America. They've launched drones." Three days later, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, declared "this has gone too far," grousing that mystery drones had closed down a metropolitan New York airport. The bare-bones reporting on this event might have made people think that JFK or LaGuardia had been attacked by mystery drones. In fact, the airport was Stewart Airport, which is 60 miles from Manhattan, is served mostly by the ultra-low-cost Allegiant Airlines with routes to Florida, and was closed for one hour. My favorite performance was that of former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, who reported via X that on Dec. 12 he "personally witnessed (and videoed) what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky above my residence ... (25 miles from our nation's capital). I observed the activity for approximately 45 minutes." It didn't take long for Hogan to be inundated with responses from astronomers and meteorologists that what he had videotaped weren't drones flying over his house, but the constellation Orion, which as meteorologist Matthew Cappucci informed him crisply, is "made up of stars between 244 and 1,344 light years away. " Since then, neighborhood groups in New Jersey have organized "sky watches" to track the invading swarms and traded reports via their Ring doorbells. Donald Trump advised people to shoot the drones down, which is a good way to make things worse. Some people conjecture that the drone hysteria is the product of the public's mistrust of government. That doesn't explain much, since a large share of the hysteria has been promoted by elected officials themselves. Politicians are naturally averse to calling their constituents idiots, so they have been responding by demanding more transparency from government officials at the Pentagon and other agencies. It's always safe for politicians to assure voters that they'll hold bureaucrats' feet to the fire. The problem here is that government agencies have been very clear about what's happening overhead. The "drone" sightings, they say, are of commercial or U.S. military aircraft, helicopters, and perhaps drone flights by hobbyists wanting to get in on the fun. Most of it is surely the product of ignorance. How much more do we need federal agencies to explain? "Most people don't look at the sky," notes Cheryl Rofer, a retired nuclear scientist . "They don't know what airplanes look like up there, particularly at night, and they don't know what the stars and planets look like. They can't estimate distance — which is tricky in the sky — and they aren't aware of how things can seem to move. They aren't aware of how to check if those objects in fact are moving." There may be one other explanation for why there are so many purported drone sightings in New Jersey. As the blogger Kevin Drum writes , there are a lot of drones in New Jersey, in part because a state law "indemnifies drone fliers against lawsuits from New Jersey landowners for use of their property for drone overflights." So, sure. New Jersey loves drones, which nobody noticed until a local congressman decided to blame Iran. That should cover the hysterias of the moment. Black spatulas won't kill you, and the lights in the sky aren't alien spaceships or Iranian bombers. Any questions? Michael Hiltzik is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) India's sports fraternity on Thursday joined the nation in mourning the demise of two-time former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, paying homage to his "calm leadership and wisdom" in stirring condolence messages. Singh, 92, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here after losing consciousness at his home owing to age-related ailments. Also Read | Premier League 2024-25: Fulham Make History at Stamford Bridge, Dent Chelsea's EPL Title Hopes With 2-1 Victory. "Sad news of the passing of Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. A visionary leader and a true statesman who worked tirelessly for India's progress. His wisdom and humility will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his loved ones," World Cup-winning former cricketer Yuvraj Singh posted on X. Similar sentiments were expressed by his former teammate and Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha member Harbhajan Singh, who described Singh as a thorough gentleman and visionary leader. Also Read | Premier League 2024-25: Jordan Pickford Denies Erling Haaland Penalty as Everton Hold Defending Champions Manchester City to 1-1 Draw. "What truly set him apart was his calm and steady leadership in times of crisis, his ability to navigate complex political landscapes, and his unwavering belief in India's potential," he wrote. It was during Singh's second tenure that India hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the national capital. It was the first international multi-sport extravaganza to be held in the country after the 1982 Asian Games, also hosted by Delhi. Former wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who is now a Congress MLA in Haryana, called Singh a man of "extraordinary wisdom, simplicity and vision." "Dr. Manmohan Singh was not just a Prime Minister, but he was a thinker, economist and a true patriot. His calm leadership style and economic vision gave the country a new direction, from the 1991 economic reforms to establishing India's reputation on the global stage. "There was depth in his humility and wisdom in his every word. His services and contributions to the country will always be remembered. You will always live in our hearts, Sir," she wrote in her emotional tribute on social media. Former cricketers Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman and ex-women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal were also among those who expressed their sadness at his death. Before serving as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, Singh was finance minister in the P V Narasimha Rao-led government and was the brain behind the economic reforms of 1991 that marked the beginning of liberalisation in the country. Widely respected for his intellect and grace in public life, Singh had retired from active politics in April this year after over a three-decade run as a Rajya Saha MP. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Raiders and Saints meet with prominent players nearing statistical milestones
