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Category: government – Page 17

Fresh Volcanic Eruption Captured on Io by NASA’s Juno Mission

Jupiter’s moon, Io, is the most volcanically active planetary body in the entire solar system as it boasts hundreds of active volcanoes. This number continues to grow as recent study at the Europlanet Science Congress 2024 meeting showed a new active volcano on the small moon taken by NASA’s JunoCam after the spacecraft conducted the first up-close images of Io in more than a quarter of a century.

Not only have Io’s volcanoes been observed to shoot volcanic material hundreds of miles into space, but its lava fields also spread almost as far across its surface due to the much smaller gravity. For example, the volcanic deposits from this new image were observed to encompass an area spanning 180 kilometers by 180 kilometers (112 miles by 112 miles).

“Our recent JunoCam images show many changes on Io, including this large, complicated volcanic feature that appears to have formed from nothing since 1997,” said Dr. Michael Ravine, who is an Advanced Projects Manager at Malin Space Science Systems, Inc, which designed, developed and operates JunoCam for the NASA Juno Project, and is lead author of the study.

The U.S. government is encouraging the likes of Nvidia and Apple to tap Intel foundry for AI chip needs

In context: The U.S. is eager to establish domestic foundry capabilities to produce AI chips, and Intel is working hard to position itself to be the provider. It was only natural, then, for CEO Pat Gelsinger to ask U.S. Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo to put in a good word on Intel’s behalf with America’s chip designers including the likes of Apple, Nvidia, Amazon, and Google.

Ever since Intel announced plans to open up its manufacturing capabilities beyond in-house CPUs, the company has targeted TSMC as its top competitor in the global foundry market. Nonetheless, it’s been a source of frustration that fellow U.S. companies rely so heavily on TSMC for most of their semiconductor manufacturing needs.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has turned to US Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo for help, and according to sources that spoke to CNBC, she is trying to deliver.

Gravity study gives insights into hidden features beneath lost ocean of Mars and rising Olympus Mons

Studies of gravity variations at Mars have revealed dense, large-scale structures hidden beneath the sediment layers of a lost ocean. The analysis, which combines models and data from multiple missions, also shows that active processes in the Martian mantle may be giving a boost to the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons. The findings have been presented this week at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) in Berlin by Bart Root of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft).

Services for modeling the effects of nuclear weapons on agricultural systems

This is a U.S. General Services Administration Federal Government computer system that is “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.” This system is subject to monitoring. Individuals found performing unauthorized activities are subject to disciplinary action including criminal prosecution.

This system contains Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). All individuals viewing, reproducing or disposing of this information are required to protect it in accordance with 32 CFR Part 2002 and GSA Order CIO 2103.2 CUI Policy.

FBI: Reported cryptocurrency losses reached $5.6 billion in 2023

The FBI says that 2023 was a record year for cryptocurrency fraud, with total losses exceeding $5.6 billion, based on nearly 70,000 reports received through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

This marks a 45% increase in losses compared to the previous year, driven primarily by investment fraud, which accounted for 71% of the total cryptocurrency losses. Other types of fraud contributing to the statistics include tech support scams, call center fraud, and government impersonation.

The vast majority of the reported losses ($4.8 billion) were incurred by U.S. citizens, followed by Cayman Islands ($196M), Mexico ($127M), Canada ($72M), the UK ($59M), India ($44M), and Australia ($25M).

Genetic testing to be banned from life insurance, income protection, disability cover

Life insurers and those offering income protection and permanent disability insurance will be banned from using genetic testing to refuse cover, or hike up charges, for a range of insurance products.

The federal government announced on Tuesday it would ban the practice that saw consumers discriminated against if they disclosed the results of genetic tests that predict their likelihood of an inherited disease.

It comes after consultation to address genetic discrimination in life insurance earlier this year. More than 1,000 submissions were received with 97 per cent supporting a total ban.

White House declares BGP security issues a national priority — BGP handles routing for the entire internet

White House declares BGP security issues a national priority – BGP handles routing for the entire internet.

A Dangerous Network: The Border Gateway Protocol has been the primary routing technology for the internet for at least three decades. Like other fundamental internet protocols developed in the 1980s, BGP was not originally designed with security in mind – and it shows.

After numerous incidents related to traffic routing among different autonomous systems, the White House has decided to address the security issues of the Border Gateway Protocol. The US administration has tasked the White House Office of the National Cyber Director with developing a roadmap to enhance the security of routing procedures managed through BGP.

The venerable BGP is one of the most fundamental protocols that emerged alongside the modern internet, according to a White House press release. This standardized technology provides a practical way for over 70,000 independent networks or autonomous systems to collaborate and exchange data packets effectively. Cloud providers, internet service providers, universities, utilities, and even government agencies rely on BGP to connect the internet we know today.

TSMC’s $65 billion Arizona facility can now match Taiwan production yields according to early trials

The big picture: The US is committed to establishing semiconductor manufacturing within its borders, and perhaps no effort is more crucial to this goal than TSMC’s three-fab facility in Arizona. The government is pouring billions into the development, alongside TSMC’s $65 billion investment.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has reached a significant milestone in its expansion into the US. Recent trial production at the company’s new Arizona facility has yielded results comparable to those of its established plants in Taiwan, according to Bloomberg, which cited a person familiar with the company who requested anonymity. This development is a positive sign for the chipmaker’s ambitious US project, which has faced delays and doubts about whether it could match the production efficiency of its Taiwanese operations.

The Arizona plant began engineering wafer production in April using advanced 4-nanometer process technology. With production yields now on par with its facilities in Tainan, Taiwan, TSMC should be able to maintain its targeted gross margin rates of 53 percent or higher.