Fur, Feathers, Hair, and Scales May Have the Same Ancient Origin

New research shows that the processes involved in hair, fur, and feather growth are remarkably similar to the way scales grow on fish—a finding that points to a single, ancient origin of these protective coverings. When our very early ancestors transitioned from sea to land some 385 million years ago, they brought their armor-like scales Read more about Fur, Feathers, Hair, and Scales May Have the Same Ancient Origin[…]

AI can untangle the jumble of neurons packed in brain scans

AI can help neurologists automatically map the connections between different neurons in brain scans, a tedious task that can take hundreds and thousands of hours. In a paper published in Nature Methods, AI researchers from Google collaborated with scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology to inspect the brain of a Zebra Finch, a Read more about AI can untangle the jumble of neurons packed in brain scans[…]

The SIM Hijackers: how hackers take your phone number and then all of your accounts

In the buzzing underground market for stolen social media and gaming handles, a short, unique username can go for between $500 and $5,000, according to people involved in the trade and a review of listings on a popular marketplace. Several hackers involved in the market claimed that the Instagram account @t, for example, recently sold Read more about The SIM Hijackers: how hackers take your phone number and then all of your accounts[…]

Top Voting Machine Vendor Admits It Installed Remote-Access Software on Systems Sold to States

Remote-access software and modems on election equipment ‘is the worst decision for security short of leaving ballot boxes on a Moscow street corner.’ The nation’s top voting machine maker has admitted in a letter to a federal lawmaker that the company installed remote-access software on election-management systems it sold over a period of six years, Read more about Top Voting Machine Vendor Admits It Installed Remote-Access Software on Systems Sold to States[…]

Blue Origin pushed its rocket ‘to its limits’ with another succesful high-altitude emergency abort test

Update July 18th, 11:35AM ET: Blue Origin pulled off another successful test launch today, landing both the New Shepard rocket and capsule after flight. The company ignited the capsule’s emergency motor after it had separated from the rocket, pushing the spacecraft up to a top altitude of around 74 miles — a new record for Read more about Blue Origin pushed its rocket ‘to its limits’ with another succesful high-altitude emergency abort test[…]

Robocall Firm Exposes Hundreds of Thousands of US Voters’ Records

Personal details and political affiliations exposed The server that drew Diachenko’s attention, this time, contained 2,584 files, which the researcher later connected to RoboCent. The type of user data exposed via Robocent’s bucket included: ⬖  Full Name, suffix, prefix ⬖  Phone numbers (cell and landlines) ⬖  Address with house, street, city, state, zip, precinct ⬖  Read more about Robocall Firm Exposes Hundreds of Thousands of US Voters’ Records[…]

AI plus a chemistry robot finds all the reactions that will work

Lee Cronin, the researcher who organized the work, was kind enough to send along an image of the setup, which looks nothing like our typical conception of a robot (the researchers refer to it as “bespoke”). Most of its parts are dispersed through a fume hood, which ensures safe ventilation of any products that somehow Read more about AI plus a chemistry robot finds all the reactions that will work[…]

China’s latest quantum radar could help detect stealth planes, missiles

On June 22, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), China’s foremost military electronics company, announced that its groundbreaking quantum radar has achieved new gains, which could allow it to detect stealth planes. The CETC claims its system is now capable of tracking high altitude objects, likely by increasing the coherence time entangled photons. CETC envisions Read more about China’s latest quantum radar could help detect stealth planes, missiles[…]