Elgin News Digest: Dundee-Crown staging encore performance of ‘Deadline’; WGN-TV weather camera installed at Hemmens CenterWASHINGTON — A lead organization monitoring for food crises around the world withdrew a new report this week warning of imminent famine in north Gaza under what it called Israel’s “near-total blockade,” after the United States asked for its retraction, U.S. officials told the Associated Press. The move came after the U.S. ambassador to Israel publicly criticized the report. The rare public dispute drew accusations from prominent aid and human-rights figures that the work of the U.S.-funded Famine Early Warning System Network, meant to reflect the data-driven analysis of unbiased international experts, has been tainted by politics. A declaration of famine would be a great embarrassment for Israel, which has insisted that its 15-month war in Gaza is aimed against the militant group Hamas and not against its civilian population. U.S. Ambassador Jacob Lew this week called the warning by the internationally recognized group inaccurate and “irresponsible.” Lew and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the monitoring group, both said the findings failed to properly account for rapidly changing circumstances in north Gaza. Humanitarian and human rights officials expressed fear of U.S. political interference in the world’s monitoring system for famines. The U.S. Embassy in Israel and the State Department declined to comment. Officials at the warning network did not respond to questions. “We work day and night with the U.N. and our Israeli partners to meet humanitarian needs — which are great — and relying on inaccurate data is irresponsible,” Lew said Tuesday. USAID confirmed to the AP that it had asked the famine-monitoring organization to withdraw its stepped-up warning issued in a report dated Monday. The report did not appear among the top updates on the group’s website Thursday, but the link to it remained active. The dispute points in part to the difficulty of assessing the extent of starvation in largely isolated northern Gaza. Thousands in recent weeks have fled an intensified Israeli military crackdown that aid groups say has allowed delivery of only a dozen trucks of food and water since roughly October. The warning network said in its withdrawn report that unless Israel changes its policy, it expects the number of people dying of starvation and related ailments in north Gaza to reach between two and 15 per day sometime between January and March. The internationally recognized mortality threshold for famine is two or more deaths a day per 10,000 people. The warning network was created by the U.S. development agency in the 1980s and is still funded by it. But it is intended to provide independent, neutral and data-driven assessments of hunger crises, including in war zones. Its findings help guide decisions on aid by the U.S. and other governments and agencies around the world. A spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Oren Marmorstein, welcomed the U.S. ambassador’s public challenge of the famine warning. “FEWS NET - Stop spreading these lies!” Marmorstein posted on X . In challenging the findings publicly, the U.S. ambassador “leveraged his political power to undermine the work of this expert agency,” said Scott Paul, a senior manager at Oxfam America, a humanitarian nonprofit. Paul stressed that he was not weighing in on the accuracy of the data or methodology of the report. “The whole point of creating FEWS is to have a group of experts make assessments about imminent famine that are untainted by political considerations,” said Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch and now a visiting professor in international affairs at Princeton University. “It sure looks like USAID is allowing political considerations — the Biden administration’s worry about funding Israel’s starvation strategy — to interfere.” Israel says it has been operating in recent months against Hamas militants still active in northern Gaza. It says the vast majority of the area’s residents have fled and relocated to Gaza City, where most aid destined for the north is delivered. But some critics, including a former defense minister, have accused Israel of carrying out ethnic cleansing in Gaza’s far north, near the Israeli border. North Gaza has been one of the areas hardest-hit by fighting and Israel’s restrictions on aid throughout its war with Hamas militants. Global famine monitors and United Nations and U.S. officials have warned repeatedly of the imminent risk of malnutrition and deaths from starvation reaching famine levels. International officials say Israel in the summer increased the amount of aid it was allowing into Gaza, under U.S. pressure. The U.S. and U.N. have said Gaza’s people as a whole need between 350 and 500 trucks a day of food and other vital needs. But the U.N. and aid groups say Israel recently has again blocked almost all aid to that part of Gaza. Cindy McCain, the American head of the U.N. World Food Program, called this month for political pressure to