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Magnetic fields can ‘revive’ superconductivity in nickelates, research reveals

A research team led by Professor Denver Li Danfeng, Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Education) of the College of Science and Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), has achieved a significant advance in superconducting materials.

The team has discovered a magnetic-field-induced “re-entrant superconductivity” phenomenon in infinite-layer nickelate superconductors, in which superconductivity—initially suppressed by a magnetic field—reappears at higher field strengths. This finding challenges the conventional understanding that magnetic fields suppress superconductivity and opens up new directions for exploring unconventional superconducting mechanisms and next-generation superconducting materials.

The findings are published in Nature, titled “Field re-entrant superconductivity in Eu-doped infinite-layer nickelates.”

Why isolated human groups speak more diverse languages even as genetic diversity shrinks

Languages and human DNA both capture aspects of human diversity. But how are they related? A new international study led by the University of Zurich finds a clear but counterintuitive pattern: regions with high genetic diversity tend to have more similar languages, while isolated populations with low genetic diversity show greater linguistic diversity. The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

At first glance, the findings seem surprising. One might expect regions with greater genetic diversity, often shaped by migration and population mixing, to also show greater diversity in language. But the study reveals the opposite.

“We were struck by how robust this inverse relationship is across the globe,” says Anna Graff, lead author of the study and linguist at the University of Zurich. “Places where people have mixed more tend to be genetically diverse, but their languages are structurally more similar. In contrast, places with long-term isolation show less genetic diversity, yet much greater diversity in how languages are structured. Crucially, this relationship holds after adjusting for a wide range of confounding factors, including deep population history such as the timing of continental settlement.”

Deepfake videos degrade political reputations even when viewers realize they are fake

Artificial intelligence can be used to generate deceptive videos that damage a politician’s reputation, even when viewers suspect the footage is fake. A new study published in Communication Research found that these manipulated clips decrease support for targeted candidates. Standard fact-checking efforts reportedly fail to undo the total reputational harm.

Disinformation created using artificial intelligence is often regarded as a major threat to global elections. Technology now allows malicious actors to seamlessly replace a person’s face or clone their voice. These creations are commonly called deepfakes. Political operatives can use these tools to make opposing candidates appear to say outrageous or offensive things.

Michael Hameleers, a communication researcher at the University of Amsterdam, led a team to investigate how these videos influence the public. Hameleers and his colleagues Toni G. L. A. van der Meer, Marina Tulin, and Tom Dobber wanted to track voter reactions over time. They aimed to discover if these manipulated videos actually influence minds during an election cycle.

New stealthy Quasar Linux malware targets software developers

A previously undocumented Linux implant named Quasar Linux (QLNX) is targeting developers’ systems with a mix of rootkit, backdoor, and credential-stealing capabilities.

The malware kit is deployed in development and DevOps environments in npm, PyPI, GitHub, AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes. This could enable supply-chain attacks where the threat actor publishes malicious packages on code distribution platforms.

Researchers at cybersecurity company Trend Micro analyzed the QLNX implant and found that “it dynamically compiles rootkit shared objects and PAM backdoor modules on the target host using gcc [GNU Compiler Collection].”

CloudZ malware abuses Microsoft Phone Link to steal SMS and OTPs

A new version of the CloudZ remote access tool (RAT) is deploying a previously unseen malicious plugin called Pheno that hijacks the Microsoft Phone Link connection to steal sensitive codes from mobile devices.

The malware was discovered in an intrusion that was active since at least January and researchers believe the threat actor’s purpose was to steal credentials and temporary passcodes.

Microsoft Phone Link comes installed on Windows 10 and 11, and allows using the computer to make and take calls, respond to texts, or view notifications received on the mobile device (Android and iOS).

Google now offers up to $1.5 million for some Android exploits

Google overhauls its Android and Chrome vulnerability rewards programs, offering bounties of up to $1.5 million for the most difficult exploits while scaling back payouts for flaws that artificial intelligence (AI) has made easier to find.

The top reward of $1.5 million is reserved for zero-click Pixel Titan M2 security chip full-chain exploits with persistence, the most technically demanding attack scenario in the program, while the same exploits, but without persistence, are also eligible for up to $750,000.

On the Google Chrome side, full-chain browser process exploits on up-to-date operating systems and hardware now come with rewards of up to $250,000, plus an additional $250,128 bonus for successfully exploiting MiraclePtr-protected memory allocations.

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