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Apr 6, 2023

Rorschach Ransomware Emerges: Experts Warn of Advanced Evasion Strategies

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, encryption

Cybersecurity researchers have taken the wraps off a previously undocumented ransomware strain called Rorschach that’s both sophisticated and fast.

“What makes Rorschach stand out from other ransomware strains is its high level of customization and its technically unique features that have not been seen before in ransomware,” Check Point Research said in a new report. “In fact, Rorschach is one of the fastest ransomware strains ever observed, in terms of the speed of its encryption.”

The cybersecurity firm said it observed the ransomware deployed against an unnamed U.S.-based company, adding it found no branding or overlaps that connect it to any previously known ransomware actors.

Apr 6, 2023

Shape-Shifting Antibiotics — A New Weapon Against Drug-Resistant Superbugs

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, military

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health threat, ranked as one of the top 10 by the World Health Organization. Every year, in the United States alone, nearly 3 million people are infected by drug-resistant bacteria and fungi, resulting in the death of around 35,000. While antibiotics are crucial in treating infections, overuse has led to the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. These infections pose a significant challenge to treatment.

Now, Professor John E. Moses of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has developed a new weapon to combat drug-resistant superbugs – an innovative antibiotic that has the ability to shape-shift by rearranging its atoms.

Moses came up with the idea of shape-shifting antibiotics while observing tanks in military training exercises. With rotating turrets and nimble movements, the tanks could respond quickly to possible threats.

Apr 6, 2023

The Looming Marburg Crisis: How Virus Outbreaks Escalate and Spread

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, futurism

The World Health Organization confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus disease in the central African country of Equatorial Guinea on February 13, 2023. To date, there have been 11 deaths suspected to be caused by the virus, with one case confirmed. Authorities are currently monitoring 48 contacts, four of whom have developed symptoms and three of whom are hospitalized as of publication. The WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are assisting Equatorial Guinea in its efforts to stop the spread of the outbreak.

Marburg virus and the closely related Ebola virus belong to the filovirus family and are structurally similar. Both viruses cause severe disease and death in people, with fatality rates ranging from 22% to 90% depending on the outbreak. Patients infected by these viruses exhibit a wide range of similar symptoms, including fever, body aches, severe gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting, lethargy and sometimes bleeding.

We are virologists who study Marburg, Ebola, and related viruses. Our laboratory has a long-standing interest in researching the underlying mechanisms of how these viruses cause disease in people. Learning more about how Marburg virus is transmitted from animals to humans and how it spreads between people is essential to preventing and limiting future outbreaks.

Apr 6, 2023

From Warzone to Fusion Power: Breakthrough in Cooking Up Plasmas With Microwaves

Posted by in categories: innovation, nuclear energy

Lead author Yurii Victorovich Kovtun, despite being forced to evacuate the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology amid the current Russia-Ukraine war, has continued to work with Kyoto University to create stable plasmas using microwaves.

Getting plasma just right is one of the hurdles to harnessing the massive amounts of energy promised by nuclear fusion.

Plasmas — soups of ions and electrons — must be held at the right density, temperature, and duration for atomic nuclei to fuse together to achieve the desired release of energy.

Apr 6, 2023

Want a job in AI? These are the skills you need

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

A Stanford study collected the AI skills most in demand. Here’s what you need to know.

Apr 6, 2023

The Present and Future of AI with Yann LeCun (NYU & Meta) — in English

Posted by in categories: futurism, robotics/AI

With Yann LeCun, Silver Professor at NYU, VP & Chief AI Scientist at Meta in a fireside chat with Dr. Frédérique de Vignemont, CNRS & NYU.

Apr 5, 2023

Chinese spy balloon gathered intelligence on US military sites : Report | Latest English News | WION

Posted by in category: military

https://youtube.com/watch?v=A-On5P61sRQ

The matter of the Chinese spy balloon that flew across the United States in February this year refuses to die down. A media house has reported that the balloon gathered intelligence from several US military sites and transmitted it back to Beijing in real-time. Beijing had said at the time that the balloon was a weather ship blown astray and entered the US airspace by mistake.

#spyballoon #china #us.

Continue reading “Chinese spy balloon gathered intelligence on US military sites : Report | Latest English News | WION” »

Apr 5, 2023

Putting a Spin on Photoemission

Posted by in category: futurism

A new spin behavior has been found in the light-induced electron emission of tungsten ditelluride.

Apr 5, 2023

Predicting Ferroelectricity with Group Theory

Posted by in categories: materials, particle physics

Two atom-thick layers of the same crystalline material can be stacked on top of each other in ways that yield ferroelectricity.

Apr 5, 2023

Study finds evidence of no common blood microbes in healthy humans

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

There is no stable microbial community residing in the bloodstream of healthy humans, according to a new study led by a UCL researcher.

The new Nature Microbiology paper makes an important confirmation as are a crucial part of medical practice. Understanding what types of microbes may be found in blood may allow the development of better microbial tests in blood donations, which would minimize the risk of transfusion-related infections.

Lead author, Ph.D. student Cedric Tan (UCL Genetics Institute and Francis Crick Institute) said, Human blood is generally considered sterile. While sometimes microorganisms will enter the bloodstream such as via a wound or after tooth-brushing, mostly this is quickly resolved by the immune system.