get food flowing to Palestinians there. Israel says that it places no restrictions on aid entering Gaza and that hundreds of truckloads of goods are piled up at the teorritory’s crossings, and accused international aid agencies of failing to deliver the supplies. The U.N. and other aid groups say Israeli restrictions, ongoing combat, looting and insufficient security by Israeli troops make it impossible to deliver aid effectively. Lew, the U.S. ambassador, said the famine warning was based on “outdated and inaccurate” data. He pointed to uncertainty over how many of the 65,000 to 75,000 people remaining in northern Gaza had fled in recent weeks, saying that skewed the findings. The warning network said in its report that its famine assessment holds even if as few as 10,000 people remain. USAID in its statement to AP said it had reviewed the report before it became public, and noted “discrepancies” in population estimates and some other data. The U.S. agency said it had asked the famine warning group to address those uncertainties and be clear in its final report to reflect how those uncertainties affected its predictions of famine. “This was relayed before Ambassador Lew’s statement,” USAID said in a statement. “FEWS NET did not resolve any of these concerns and published in spite of these technical comments and a request for substantive engagement before publication. As such, USAID asked to retract the report.” Roth criticized the U.S. challenge of the report, given the gravity of the crisis there. “This quibbling over the number of people desperate for food seems a politicized diversion from the fact that the Israeli government is blocking virtually all food from getting in,” he said, adding that “the Biden administration seems to be closing its eyes to that reality, but putting its head in the sand won’t feed anyone.” The U.S., Israel’s main backer, provided a record amount of military support in the first year of the war. At the same time, the Biden administration repeatedly urged Israel to allow more access to aid deliveries in Gaza overall, and warned that failing to do so could trigger U.S. restrictions on military support. The administration recently said Israel was making improvements and declined to carry out its threat of restrictions. Military support for Israel’s war in Gaza is politically charged in the U.S., with Republicans and some Democrats staunchly opposed to any effort to limit U.S. support over the suffering of Palestinian civilians trapped in the conflict. The Biden administration’s reluctance to do more to press Israel for improved treatment of civilians undercut support for Democrats in last month’s elections. Knickmeyer writes for the Associated Press. Sam Mednick and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
A MAN has allegedly threatened paramedics with a knife while they tried to offer him medical help in the Hunter yesterday. Login or signup to continue reading NSW Ambulance paramedics were called to a property on Johnson Avenue at Weston, near Cessnock, about 9.30am on Monday, December 2, after reports a man needed treatment. The 53-year-old man allegedly threatened ambulance officers at the scene with a knife while they attempted to help him. Police confirmed no one was injured in the incident. Hunter Valley officers were called to the property, where they arrested the man. The 53-year-old was taken to Cessnock Police Station, where he was charged with being armed with the intent to commit an indictable offence, and assaulting a frontline health worker with no actual bodily harm. The man was refused bail and spent the night in police custody before his first appearance on the charges at Cessnock Local Court on Tuesday, December 3. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!( ) stock tumbled Monday after the cybersecurity firm reported fiscal first-quarter earnings, revenue and billings that beat estimates. But Zscaler's in-line revenue guidance underwhelmed investors. Reported after the market close, Zscaler earnings rose 36% to 77 cents a share from a year earlier on an adjusted basis. Revenue climbed 26% to $628 million, the San Jose, Calif.-based firm said. Zscaler stock analysts expected earnings of 63 cents per share on sales of $606 million. Also, fiscal Q1 billings rose 13% to $516.7 million. Zscaler Stock: Guidance Disappoints For the current quarter, Zscaler said it expects revenue of $634 million at the midpoint of guidance, versus estimates of $633 million. On the , Zscaler stock fell more than 6% to 195.39 in extended trading. Zscaler has brought in a new chief revenue officer, chief marketing officer and other top sales staff as its go-to-market strategy undergoes big changes. Analysts have lowered consensus estimates amid the sales organization overhaul. Heading into the Zscaler earnings release, the cybersecurity stock had retreated 6% in 2024. Also, ZS stock had a Relative Strength Rating of 50 out of a best-possible 99, according to . Zscaler Stock Technical Ratings Zscaler provides cloud-based cybersecurity services via 150 data centers worldwide. Zscaler's web security gateways inspect customers' data traffic for malware. Further, the Zscaler Private Access cloud service replaces virtual private networks to support remote work. Zscaler competes with ( ) and ( ) as well as well-funded startup Wiz. Meanwhile, Zscaler stock belongs to the IBD Computer-Software Security group, which ranks No. 77 out of 197 groups tracked.Fianna Fail and Fine Gael eye independent TDs as option to secure Dail majoritySome Democrats are frustrated over Joe Biden reversing course and pardoning his son Hunter
