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Jun 10, 2021

Emerging Ransomware Targets Dozens of Businesses Worldwide

Posted by in categories: business, cybercrime/malcode, energy, finance, food, government, law

An emerging ransomware strain in the threat landscape claims to have breached 30 organizations in just four months since it went operational, riding on the coattails of a notorious ransomware syndicate.

First observed in February 2021, “Prometheus” is an offshoot of another well-known ransomware variant called Thanos, which was previously deployed against state-run organizations in the Middle East and North Africa last year.

The affected entities are believed to be government, financial services, manufacturing, logistics, consulting, agriculture, healthcare services, insurance agencies, energy and law firms in the U.S., U.K., and a dozen more countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America, according to new research published by Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 threat intelligence team.

Jun 10, 2021

Researchers create self-sustaining, intelligent, electronic microsystems from green material

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, robotics/AI

A research team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has created an electronic microsystem that can intelligently respond to information inputs without any external energy input, much like a self-autonomous living organism. The microsystem is constructed from a novel type of electronics that can process ultralow electronic signals and incorporates a device that can generate electricity “out of thin air” from the ambient environment.

The groundbreaking research was published June 7 in the journal Nature Communications.

Jun Yao, an assistant professor in the electrical and computer engineering (ECE) and an adjunct professor in biomedical engineering, led the research with his longtime collaborator, Derek R. Lovley, a Distinguished Professor in microbiology.

Jun 10, 2021

China set to launch first astronauts to space station with Shenzhou-12

Posted by in categories: engineering, satellites

HELSINKI — China rolled out a Long March 2F rocket Wednesday in preparation to send the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft and three astronauts to an orbiting space station module.

The Long March 2F rocket was vertically transferred to its pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) announced Wednesday.

The rocket will send Shenzhou-12 and three astronauts to the Tianhe core module for China’s space station which launched April 28 Eastern.

Jun 10, 2021

Nvidia acquires hi-def mapping startup DeepMap to bolster AV technology

Posted by in categories: mapping, robotics/AI, transportation

Chipmaker Nvidia is acquiring DeepMap, the high-definition mapping startup announced. The company said its mapping IP will help Nvidia’s autonomous vehicle technology sector, Nvidia Drive.

“The acquisition is an endorsement of DeepMap’s unique vision, technology and people,” said Ali Kani, vice president and general manager of Automotive at Nvidia, in a statement. “DeepMap is expected to extend our mapping products, help us scale worldwide map operations and expand our full self-driving expertise.”

One of the biggest challenges to achieving full autonomy in a passenger vehicle is achieving proper localization and updated mapping information that reflects current road conditions. By integrating DeepMap’s tech, Nvidia’s autonomous stack should have greater precision, giving the vehicle enhanced abilities to locate itself on the road.

Jun 10, 2021

Tesla is now looking to hire self-driving car test drivers around the world

Posted by in categories: education, robotics/AI, transportation

Do you want to work for Tesla remotely and test its latest Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features? You may be in luck as we learn that the automaker is now looking to hire self-driving car test drivers around the world.

You don’t even need a college education.

When it comes to Autopilot and Full Self-Driving package features, people often say that Tesla’s own paying customers are the testers and that’s mostly true, but the automaker also does plenty of internal testing.

Jun 10, 2021

US satellite looks down on Chinas Zhurong Mars rover

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, space

The American HiRise camera pictures the six-wheeled robot moving away from its landing platform.

Jun 10, 2021

Mass of Human Chromosomes Measured for the First Time – Mysteriously Heavier Than Expected

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The mass of human chromosomes, which contain the instructions for life in nearly every cell of our bodies, has been measured with X-rays for the first time in a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.

For the study, published in Chromosome Research, researchers used a powerful X-ray beam at the UK’s national synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source, to determine the number of electrons in a spread of 46 chromosomes which they used to calculate mass.

They found that the chromosomes were about 20 times heavier than the DNA they contained – a much larger mass than previously expected, suggesting there might be missing components yet to be discovered.

Jun 10, 2021

PuzzleMaker attacks exploit Windows zero-day, Chrome vulnerabilities

Posted by in category: futurism

Two of the zero-days used were patched by Microsoft on Tuesday.

Jun 10, 2021

Canadarm3 collision avoidance AI solutions sought as operational needs solidify

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, space travel

https://youtube.com/watch?v=sRSNeGXTj6Q

With launch just five years away, the Gateway Exploration Robotics System — better known as Canadarm3 — has arrived at a critical point where its artificial intelligence system must be properly calibrated to meet the rigorous autonomous demands the Lunar Gateway project will impose upon it.

The AI solutions sought for Canadarm3’s vision by MDA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) largely relate to obstacle avoidance to prevent the arm from bumping into other structures on the lunar outpost and how to work with issues like prolonged communications blackouts and less-than-optimal lighting conditions — both of which must be overcome for the Gateway.

Continue reading “Canadarm3 collision avoidance AI solutions sought as operational needs solidify” »

Jun 10, 2021

Novel liquid crystal metalens offers electric zoom

Posted by in categories: chemistry, nanotechnology, satellites

Researchers from Cornell University’s School of Applied and Engineering Physics and Samsung’s Advanced Institute of Technology have created a first-of-its-kind metalens—a metamaterial lens—that can be focused using voltage instead of mechanically moving its components.

The proof of concept opens the door to a range of compact varifocal lenses for possible use in many imaging applications such as satellites, telescopes and microscopes, which traditionally focus light using curved lenses that adjust using mechanical parts. In some applications, moving traditional glass or plastic lenses to vary the focal distance is simply not practical due to space, weight or size considerations.

Metalenses are flat arrays of nano-antennas or resonators, less than a micron thick, that act as focusing devices. But until now, once a metalens was fabricated, its was hard to change, according to Melissa Bosch, doctoral student and first author of a paper detailing the research in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters.