Google makes emergency request to block Texas antitrust lawsuit move
By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON Google asked a U.S. appeals court in New York on Tuesday to pause a
2023-08-09 05:27
Portugal battles wildfires amid third heatwave of the year
Temperatures in excess of 40C are expected to hit much of the Iberian peninsula this week.
2023-08-08 13:25
China’s Trade Plunges More Than Forecast in Blow to Recovery
China’s exports fell for a third straight month in July amid a slump in global demand, while imports
2023-08-08 11:59
Black mom sues city of Detroit claiming she was falsely arrested while 8 months pregnant by officers using facial recognition technology
A Black mother is suing the city of Detroit and a Detroit Police Department detective after she was falsely arrested while eight months pregnant by officers using "an unreliable facial recognition match," a federal lawsuit filed Thursday says.
2023-08-08 06:49
Trump argues against more restrictive rules over evidence in 2020 election interference case
Former President Donald Trump's legal team has proposed more lax rules than those sought by prosecutors over what he can do with evidence he is provided in the criminal election interference case.
2023-08-08 05:15
Scientists discover skull that has never been seen before
Scientists have discovered an ancient skull in China, like no other they've seen before. The 300,000-year-old child skull was first discovered in Hualongdong back in 2019 alongside other fossil remains. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have struggled to match them to a known lineage. The discovery left researchers baffled as it did not resemble Neanderthals or Denisovans, according to Science Alert. It led them to believe we are either missing a branch from the human family tree or need to add to it. While the skull had similarities to early modern humans, there is a lack of chin and was likened to an extinct species of human in Asia known as a Denisovan. This shape has "never been recorded in late Middle Pleistocene hominin fossil assemblages in East Asia," scientists said in a recent analysis. They believe the remains, known in the science world as HDL 6, could possibly be a combination of modern human and unknown hominin that existed in China, according to the outlet. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In other scientific news, archaeologists are too afraid to open the tomb of Qin Shu Huang, who ruled from 221 BC to 210 BC. The tomb is guarded by a terracotta army of soldiers and horses and was found by farmers back in 1974 in the Shaanxi province of China. Not only do archaeologists believe it will cause damage, but there are rumours of deathly booby traps that could kill curious intruders, according to IFL Science. Writings by Chinese historian Sima Qian 100 years after Qin Shu Huang's death claim "Palaces and scenic towers for a hundred officials were constructed and the tomb was filled with rare artifacts and wonderful treasure." He continued: "Craftsmen were ordered to make crossbows and arrows primed to shoot at anyone who enters the tomb. Mercury was used to simulate the hundred rivers, the Yangtze and Yellow River, and the great sea, and set to flow mechanically." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-08 00:23
Nuclear fusion milestone achieved in huge boost for near-limitless clean energy
Scientists have achieved a net energy gain in nuclear fusion for the second time, marking major progress towards realising the potential of the near-limitless energy source. A team at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, who first achieved the feat last December, claimed to have passed a new milestone with fusion ignition by producing even greater energy output than the original experiment. The nuclear fusion process has been described as the “holy grail” of clean energy, as it requires no fossil fuels and leaves behind no hazardous waste. Instead it mimics the natural reactions that occur within the Sun, though harnessing its potential has puzzled scientists since the 1950s. Achieving nuclear fusion ignition is a crucial step towards building commercial power stations, though the technology needs to be significantly scaled up from the current experiments for it to be a viable energy source. The first ever successful fusion energy gain experiment on 5 December, 2022, used lasers to fuse two light atoms into a single one, releasing 3.15 megajoules of energy from 2.05 megajoules of input. Researchers described the milestone as “one of the most significant scientific challenges ever undertaken by humanity” that would “enable the next steps toward clean fusion energy for the future”. Scientists that were not involved in the fusion experiments said the advance had profound implications for the future of the planet. “We are witnessing a moment in history: controlling the power source of the stars is the greatest technological challenge humanity has ever undertaken,” said physicist Arthur Turrell. “This experimental result will electrify efforts to eventually power the planet with nuclear fusion – at a time when we’ve never needed a plentiful source of carbon-free energy more.” A spokesperson for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said the final results of the latest experiment are still being analysed. The lab plans to present the results at upcoming scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. Several companies are already investing heavily in nuclear fusion, with Microsoft making the world’s first purchase agreement earlier this year. The US tech giant made the deal with Helion Energy, which aims to set up a nuclear fusion power plant within the next five years despite the challenges remaining to make it commercially viable. Helion chief executive David Kirtley said at the time: “We still have a lot of work to do, but we are confident in our ability to deliver the world’s first fusion power facility.” Read More Superconductor breakthrough could represent ‘biggest physics discovery of a lifetime’ – but scientists urge caution Microsoft makes world first nuclear fusion energy deal Zuckerberg says he is ‘ready today’ but ‘not holding breath’ for cage fight with Musk Musk pledges to fund legal bills of X users ‘unfairly treated’ by employers for posts Scientists want to hack the planet to cool it down. The consequences could be extreme
2023-08-07 17:58
Amazon Pledges $20 Million for Biden’s School Cybersecurity Plan
Amazon.com Inc.’s web services division is offering $20 million in cybersecurity grants to K-12 schools as part of
2023-08-07 17:19
Morgan Stanley’s Wilson Says Fiscal Tightening a Risk for Stocks
Warning bells are ringing for US stocks from signs that high fiscal spending, which underpinned economic growth this
2023-08-07 16:52
Musk Says He May Need Surgery, Will Get MRI on Back and Neck
Elon Musk said he will receive an MRI of his neck and upper back tomorrow and may require
2023-08-07 11:22
HSBC Executive Slams ‘Weak’ UK for Siding With US Against China
HSBC Holdings Plc’s head of public affairs criticized the US for strong-arming the UK into cutting back business
2023-08-07 09:47
Rakuten’s Mikitani Spends a Fifth of His Time on Biotech Startup
Hiroshi Mikitani, whose Rakuten Group Inc. is losing billions of dollars to break into Japan’s wireless market, said
2023-08-07 05:58