The Seattle Seahawks will be without one of their top players for the rest of the 2024 season. Seattle placed running back Kenneth Walker III on injured reserve on Thursday, effectively ending his season. The Seahawks made the move hours ahead of their Thursday night Week 17 matchup with the Chicago Bears . In a corresponding move, the Seahawks signed running back George Holani of the practice squad to fill Walker's spot on the active roster. The team also elevated veteran cornerback and former first-round pick Artie Burns . Walker missed two games earlier this year with an oblique injury. A calf injury sidelined him for Seattle's Week 14 win over the Cardinals as well as during its Week 15 loss to the Packers . In all, Walker played in 11 games this season, rushing for 573 yards and seven touchdowns. He also set career highs with 46 receptions and 299 yards. Walker also caught a touchdown pass during Seattle's Week 7 win over Seattle. A 2022 second-round pick, Walker has proven to be effective when healthy. He rushed for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie and picked up 905 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. Walker exceeded 1,110 all-purpose yards both years. Injuries, however, have hindered Walker's availability. He missed two games apiece during his first two seasons and will miss six games this season. Walker's absence has created more opportunities for backup Zach Charbonnet , a 2023 second-round pick who leads Seattle with eight touchdown runs. Charbonnet, who played well in a limited role last year, capped off his college career with a standout season at UCLA, rushing for 1,359 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging a whopping 7.0 yards-per-carry. "You guys have been exposed to Zach [Charbonnet] longer than I have," Seahawks first-year head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters earlier this week. "To me, it seems like he's been the same guy since we [drafted him]. That's one of the things you love about him, he's the same guy every day. Incredibly prepared, runs the ball tough, runs it hard. I think he's growing as a player and as a person, but that just speaks to his work ethic." The Seahawks will need Charbonnet to be at his best during the season's final two weeks. Seattle (8-7) is currently battling with five other teams to capture one of the remaining three NFC playoff spots.
As science continues its evolution, discoveries and technologies can act like a master key that open doors leading to novel advancements. Artificial intelligence is one such key, making innovations possible by solving complex problems, automating tasks and enabling research that would have been impossible, or very time-consuming, without it. Mohammad Hosseini But do we want to do research on all topics, and shall we try the AI master key on every door? To explore this question, let’s consider the use of AI by genomics experts as an example. In recent years, genomics experts have added unbelievable depth to what we know about the world and ourselves. For example, genetics researchers have revealed facts about when certain animals and plants were domesticated. In another example, researchers used DNA from 30,000-year-old permafrost to create fertile samples of a plant called narrow-leafed campion. Importantly, genetic engineering has facilitated extraordinary advances in the treatment of complicated conditions, such as sickle-cell anemia. Thanks to AI, we are witnessing a dramatic increase in the pace and scalability of genomic exploration. But given the risks and possible consequences of AI use in science, should we rush headlong into using AI in all kinds of projects? One relevant example is research on Neanderthals, our closest relatives, who lived about 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals have been studied for several years now through genetic investigation of their fossils and their DNA. Genetic engineering can potentially use ancient DNA and genome editing methods to re-create a Neanderthal or aspects of a Neanderthal’s genetics and physiology. To do this, scientists could start by figuring out the DNA sequence of a Neanderthal by comparing it with the DNA of modern humans, because they are closely related. Then, scientists could use the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR to swap out parts of human DNA with Neanderthal DNA. This process would require a lot of trial and error and might not succeed soon. But based on what we know about genetics, if something is possible, AI can help make it happen faster, cheaper and with less effort. Scientists are excited about these developments because they could facilitate new discoveries and open up many research opportunities in genetic research. With or without AI, research on Neanderthals will proceed. But the extraordinary power of AI could give the final push to these discoveries and facilitate this kind of resurrection. At that point, the scientific community must develop norms and guidelines about how to treat these resurrected beings with dispositions very similar to humans. We would need to carefully consider their rights and well-being almost in the same way as when humans are involved and not as research subjects or artifacts of scientific curiosity. These ethical issues are discussed in more detail in a new paper published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence. A more holistic question to consider is: Should we prioritize the use of resource-intensive AI, researchers’ time and public funds to resurrect extinct beings? Or should we invest these resources into conserving species that are critically endangered today to prevent biodiversity from more degradation? Hosseini is an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He wrote this for . Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!
Khaleeji Zain fans hail Kuwaiti hospitality, smooth organizationMeet the City fan whose Guinness reviews have made him an unlikely celebCuban Minimalist Zilia Sánchez , whose erotic shaped canvases offered a warm rebuttal to the often chilly work of her male counterparts, has died. She was ninety-eight. Her death was announced by the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, which did not specify a cause. Long a resident of Puerto Rico, where she settled following the Cuban Revolution, Sánchez gained recognition only near the end of her life, as feminist oeuvres finally began to be reconsidered. The artist over her long career brought to bear her early training as a set designer in spare, three-dimensional works that, on close looking, frequently evoked female anatomy. Stretched over complex wooden frameworks and swelling with protuberances, these canvases were almost sculptural in appearance, their subdued blue or gray hues lending them a dim sultriness. “A voluptuous sensuality is never far away,” wrote Barry Schwabsky in a 2014 issue of Artforum . “Touch is as important as vision, and the paintings seem to want to touch themselves.” “I paint with feeling,” she told an interviewer for the Phillips Collection in 2019, “and the feeling is inside. That’s how art is.” Zilia Sánchez was born in Havana on July 12, 1928, to a Cuban mother and a Spanish father. After graduating from Havana’s Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes de San Alejandro, she began her career amid a politically radical milieu, working as a set designer and an abstract painter for Cuban theater groups. During this time, she gained renown as a painter in Havana and exhibited abroad, representing Cuba in the Bienal de México in 1958 and the Bienal de São Paulo in 1959. Following the rise to power of Fidel Castro, Sánchez traveled through Europe, in Spain encountering the work of Antoni Tàpies, which would prove influential to her own practice. In 1962, she moved to New York, where she studied printmaking at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and honed the shaped canvases that would become her trademark. In the early 1970s, having enjoyed solo exhibitions at the Universidad de Puerto Rico, in 1966 and 1970, she settled permanently San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she designed the avant-garde literary journal Zona Carga y Descarga (Zone of Charging and Discharging), and continued to produce the shaped paintings for which she would eventually become known. Works such as Troyanas (Trojan Women), 1964; Topología erótica (Erotic Topology), 1968; Antigone , 1970; and Lunar (Moon), 1985; variously evoked sensuality and struggle beneath their smooth surfaces, tantalizing clefts, and inviting valleys. “Her work blatantly evokes the female body—nipples, lips (vaginal or otherwise), and so on—but it is not representational,” wrote Schwabsky. “That it can be at once so in-your-face and so indirect is probably its greatest strength.” Sánchez’s work was well known in Puerto Rico, where she not only painted but taught for decades, from the 1990s working as professor at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Puerto Rico. She also taught at the Art Students League of San Juan. It wasn’t until the 2010s that Sánchez finally began receiving her due internationally. A 2013 exhibition at Artists Space in New York prompted New York Times critic Holland Cotter to wonder, “Why wasn’t this artist included in the Venice Biennale?” Sánchez went on to exhibit in the 2017 Biennale. A major survey of her work originated at the Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, in 2019, before traveling to the Museo de Arte Ponce in San Juan and El Museo del Barrio, New York. Her work is held in the collections of major institutions around the world including the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Princeton University Art Museum, New Jersey; the Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine; the Phillips Collection, Washington, DC; the Pérez Art Museum, Miami; the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, Santurce; Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan; the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Argentina; and the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Though some might have marveled at Sánchez’s persistence as she for decades continued to create work that might never be widely seen, or seen at all, for the artist there was no mystery. “Why am I still making work?” she replied to her Phillips Collection interlocutor in 2019. “Because I need it.”
Should AI be used to resurrect extinct species like the Neanderthal? | Mohammad HosseiniOpenAI's legal battle with Elon Musk reveals internal turmoil over avoiding AI 'dictatorship'
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt defended the city's new speed limit regulations, saying they would improve road safety and reduce fatalities following widespread criticism on social media. Mr Chardchart, accompanied by his deputies, advisers and Sitthiporn Somkidsan, director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) Office of Transport and Traffic, on Thursday explained the rationale behind the city speed limits at City Hall. Bangkok, said the governor, was one of only 15 places worldwide that still permitted an 80 km/h speed limit, while other countries have adopted lower thresholds, including the Philippines, which imposes a city speed limit of 40 km/h. Studies on fatality risks from crash impacts indicated that the likelihood of death is 20% if the speed is 60 km/h, and the likelihood of death increases to 60% if the speed is 80 km/h. Despite a speed limit of 80 km/h, findings showed that most motorists in Bangkok typically drive at an average speed of 50 km/h. Mr Chadchart said the new limits aim to reduce road fatalities and improve safety, noting they could cut the fatality rate up to threefold. "Speeding is a major cause of deaths, as seen in the case of Dr Kratai. In future, technology like speed cameras will be used to enforce traffic laws, similar to practices in other countries," he said. He was referring to Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul, who was struck by a policeman riding a Ducati motorcycle at a crossing on Phaya Thai Road in Ratchathewi district on Jan 21, 2022. The accident caused a huge uproar as the policeman seemed oblivious to the crossing. The governor urged motorists to respect traffic rules or face consequences such as insurance claims being denied if they are found to be speeding. He added the speed limits may be further reduced in specific areas like schools and residential communities to minimise accidents and losses. Published in the Royal Gazette on Monday and taking immediate effect, the new maximum speed limit of 60 km/h is imposed on most roads in the capital, except major thoroughfares, and 50km/h near the Grand Palace. The exempt roads are: Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Bang Na-Trat Road, Srinakarin Road, Phahon Yothin Road, Ram Intra Road, Ratchaphruek Road, Baromratchonnanee Road, Kanlapaphruek Road, Rom Klao Road, Suwinthawong Road, Chaengwattana Road, Rama III Road and Srinakarin-Rom Klao Road. On the following 10 roads close to the Grand Palace, the speed limit is now 50km/h, with an additional "no honking of horns" stipulation: Ratchadamnoen Nai Road, Na Phra That Road, Prachan Road, Na Phra Lan Road, Sanam Chai Road, Kalayana Maitri Road, Thai Wang Road, Maha Rat Road, Rachini Road and Setthakan Road. Mr Chadchart said the BMA also introduced other measures to improve road safety, including installing more street lights, upgrading more than 1,000 pedestrian crossings and addressing risks at 100 accident black spots. "These efforts have resulted in a 9% decrease in road accident fatalities in Bangkok, which shows that it is on the right track, and the speed limit initiative is another step towards reducing fatalities," he said. The new speed limits have received mixed reactions online, with some expressing approval tinged with sarcasm. Critics suggested installing speed limit signs, not just traffic cameras for fines, to remind motorists. Others argued that stricter enforcement of existing laws, such as those requiring seatbelts and penalising drunk driving, was also essential. Some sceptics questioned how the new speed limits could address accidents caused by reckless drivers, such as those who run red lights and put other people's lives at risk. Pol Maj Gen Thawat Wongsanga, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau in charge of traffic, said that all concerned parties agreed to the new speed limits as a necessary step to improving traffic discipline and enhancing road safety.KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Los Angeles Chargers would love to be in the Kansas City Chiefs' situation these days. Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (32) holds the recovery ball after a fumble by the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions have already clinched their 10th consecutive postseason berth, the second-longest streak in NFL history. They are closing in on another AFC West title. And they play two of their next three at home, beginning with Sunday night's matchup against Los Angeles. Oh, and the Chiefs are wholly unsatisfied with just about anything. In back-to-back weeks, and wins over Carolina and Las Vegas decided in the final couple plays, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs (11-1) sounded as if they had lost. They admittedly have not played their best game yet, and with five games left in the regular season, time is becoming short to put everything together. "I think when you clinch a playoff spot — that's your first goal is to get into the playoffs and give yourself a chance to go for that Super Bowl," said Mahomes, who has been openly critical of his own play for much of the season. "We know we have a long way to go. We have to continue to work to get better to continue to be a better team going into the playoffs." While five games may not sound like much, it's a luxury compared to where Kansas City sat last season. An argument could be made that the team didn't hit rock-bottom until Christmas Day, when it lost at home to the Raiders. But the Chiefs rolled on from there to the Super Bowl title, and did not lose again until their game at Buffalo a few weeks ago. "We're happy to clinch a playoff berth," Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton said, "but we have a long way to go to reach the end goal." So do the Chargers (8-4), though they are certainly moving in the right direction. They climbed back to the No. 5 seed in the playoffs with their win over the Falcons coupled with the Ravens' loss to the Eagles, putting them in a good spot in Jim Harbaugh's first season. They've also won five of six with the lone loss to Baltimore. "Oh yeah, we look at the standings, for sure," Harbaugh aknowleged. "They are very important. We're fighting for our playoff lives." They would be helped immeasurably by ending a six-game skid against the Chiefs on Sunday night. "It'd be great if somebody else doesn't win, but you can't count on that. It's something you don't count on," Harbaugh said. "You have to win the games yourselves. That's what you have to do. Can't really spend any energy hoping a team messes up." D.J. Humphries could make his Kansas City debut at left tackle just over a week after signing with the team. The former Pro Bowl pick had spent the summer and start of the season rehabbing from a torn ACL, but pronounced himself fit and ready to go. "I got full faith that this organization knows what to do with football players and knows where to put them," Humphries said. "All I have to do is go out there and be the best version of myself every day." It doesn't seem to matter who's kicking for the Chiefs these days; they always come through. When Harrison Butker went on injured reserve with a knee injury, Spencer Shrader arrived off the Jets' practice squad and he promptly kicked the game-winner against Carolina. And when he hurt his hamstring, Matt Wright arrived and made four field goals last week against Las Vegas. The Chargers had four interceptions off Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins last week, their most since Dec. 6, 2022, against Indianapolis. Tarheeb Still had two of them, returning one 61 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, while Marcus Maye and Derwin James had the others. The one by James with 47 seconds to go sealed the 17-13 victory. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has gone 305 pass attempts without an interception, and he could break the NFL record of 402 set by Aaron Rodgers in just a few more games. But simply taking care of the ball didn't translate into much offense against the Falcons, who held the Chargers to just 187 yards and without an offensive touchdown. "The way he protected the ball, whether he was throwing it or in the pocket, when he got hit — no opportunities. Nothing was given there," Harbaugh said of his quarterback. "I thought he made all the plays that he really could have." 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KING OF PRUSSIA, PA — InductEV , based in Pennsylvania and specializing in commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging, has partnered with Norway-based ENRX to develop global standards for wireless inductive EV charging. The collaboration aims to ensure compatibility across the industry and accelerate the adoption of this technology. Together, the companies plan to address the growing demand for high-power wireless charging solutions, which are critical for reducing range anxiety and advancing EVs in the transportation sector. Under the newly signed memorandum of understanding (MOU), InductEV and ENRX will focus on several key areas. These include supporting the SAE J2954 standardization efforts, conducting compatibility and interoperability testing, and promoting the benefits of universal standards to industry stakeholders and regulators. By working together, the companies aim to create a more unified and reliable wireless EV charging ecosystem. “Veterans in their respective sectors, InductEV and ENRX bring complementary expertise to this venture,” noted John Rizzo, CEO of InductEV. “Wireless charging is at a critical tipping point, and the collaboration with ENRX will help establish the necessary framework for industry-wide adoption and growth.” InductEV has already shipped gigawatts of wireless power, making significant strides in commercial fleet EV applications. Its advanced systems use in-ground and vehicle-based charging pads capable of delivering power outputs ranging from 75 kW to 450 kW. This technology enables shorter, more efficient charging sessions throughout the day, reducing reliance on traditional overnight depot charging. ENRX, with nearly 20 years of experience in high-power wireless charging projects, has implemented solutions for industrial vehicles and public buses across European cities, including Germany’s 200kW bus charging system that has operated for over a decade. The company is also leading the development of a 200 kW electrified roadway in Orlando, Florida, designed to charge vehicles in motion. Magnus Vold, CCO at ENRX, emphasized the importance of creating unified standards for wireless charging. “Standardization is crucial to ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient electromobility solutions,” he said. “Partnering with InductEV allows both companies to leverage their technological strengths to benefit the entire industry.” This collaboration marks a pivotal moment for wireless EV charging. By removing barriers related to compatibility and accessibility, InductEV and ENRX aim to drive innovation, enhance adoption, and support the rapid expansion of the EV market worldwide. Their joint efforts are expected to have far-reaching implications for both passenger and commercial transportation sectors, helping pave the way for a future of seamless, wireless charging solutions. For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN .
