livescience--2020-12-07--Nazi 'Enigma' machine found at the bottom of the Baltic Sea

Divers trying to remove old fishing nets from the Baltic sea have accidentally stumbled on a Nazi code-making machine .
The Enigma machine , as it 's called , looks a bit like a typewriter .
In fact , the diver who found the device on the ocean floor initially thought that 's what the artifact was , .
But the diving team , on assignment for the conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF ) , quickly realized that they had something much stranger .
During World War II , Enigma machines were used to encode German @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allied powers from learning about troop movements and other plans .
The devices consisted of a keyboard and a series of rotors that did the encoding .
The rotors substituted different letters for the ones typed in ; different Enigma machines used between three and eight rotors , which moved independently after each keystroke so that the same initial letter typed into the machine would appear as multiple different letters in the final code .
To decode the message at the other end , an operator just needed to know the starting position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
Once the encoded message was entered into an Enigma machine with the right configuration , the machine would spit out the original text .
Cracking the Enigma code was an enormous part of the Allied war effort .
Polish mathematicians Marian Rejewski , Henryk Zygalski and Jerzy Różycki made the first attempts in 1939 and were able to recreate a mock-up of the Enigma machine , explain its basic functioning and decode many messages .
They then handed this information over to British intelligence , according to the BBC , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , making it more difficult for the Polish team to decipher their messages .
British mathematician was crucial to the effort to decode the German Navy 's Enigma messages , which were more complex , according to the .
Cracking those codes was crucial for saving Allied ships from German U-boats , the submarines that sank more than 5,000 ships during World War I and more than 2,700 during World War II .
The Enigma machine found by the WWF diving crew was at the bottom of the Bay of Gelting in northeast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making it the type used on warships , not U-boats .
That suggests that the machine may have been tossed overboard in the final days of World War II , in an attempt to keep the technology out of enemy hands , historian Jann Witt of the German Naval Association told the DPA news agency .
The divers turned the machine over to the archaeology museum of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein , where archaeologists are restoring it .
That project should take about a year , according to Ulf Ickerodt , head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Enigma machine will then go on display at the museum .

Divers trying to remove old fishing nets from the Baltic sea have accidentally stumbled on a Nazi code-making machine.
The Enigma machine, as it's called, looks a bit like a typewriter. In fact, the diver who found the device on the ocean floor initially thought that's what the artifact was, according to AFP . But the diving team, on assignment for the conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), quickly realized that they had something much stranger.
During World War II, Enigma machines were used to encode German military messages, in hopes of preventing Allied powers from learning about troop movements and other plans. The devices consisted of a keyboard and a series of rotors that did the encoding. The rotors substituted different letters for the ones typed in; different Enigma machines used between three and eight rotors, which moved independently after each keystroke so that the same initial letter typed into the machine would appear as multiple different letters in the final code.
While searching for abandoned fishing nets, German divers discovered this Enigma machine in the Baltic Sea. (Image credit: Uli Kunz/WWF)
To decode the message at the other end, an operator just needed to know the starting position of the rotors and the routers between them. Once the encoded message was entered into an Enigma machine with the right configuration, the machine would spit out the original text.
Cracking the Enigma code was an enormous part of the Allied war effort. Polish mathematicians Marian Rejewski, Henryk Zygalski and Jerzy Różycki made the first attempts in 1939 and were able to recreate a mock-up of the Enigma machine, explain its basic functioning and decode many messages. They then handed this information over to British intelligence, according to the BBC , because the Germans were changing the codes daily, making it more difficult for the Polish team to decipher their messages.
British mathematician Alan Turing was crucial to the effort to decode the German Navy's Enigma messages, which were more complex, according to the Imperial War Museums . Cracking those codes was crucial for saving Allied ships from German U-boats, the submarines that sank more than 5,000 ships during World War I and more than 2,700 during World War II.
The Enigma machine found by the WWF diving crew was at the bottom of the Bay of Gelting in northeast Germany. It had three rotors, making it the type used on warships, not U-boats. That suggests that the machine may have been tossed overboard in the final days of World War II, in an attempt to keep the technology out of enemy hands, historian Jann Witt of the German Naval Association told the DPA news agency.
The divers turned the machine over to the archaeology museum of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, where archaeologists are restoring it. That project should take about a year, according to Ulf Ickerodt, head of the state archaeological office. The Enigma machine will then go on display at the museum.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-07--Earth spent 500 million years creating and eating dead continents

When was just a wee young thing , it birthed many new continents — then it swallowed them all up , leaving just a few traces behind , a new study shows .
These first continents had a knack for living fast and dying young , but in doing so , they paved the way for solid continents that eventually led to the emergence of plate tectonics , the new study suggests .
`` Our results explain that continents remained weak and prone to destruction in their infancy , ~4.5 to ~4.0 billion years ago , and then progressively differentiated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years to form the core of our modern continents , '' lead author Fabio Capitanio , a Monash University Earth scientist , said in a .
For hundreds of millions of years , the current continents have been more or less stable .
They 've moved due to , a theory governing the motion of Earth 's crust , forming different shapes , such as the ancient supercontinent .
The puzzle pieces of the crust that existed hundreds of millions of years ago mostly still exist today .
But very little is known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Earth 's history .
To learn more about that early history , the researchers used computers to model the interactions of rock and magma in the Earth 's crust and below .
The modeling showed that the earliest continents formed from parts of the upper — the part of the planet just below the crust — which melted as it reached the surface and then spewed across the landscape in enormous volcanic eruptions .
At that time , the planet held a vast reservoir of heat in its interior .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to four times that of the present day , caused large melting in the shallow mantle , which was then extruded as magma ( molten rock ) onto the Earth 's surface , '' Capitanio said .
But the continents of this period , known as the Hadean ( 4.6 to 4.0 billion years ago ) , were weak and prone to destruction .
Modern continents have a comparatively high tensile strength , meaning it 's hard to rip them apart by stretching .
But the crust of the Hadean was hotter and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upper mantle .
So vast rifts would form between these new continents , magma would leak through , and that magma would cover the infant continents , causing the baby continents to sink into the mantle .
Meanwhile , new continents were forming from the magma on top of the ones being buried .
By the time the Archean ( 4.0 billion to 2.5 billion years ago ) began , ending the Hadean , the crust that had first formed was almost entirely replaced by the seeds of the modern continents .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those lost Hadean continents made the later , more stable continents possible .
The early continents ' reabsorption into the shallowest parts of the mantle made that region of the mantle dryer and firmer , forming a foundation on which later continents could safely grow .
This scenario could explain how modern plate tectonics , which relies on a firmer foundation and more structurally sound continents , emerged .
The model also shows that some pieces of those early continents would remain exposed on the surface , forming stable , thick `` roots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still exist today , and are known as cratons .
One of these , Laurentia , forms the core of North America and includes a region covering the Midwest and Great Plains , as well as much of central Canada and Greenland .
The emergence of continents at the close of the Hadean also contributed fertilizer that would later help seed life on Earth , the researchers wrote .
Bits of them broke off and entered the atmosphere and oceans , providing necessary nutrients for the life forms that soon emerged .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 in the journal .

An artist's impression shows what the surface of Earth might have looked like during the Hadean (4.6 to 4.0 billion years ago).
When Earth was just a wee young thing, it birthed many new continents — then it swallowed them all up, leaving just a few traces behind, a new study shows.
These first continents had a knack for living fast and dying young, but in doing so, they paved the way for solid continents that eventually led to the emergence of plate tectonics, the new study suggests.
"Our results explain that continents remained weak and prone to destruction in their infancy, ~4.5 to ~4.0 billion years ago, and then progressively differentiated and became rigid over the next billion years to form the core of our modern continents," lead author Fabio Capitanio, a Monash University Earth scientist, said in a statement .
For hundreds of millions of years, the current continents have been more or less stable. They've moved due to plate tectonics , a theory governing the motion of Earth's crust, forming different shapes, such as the ancient supercontinent Pangea . The puzzle pieces of the crust that existed hundreds of millions of years ago mostly still exist today. But very little is known about the continents that existed early on in Earth's history.
Related: The 10 Biggest Earthquakes in History
To learn more about that early history, the researchers used computers to model the interactions of rock and magma in the Earth's crust and below. The modeling showed that the earliest continents formed from parts of the upper mantle — the part of the planet just below the crust — which melted as it reached the surface and then spewed across the landscape in enormous volcanic eruptions. At that time, the planet held a vast reservoir of heat in its interior.
"The release of internal primordial heat, three to four times that of the present day, caused large melting in the shallow mantle, which was then extruded as magma (molten rock) onto the Earth's surface," Capitanio said.
But the continents of this period, known as the Hadean (4.6 to 4.0 billion years ago), were weak and prone to destruction.
Modern continents have a comparatively high tensile strength, meaning it's hard to rip them apart by stretching. But the crust of the Hadean was hotter and thinner, and sat on a squishier upper mantle. So vast rifts would form between these new continents, magma would leak through, and that magma would cover the infant continents, causing the baby continents to sink into the mantle. Meanwhile, new continents were forming from the magma on top of the ones being buried.
By the time the Archean (4.0 billion to 2.5 billion years ago) began, ending the Hadean, the crust that had first formed was almost entirely replaced by the seeds of the modern continents.
In a sense, the researchers found, those lost Hadean continents made the later, more stable continents possible. The early continents' reabsorption into the shallowest parts of the mantle made that region of the mantle dryer and firmer, forming a foundation on which later continents could safely grow.
This scenario could explain how modern plate tectonics, which relies on a firmer foundation and more structurally sound continents, emerged. The model also shows that some pieces of those early continents would remain exposed on the surface, forming stable, thick "roots" in the crust. Those pieces still exist today, and are known as cratons. One of these, Laurentia, forms the core of North America and includes a region covering the Midwest and Great Plains, as well as much of central Canada and Greenland.
Related: How North America grew As a continent
The emergence of continents at the close of the Hadean also contributed fertilizer that would later help seed life on Earth, the researchers wrote. Bits of them broke off and entered the atmosphere and oceans, providing necessary nutrients for the life forms that soon emerged.
The paper describing the study was published Dec. 2 in the journal Nature .
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-07--How a flu virus shut down the US economy in 1872 — by infecting horses

In 1872 the U.S. economy was growing as the young nation industrialized and expanded westward .
Then in the autumn , a sudden shock paralyzed social and economic life .
It was an energy crisis of sorts , but not a shortage of fossil fuels .
Rather , the cause was a virus that spread among horses and mules from Canada to Central America .
For centuries horses had provided essential energy to build and operate cities .
Now the equine flu made clear just how important that partnership was .
When infected horses stopped working , nothing worked without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and economic paralysis comparable to what would happen today if gas pumps ran dry or the electric grid went down .
In an era when many looked forward to replacing the horse with the promising new technologies of steam and electricity , the horse flu reminded Americans of their debt to these animals .
As I show in my new book , “ A Traitor to His Species : Henry Bergh and the Birth of the Animal Rights Movement , ” this reckoning fueled a nascent but fragile reform movement : the crusade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influenza first appeared in late September in horses pastured outside of Toronto .
Within days most animals in the city ’ s crowded stables caught the virus .
The U.S. government tried to ban Canadian horses , but acted too late .
Within a month border towns were infected , and the “ Canadian horse disease ” became a North American epidemic .
By December the virus reached the U.S. Gulf Coast , and in early 1873 outbreaks occurred in West Coast cities .
The flu ’ s symptoms were unmistakable .
Horses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ears drooping , they staggered and sometimes dropped from exhaustion .
By one estimate , it killed 2 % of an estimated 8 million horses in North America .
Many more animals suffered symptoms that took weeks to clear .
At this time the germ theory of disease was still controversial , and scientists were 20 years away from identifying viruses .
Horse owners had few good options for staving off infection .
They disinfected their stables , improved the animals ’ feed and covered them in new blankets .
One wag wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s many abused and overworked horses were bound to die of shock from this sudden outpouring of kindness .
At a time when veterinary care was still primitive , others promoted more dubious remedies : gin and ginger , tinctures of arsenic and even a bit of faith healing .
Throughout the 19th century America ’ s crowded cities suffered frequent epidemics of deadly diseases such as cholera , dysentery and yellow fever .
Many people feared that the horse flu would jump to humans .
While that never happened , removing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a different threat : It cut off cities from crucial supplies of food and fuel just as winter was approaching .
Horses were too sick to bring coal out of mines , drag crops to market or carry raw materials to industrial centers .
Fears of a “ coal famine ” sent fuel prices skyrocketing .
Produce rotted at the docks .
Trains refused to stop at some cities where depots overflowed with undelivered goods .
The economy plunged into a steep recession .
Every aspect of life was disrupted .
Saloons ran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relied on “ wheelbarrow express ” to carry the mail .
Forced to travel on foot , fewer people attended weddings and funerals .
Desperate companies hired human crews to pull their wagons to market .
Worst of all , firemen could no longer rely on horses to pull their heavy pump wagons .
On Nov. 9 , 1872 , a catastrophic blaze gutted much of downtown Boston when firefighters were slow to reach the scene on foot .
As one editor put it , the virus revealed to all that horses were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wheels in our great social machine , the stoppage of which means widespread injury to all classes and conditions of persons.
” Of course , the flu injured horses most of all – especially when desperate or callous owners forced them to work through their illness , which quite often killed the animals .
As coughing , feverish horses staggered through the streets , it was evident that these tireless servants lived short , brutal lives .
E.L. Godkin , the editor of The Nation , called their treatment “ a disgrace to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Henry Bergh had been making this argument since 1866 , when he founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – the nation ’ s first organization devoted to this cause .
Bergh had spent most of his adult life pursuing a failed career as a playwright , supported by a large inheritance .
He found his true calling at age 53 .
Motivated less by the love of animals than by a hatred of human cruelty , he used his wealth , connections and literary talents to lobby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation ’ s first modern anti-cruelty statute .
Granted police powers by this law , Bergh and his fellow badge-wearing agents roamed the streets of New York City to defend animals from avoidable suffering .
Many observers scoffed at the suggestion that animals should enjoy legal protection , but Bergh and his allies insisted that every creature had the right not to be abused .
Thousands of women and men across the country followed Bergh ’ s lead , passing similar laws and founding branches of the SPCA .
This crusade provoked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their fellow species .
As the equine flu raged , Bergh planted himself at major intersections in New York City , stopping wagons and horse-drawn trolleys to inspect the animals pulling them for signs of the disease .
Tall and aristocratic , Bergh dressed impeccably , often sporting a top hat and silver cane , his long face framed by a drooping mustache .
Asserting that working sick horses was dangerous and cruel , he ordered many teams back to their stables and sometimes sent their drivers to court .
Traffic piled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walk .
Transit companies threatened to sue Bergh .
Critics ridiculed him as a misguided animal lover who cared more about horses than humans , but many more people applauded his work .
Amid the ravages of the horse flu , Bergh ’ s cause matched the moment .
At its darkest hour the epidemic left many Americans wondering whether the world they knew would ever recover , or if the ancient bond between horses and humans might be forever sundered by a mysterious illness .
But as the disease ran its course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recovered .
Markets reopened , freight depots whittled away delivery backlogs and horses returned to work .
[ Deep knowledge , daily .
Sign up for The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
Still , the impact of this shocking episode lingered , forcing many Americans to consider radical new arguments about the problem of animal cruelty .
Ultimately the invention of electric trolleys and the internal combustion engine resolved the moral challenges of horse-powered cities .
Meanwhile , Bergh ’ s movement reminded Americans that horses were not unfeeling machines but partners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – vulnerable creatures capable of suffering and deserving of the law ’ s protection .
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook and Twitter .
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher .

In 1872 the U.S. economy was growing as the young nation industrialized and expanded westward. Then in the autumn, a sudden shock paralyzed social and economic life. It was an energy crisis of sorts, but not a shortage of fossil fuels. Rather, the cause was a virus that spread among horses and mules from Canada to Central America.
For centuries horses had provided essential energy to build and operate cities. Now the equine flu made clear just how important that partnership was. When infected horses stopped working, nothing worked without them. The pandemic triggered a social and economic paralysis comparable to what would happen today if gas pumps ran dry or the electric grid went down.
In an era when many looked forward to replacing the horse with the promising new technologies of steam and electricity, the horse flu reminded Americans of their debt to these animals. As I show in my new book, “A Traitor to His Species: Henry Bergh and the Birth of the Animal Rights Movement,” this reckoning fueled a nascent but fragile reform movement: the crusade to end animal cruelty.
A world suddenly ‘unhorsed’
The equine influenza first appeared in late September in horses pastured outside of Toronto. Within days most animals in the city’s crowded stables caught the virus. The U.S. government tried to ban Canadian horses, but acted too late. Within a month border towns were infected, and the “Canadian horse disease” became a North American epidemic. By December the virus reached the U.S. Gulf Coast, and in early 1873 outbreaks occurred in West Coast cities.
The flu’s symptoms were unmistakable. Horses developed a rasping cough and fever; ears drooping, they staggered and sometimes dropped from exhaustion. By one estimate, it killed 2% of an estimated 8 million horses in North America. Many more animals suffered symptoms that took weeks to clear.
At this time the germ theory of disease was still controversial, and scientists were 20 years away from identifying viruses. Horse owners had few good options for staving off infection. They disinfected their stables, improved the animals’ feed and covered them in new blankets. One wag wrote in the Chicago Tribune that the nation’s many abused and overworked horses were bound to die of shock from this sudden outpouring of kindness. At a time when veterinary care was still primitive, others promoted more dubious remedies: gin and ginger, tinctures of arsenic and even a bit of faith healing.
Throughout the 19th century America’s crowded cities suffered frequent epidemics of deadly diseases such as cholera, dysentery and yellow fever. Many people feared that the horse flu would jump to humans. While that never happened, removing millions of horses from the economy posed a different threat: It cut off cities from crucial supplies of food and fuel just as winter was approaching.
Horses were too sick to bring coal out of mines, drag crops to market or carry raw materials to industrial centers. Fears of a “coal famine” sent fuel prices skyrocketing. Produce rotted at the docks. Trains refused to stop at some cities where depots overflowed with undelivered goods. The economy plunged into a steep recession.
Every aspect of life was disrupted. Saloons ran dry without beer deliveries, and postmen relied on “wheelbarrow express” to carry the mail. Forced to travel on foot, fewer people attended weddings and funerals. Desperate companies hired human crews to pull their wagons to market.
Worst of all, firemen could no longer rely on horses to pull their heavy pump wagons. On Nov. 9, 1872, a catastrophic blaze gutted much of downtown Boston when firefighters were slow to reach the scene on foot. As one editor put it, the virus revealed to all that horses were not just private property, but “wheels in our great social machine, the stoppage of which means widespread injury to all classes and conditions of persons.”
Henry Bergh’s kindness crusade
Of course, the flu injured horses most of all – especially when desperate or callous owners forced them to work through their illness, which quite often killed the animals. As coughing, feverish horses staggered through the streets, it was evident that these tireless servants lived short, brutal lives. E.L. Godkin, the editor of The Nation, called their treatment “a disgrace to civilization … worthy of the dark ages.”
Henry Bergh had been making this argument since 1866, when he founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – the nation’s first organization devoted to this cause. Bergh had spent most of his adult life pursuing a failed career as a playwright, supported by a large inheritance. He found his true calling at age 53.
Motivated less by the love of animals than by a hatred of human cruelty, he used his wealth, connections and literary talents to lobby New York’s Legislature to pass the nation’s first modern anti-cruelty statute. Granted police powers by this law, Bergh and his fellow badge-wearing agents roamed the streets of New York City to defend animals from avoidable suffering.
Many observers scoffed at the suggestion that animals should enjoy legal protection, but Bergh and his allies insisted that every creature had the right not to be abused. Thousands of women and men across the country followed Bergh’s lead, passing similar laws and founding branches of the SPCA. This crusade provoked wide public debate about what humans owed to their fellow species.
As the equine flu raged, Bergh planted himself at major intersections in New York City, stopping wagons and horse-drawn trolleys to inspect the animals pulling them for signs of the disease. Tall and aristocratic, Bergh dressed impeccably, often sporting a top hat and silver cane, his long face framed by a drooping mustache. Asserting that working sick horses was dangerous and cruel, he ordered many teams back to their stables and sometimes sent their drivers to court.
Traffic piled up as grumbling passengers were forced to walk. Transit companies threatened to sue Bergh. Critics ridiculed him as a misguided animal lover who cared more about horses than humans, but many more people applauded his work. Amid the ravages of the horse flu, Bergh’s cause matched the moment.
The rights of horses
At its darkest hour the epidemic left many Americans wondering whether the world they knew would ever recover, or if the ancient bond between horses and humans might be forever sundered by a mysterious illness. But as the disease ran its course, cities silenced by the epidemic gradually recovered. Markets reopened, freight depots whittled away delivery backlogs and horses returned to work.
[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]
Still, the impact of this shocking episode lingered, forcing many Americans to consider radical new arguments about the problem of animal cruelty. Ultimately the invention of electric trolleys and the internal combustion engine resolved the moral challenges of horse-powered cities.
Meanwhile, Bergh’s movement reminded Americans that horses were not unfeeling machines but partners in building and running the modern city – vulnerable creatures capable of suffering and deserving of the law’s protection.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook and Twitter. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.


livescience--2020-12-07--Microwave pulses caused bizarre ‘Havana syndrome,’ report suggests

A string of mysterious neurological illnesses reported by U.S. diplomats in Cuba was likely caused by directed microwave energy , according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences .
In late 2016 , people who worked at the U.S. embassy in Havana , Cuba , started to develop unexplained symptoms including hearing loud noise accompanied by pain in one or both ears or across the head ; other symptoms included ringing in the ears , vision problems , and cognitive difficulties , according to the report .
In the following years , people working at the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar symptoms , as did CIA officers in Russia and other countries , according to the report and .
The mysterious illness became known as `` The Havana Syndrome , '' and for some , it became `` chronic and debilitating , '' according to the report .
The U.S. Department of State ( DOS ) asked a committee of medical and other experts to review the cases , find scientific evidence suggesting possible causes and to provide recommendations for investigating future cases .
The committee found that the symptoms were unlike those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the general medical literature , according to the report .
They considered many causes , such as radio frequency energy , chemical exposures , infectious diseases and psychological issues .
The committee concluded that the symptoms and their onset were `` consistent with the effects of directed , pulsed radio frequency ( RF ) energy , '' David Relman , the chair of the committee , wrote in the report .
`` Studies published in the open literature more than a half-century ago and over the subsequent decades by Western and Soviet sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Radio frequency energy , which includes and , is a type of low-energy radiation .
Other mechanisms could have reinforced some of the effects and caused some of the more chronic symptoms in some , such as persistent dizziness , disorders involving the vestibular system ( parts of the inner ear and brain that help control balance and eye movements ) and psychological conditions , Relman wrote .
The committee concluded that other potential causes , such as chemical exposures and infectious diseases , are unlikely ; however , `` the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mechanisms and considers it likely that a multiplicity of factors explains some cases and the differences between others , '' according to the report .
For example , some reported symptoms that came on suddenly , while others developed more chronic symptoms that took time to develop .
The report does n't conclude that the RF energy was due to deliberate attacks , but the wording strongly suggests that it could have been , according to The New York Times .
The report says the energy was `` directed '' and `` pulsed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the result of ambient energy sources , according to the Times .
What 's more , some patients reported that their sudden symptoms — such as pain sensation , pressure and sound — came from a specific direction or happened in a specific spot in a room , which hints at a directed energy source , the committee found , according to the Times .
The report does n't point fingers at who could be behind the possible attacks but U.S. intelligence agencies considered Russia to be the main suspect a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 .
`` Even though [ the committee ] was not in a position to assess or comment on how these [ Department of State ] cases arose , such as a possible source of directed , pulsed RF energy and the exact circumstances of the putative exposures , the mere consideration of such a scenario raises grave concerns about a world with disinhibited malevolent actors and new tools for causing harm to others , '' Relman wrote .
The committee also raised concerns that future new cases could arise in government employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and how to manage and respond to such cases .
`` The next event may be even more dispersed in time and place , and even more difficult to recognize quickly , '' Relman wrote .

The string of mysterious illnesses were first reported among employees at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba.
A string of mysterious neurological illnesses reported by U.S. diplomats in Cuba was likely caused by directed microwave energy, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences .
In late 2016, people who worked at the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba, started to develop unexplained symptoms including hearing loud noise accompanied by pain in one or both ears or across the head; other symptoms included ringing in the ears, vision problems, vertigo and cognitive difficulties, according to the report.
In the following years, people working at the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou, China, reported similar symptoms, as did CIA officers in Russia and other countries, according to the report and NBC News . The mysterious illness became known as "The Havana Syndrome," and for some, it became "chronic and debilitating," according to the report.
Related: Top 10 mysterious diseases
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) asked a committee of medical and other experts to review the cases, find scientific evidence suggesting possible causes and to provide recommendations for investigating future cases. The committee found that the symptoms were unlike those associated with any other disorder found in the general medical literature, according to the report. They considered many causes, such as radio frequency energy, chemical exposures, infectious diseases and psychological issues.
The committee concluded that the symptoms and their onset were "consistent with the effects of directed, pulsed radio frequency (RF) energy," David Relman, the chair of the committee, wrote in the report. "Studies published in the open literature more than a half-century ago and over the subsequent decades by Western and Soviet sources provide circumstantial support for this possible mechanism." Radio frequency energy, which includes radio waves and microwaves , is a type of low-energy radiation.
Other mechanisms could have reinforced some of the effects and caused some of the more chronic symptoms in some, such as persistent dizziness, disorders involving the vestibular system (parts of the inner ear and brain that help control balance and eye movements) and psychological conditions, Relman wrote.
The committee concluded that other potential causes, such as chemical exposures and infectious diseases, are unlikely; however, "the committee cannot rule out other possible mechanisms and considers it likely that a multiplicity of factors explains some cases and the differences between others," according to the report. For example, some reported symptoms that came on suddenly, while others developed more chronic symptoms that took time to develop.
The report doesn't conclude that the RF energy was due to deliberate attacks, but the wording strongly suggests that it could have been, according to The New York Times . The report says the energy was "directed" and "pulsed," meaning it was targeted and not the result of ambient energy sources, according to the Times.
What's more, some patients reported that their sudden symptoms — such as pain sensation, pressure and sound — came from a specific direction or happened in a specific spot in a room, which hints at a directed energy source, the committee found, according to the Times. The report doesn't point fingers at who could be behind the possible attacks but U.S. intelligence agencies considered Russia to be the main suspect a few years ago, NBC News reported in 2018.
"Even though [the committee] was not in a position to assess or comment on how these [Department of State] cases arose, such as a possible source of directed, pulsed RF energy and the exact circumstances of the putative exposures, the mere consideration of such a scenario raises grave concerns about a world with disinhibited malevolent actors and new tools for causing harm to others," Relman wrote.
The committee also raised concerns that future new cases could arise in government employees working abroad and provided recommendations on surveillance and how to manage and respond to such cases. "The next event may be even more dispersed in time and place, and even more difficult to recognize quickly," Relman wrote.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-07--Mystery illness sickens more than 300 in India

A mysterious illness has sickened hundreds of people in a city in southeastern India , according to news reports .
Over the weekend , more than 300 people in the city of Eluru , located in the state of Andhra Pradesh , were hospitalized with -like symptoms , including seizures and loss of consciousness , as well as nausea and vomiting , .
One patient with these symptoms died from a cardiac arrest , but officials said the death appeared unrelated to the mystery illness .
Although coronavirus infection is widespread in the area , all of these patients tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In addition , blood tests performed so far have not found evidence of other viral infections , such as dengue fever or , CNN reported .
By Monday , about 180 patients were well enough to be released from the hospital .
Officials were looking into a number of possible cultripts for the illness .
Initially , officials suspected water contamination , because all the patients were found to have a common water source , CNN reported .
However , Andhra Pradesh 's state Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as air pollution as the cause of the mystery illness , .
Officials were still conducting blood tests for pathogens such as E. Coli .
( Infections with E. coli can cause nausea and vomiting , but not typically seizures . )
Authorities from a number of leading Indian health institutes , including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi , are heading to Eluru to help investigate the cases , according to CBS News .

A mysterious illness has sickened hundreds of people in a city in southeastern India, according to news reports.
Over the weekend, more than 300 people in the city of Eluru, located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, were hospitalized with epilepsy -like symptoms, including seizures and loss of consciousness, as well as nausea and vomiting, according to CNN . One patient with these symptoms died from a cardiac arrest, but officials said the death appeared unrelated to the mystery illness.
Although coronavirus infection is widespread in the area, all of these patients tested negative for COVID-19, according to CNN. In addition, blood tests performed so far have not found evidence of other viral infections, such as dengue fever or chikungunya , CNN reported.
By Monday, about 180 patients were well enough to be released from the hospital.
Officials were looking into a number of possible cultripts for the illness. Initially, officials suspected water contamination, because all the patients were found to have a common water source, CNN reported. However, Andhra Pradesh's state Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas said that tests had ruled out water contamination as well as air pollution as the cause of the mystery illness, CBS News reported . Officials were still conducting blood tests for pathogens such as E. Coli. (Infections with E. coli can cause nausea and vomiting, but not typically seizures.)
Authorities from a number of leading Indian health institutes, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, are heading to Eluru to help investigate the cases, according to CBS News.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-07--Elaborate Viking ship burial may have held a king or queen

It does n't look like much now — just a series of well-organized nails and a few fragments of rotted wood — but a ship unearthed by archaeologists in Norway may have been the elaborate burial of a king , queen or powerful lord .
According to , the ship was an impressive 62 feet ( 19 meters ) long and 16 feet ( 5 m ) wide .
It was found at a site called Gjellestad , southeast of Oslo and dates to around A.D. 750-850 , excavation archaeologist Knut Paasche of the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do n't yet know if this was a rowing or sailing ship .
Others , like the Gokstad and Tune ships , combined rowing and sailing , '' Paasche told the BBC , referring to two ninth-century Viking ships also found in Norway .
The keel of the newfound ship looks different from either of those other Viking ships , he said .
The ship was buried in a grave mound that had been flattened by decades of plowing by farmers .
It sits within a large complex of at least 20 graves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ length away from Jell Mound , the second-largest burial mound in Norway .
Jell Mound dates back to between A.D. 400 and A.D. 500 .
`` The ship clearly relates to the older graves and especially the large Jell Mound — it is clear that the Vikings wanted to relate to the past , '' excavation leader Christian Rodsrud told the BBC .
Serious archaeological excavation of Jell Mound and its surroundings started in 2017 , after the owner of the land applied to cut drainage ditches nearby .
Archaeologists used tips from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas to excavate starting in 2019 .
Other than the ship burial , there are also signs of at least four house or building foundations and multiple ring-shaped burial sites .
The mound that contained the ship had been looted , perhaps by rivals to the family of the noble buried there ; desecrating the grave could have been a political act , according to a paper published in the journal in November 2020 .
No human bones have yet been discovered alongside the ship , though archaeologists have uncovered the bones of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other artifacts were removed by looters .
Ship burials were the `` the ultimate expression of status , wealth and connection in Iron Age Scandinavia , '' Paasche and his colleague wrote in their Antiquity paper .
The person buried with the ship may have been a king , queen or a noble warrior called a jarl .
Archaeologists expect to complete the excavation of the ship this month , the BBC reported .
The arrangement of the nails and remnants of the keel may allow them to build a replica in the @ @

The Oseberg ship from around A.D. 800 is one of the most well preserved Viking ships from the period.
It doesn't look like much now — just a series of well-organized nails and a few fragments of rotted wood — but a Viking ship unearthed by archaeologists in Norway may have been the elaborate burial of a king, queen or powerful lord.
According to BBC News , the ship was an impressive 62 feet (19 meters) long and 16 feet (5 m) wide. It was found at a site called Gjellestad, southeast of Oslo and dates to around A.D. 750-850, excavation archaeologist Knut Paasche of the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, told the BBC.
"We don't yet know if this was a rowing or sailing ship. Others, like the Gokstad and Tune ships, combined rowing and sailing," Paasche told the BBC, referring to two ninth-century Viking ships also found in Norway. The keel of the newfound ship looks different from either of those other Viking ships, he said.
Related: Fierce fighters: 7 secrets of Viking seamen
The ship was buried in a grave mound that had been flattened by decades of plowing by farmers. It sits within a large complex of at least 20 graves and is only a football field's length away from Jell Mound, the second-largest burial mound in Norway. Jell Mound dates back to between A.D. 400 and A.D. 500.
"The ship clearly relates to the older graves and especially the large Jell Mound — it is clear that the Vikings wanted to relate to the past," excavation leader Christian Rodsrud told the BBC.
Serious archaeological excavation of Jell Mound and its surroundings started in 2017, after the owner of the land applied to cut drainage ditches nearby. Archaeologists used tips from the landowner and ground-penetrating radar to identify areas to excavate starting in 2019. Other than the ship burial, there are also signs of at least four house or building foundations and multiple ring-shaped burial sites.
The mound that contained the ship had been looted, perhaps by rivals to the family of the noble buried there; desecrating the grave could have been a political act, according to a paper published in the journal Antiquity in November 2020. No human bones have yet been discovered alongside the ship, though archaeologists have uncovered the bones of a horse or a bull. Any other artifacts were removed by looters.
Ship burials were the "the ultimate expression of status, wealth and connection in Iron Age Scandinavia," Paasche and his colleague wrote in their Antiquity paper. The person buried with the ship may have been a king, queen or a noble warrior called a jarl.
Archaeologists expect to complete the excavation of the ship this month, the BBC reported. The arrangement of the nails and remnants of the keel may allow them to build a replica in the future.
Originally published in Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-07--Rare 9-armed octopus found off Japan coast

A nine-armed octopus caught off Japan 's coast nearly ended up being dinner , until the family preparing it noticed its extra limb and sent it to a museum instead , according to news sources .
While unusual , this extra appendage — which was n't fully formed , but a small offshoot on a regular arm — is n't unheard of in octopuses , said Michael Vecchione , an invertebrate zoologist at the Smithsonian 's National Museum of Natural History in Washington , D.C. , who was not involved with this octopus 's discovery .
Octopuses are capable of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regeneration does n't work quite right , '' Vecchione told Live Science .
`` If an arm gets damaged , it might regenerate wrong ; it could wind up with extra tissue growing out , and that extra tissue could turn into an arm . ''
The nine-armed oddity was caught in a trap with three other octopuses on Nov. 13 in Shizugawa Bay , in the northeastern town of Minamisanriku , Japan , according to The Mainichi , a Japanese newspaper .
Kazuya Sato , 40 , who cultivates wakame seaweed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought the catch home , where his 65-year-old mother boiled them in a pot of water .
She noticed the ninth arm shortly after dropping the creature in the pot .
The octopus was already dead , but its body was intact , so Sato brought it to the local Shizugawa Nature Center , where the octopus was preserved in alcohol and will soon go on display .
Shizugawa Bay is about 125 miles ( 200 kilometers ) north of the now decommissioned Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant , which had a nuclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said it 's unlikely the octopus ' ninth arm was caused by radiation poisoning .
Reports of bifurcated octopus arms have been catalogued all over the world for years , he said .
For instance , a 1960 report in the journal describes an octopus at the University of Miami Marine Laboratory that had `` an abnormal third left arm '' with two branches , according to the report 's author .
A 1965 study in the journal described numerous octopuses with more than eight arms , including one that had 90 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't affect an octopus , because it 's small and simply dangles off the arm ; it might even be functional and have the ability to move and feel , Vecchione said .
`` The worst case is that it 's just sort of dragging there , but it probably would n't be too much of a detriment , '' he said .
However , octopuses with many arms might face more challenges .
`` That might affect their ability to hunt or swim , '' he said .

A nine-armed octopus caught off Japan's coast nearly ended up being dinner, until the family preparing it noticed its extra limb and sent it to a museum instead, according to news sources.
While unusual, this extra appendage — which wasn't fully formed, but a small offshoot on a regular arm — isn't unheard of in octopuses, said Michael Vecchione, an invertebrate zoologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., who was not involved with this octopus's discovery.
Octopuses are capable of regenerating their arms, but "sometimes regeneration doesn't work quite right," Vecchione told Live Science. "If an arm gets damaged, it might regenerate wrong; it could wind up with extra tissue growing out, and that extra tissue could turn into an arm."
Related: Photos: Ghostly dumbo octopus dances in the deep sea
The nine-armed oddity was caught in a trap with three other octopuses on Nov. 13 in Shizugawa Bay, in the northeastern town of Minamisanriku, Japan, according to The Mainichi , a Japanese newspaper. Kazuya Sato, 40, who cultivates wakame seaweed for a living, set the trap and brought the catch home, where his 65-year-old mother boiled them in a pot of water. She noticed the ninth arm shortly after dropping the creature in the pot.
The octopus was already dead, but its body was intact, so Sato brought it to the local Shizugawa Nature Center, where the octopus was preserved in alcohol and will soon go on display.
Shizugawa Bay is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) north of the now decommissioned Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which had a nuclear meltdown following a disastrous 7.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 . But Vecchione said it's unlikely the octopus' ninth arm was caused by radiation poisoning. Reports of bifurcated octopus arms have been catalogued all over the world for years, he said. For instance, a 1960 report in the journal Nature describes an octopus at the University of Miami Marine Laboratory that had "an abnormal third left arm" with two branches, according to the report's author. A 1965 study in the journal Proceedings of the Japan Academy described numerous octopuses with more than eight arms, including one that had 90.
Having just one bifurcated arm probably doesn't affect an octopus, because it's small and simply dangles off the arm; it might even be functional and have the ability to move and feel, Vecchione said. "The worst case is that it's just sort of dragging there, but it probably wouldn't be too much of a detriment," he said. However, octopuses with many arms might face more challenges. "That might affect their ability to hunt or swim," he said.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-07--Toasty November means 2020 might nudge out 2016 as hottest year on record

Global temperatures soared last month , making this November the hottest ever recorded , according to a new report .
Unless temperatures dip dramatically in December , 2020 could potentially overtake 2016 as the hottest year on record — if not , the years will likely tie for the title , according to current estimates .
This concerning news comes from the Copernicus Climate Change Service ( C3S ) , a program of the European Commission that tracks global temperature trends .
On Monday ( Dec. 7 ) , that global temperatures in November 2020 exceeded the warmest Novembers on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 0.1 degrees Celsius ) .
November in both 2016 and 2019 previously held the record .
Related : 10 signs that Earth 's climate iIs off the rails While comparable with the recent record-holders , November 2020 blew past the average temperatures of Novembers past ; when compared with average temperatures from 1981 to 2010 , last month measured about 1.4 F ( 0.77 C ) hotter .
Northern Europe , Siberia and the Arctic Ocean experienced the highest increases in temperature compared with previous years , followed by regions of the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Tibetan Plateau , Australia and eastern .
High temperatures in the Arctic meant that ice in the region took longer to freeze than in winters past , which could lead to thinner ice and therefore greater melting in late spring and summer of next year , .
Arctic sea ice-extent — a measurement of how much ice covers the ocean — fell to the second lowest area recorded for November , since scientists began collecting satellite data from the region in 1979 , C3S reported .
As the Arctic shrunk , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California , confirming scientists ' predictions that can cause such disasters to become stronger and more frequent .
With one month to go , `` 2020 is currently on a par with 2016 , the warmest calendar year on record , closely followed by 2019 , '' according to the C3S report .
On the whole , 2020 is `` likely to remain on a par with or become marginally warmer than 2016 , '' unless temperatures fall significantly in December , which would not be unprecedented .
In 2016 , record-setting temperatures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a cyclical warming of the Pacific Ocean that drives average global temperatures up , Petteri Taalas , the secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization ( WMO ) , an agency within the United Nations , on Dec. 2 .
`` We are now experiencing a , which has a cooling effect on global temperatures , but has not been sufficient to put a brake on this year 's heat , '' Taalas said .
`` Despite the current La Niña conditions , this year has already shown near record heat comparable to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to a provisional report , based on data from January to October , the WMO predicts that 2020 will be one of the three warmest years on record .
The past decade , starting in 2011 , will be the hottest decade on record , with all the warmest years occurring since 2015 , the agency reported .

This heat map shows how surface air temperature for November 2020 compares with the November average for the period of 1981 to 2010.
Global temperatures soared last month, making this November the hottest ever recorded, according to a new report.
Unless temperatures dip dramatically in December, 2020 could potentially overtake 2016 as the hottest year on record — if not, the years will likely tie for the title, according to current estimates.
This concerning news comes from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), a program of the European Commission that tracks global temperature trends. On Monday (Dec. 7), the agency reported that global temperatures in November 2020 exceeded the warmest Novembers on record by nearly 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit (0.1 degrees Celsius). November in both 2016 and 2019 previously held the record.
Related: 10 signs that Earth's climate iIs off the rails
While comparable with the recent record-holders, November 2020 blew past the average temperatures of Novembers past; when compared with average temperatures from 1981 to 2010, last month measured about 1.4 F (0.77 C) hotter.
Northern Europe, Siberia and the Arctic Ocean experienced the highest increases in temperature compared with previous years, followed by regions of the United States, South America, southern Africa, the Tibetan Plateau, Australia and eastern Antarctica . High temperatures in the Arctic meant that ice in the region took longer to freeze than in winters past, which could lead to thinner ice and therefore greater melting in late spring and summer of next year, The New York Times reported .
Arctic sea ice-extent — a measurement of how much ice covers the ocean — fell to the second lowest area recorded for November, since scientists began collecting satellite data from the region in 1979, C3S reported. As the Arctic shrunk, powerful hurricanes raged in the Atlantic Ocean and wildfires continued to burn across California, confirming scientists' predictions that climate change can cause such disasters to become stronger and more frequent.
With one month to go, "2020 is currently on a par with 2016, the warmest calendar year on record, closely followed by 2019," according to the C3S report. On the whole, 2020 is "likely to remain on a par with or become marginally warmer than 2016," unless temperatures fall significantly in December, which would not be unprecedented.
In 2016, record-setting temperatures coincided with a strong El Niño event, which is a cyclical warming of the Pacific Ocean that drives average global temperatures up, Petteri Taalas, the secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), an agency within the United Nations, said in a statement on Dec. 2.
"We are now experiencing a La Niña , which has a cooling effect on global temperatures, but has not been sufficient to put a brake on this year's heat," Taalas said. "Despite the current La Niña conditions, this year has already shown near record heat comparable to the previous record of 2016."
According to a provisional report, based on data from January to October, the WMO predicts that 2020 will be one of the three warmest years on record. The past decade, starting in 2011, will be the hottest decade on record, with all the warmest years occurring since 2015, the agency reported.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-07--China claims fastest quantum computer in the world

A team of Chinese scientists have developed the most powerful computer in the world , capable of performing at least one task 100 trillion times faster than the world 's fastest supercomputers .
In 2019 , Google said it had built the first machine to achieve `` quantum supremacy , '' the first to outperform the world 's best supercomputers at quantum calculation , .
( IBM disputed Google 's claim at the time . )
The Chinese team , based primarily at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei , reported their quantum computer , named @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than Google 's .
A description of Jiuzhang and its feat of calculation was published Dec. 3 in the journal .
Assuming both claims hold up , Jiuzhang would be the second quantum computer to achieve quantum supremacy anywhere in the world .
China has invested heavily in quantum computing , with Xi Jinping 's government spending $ 10 billion on the country 's National Laboratory for Quantum Information Sciences , NDTV reported .
The country is also a world leader in quantum networking , where data encoded using quantum mechanics is transmitted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has reported .
Quantum computers can exploit the unusual mathematics governing the quantum world to outperform classical computers on certain tasks , as Live Science reported .
Where classical computers perform calculations using bits , which can have one of two states ( typically represented by a 1 or a 0 ) , quantum bits , or qubits , can exist in many states simultaneously .
This allows them to solve problems more quickly than classical computers .
But while the theories predicting that quantum computing would beat classical computing have been around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has proved much more challenging .
The Chinese computer makes its calculations ( limited to particular questions about the behavior of light particles ) using optical circuits .
Google 's device , Sycamore , uses superconducting materials on a chip and more nearly resembles the basic structure of classical computers .
Neither would be particularly useful on its own as a computer , and the Chinese device was built to solve just one type of problem .
To test Jiuzhang , the researchers assigned it a `` Gaussian boson sampling '' ( GBS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the output of a complex circuit that uses light .
That output is expressed as a list of numbers .
( Light is made of particles known as photons , which belongs to a category of particles known as bosons . )
Success is measured in terms of number of photons detected .
Jiuzhang , which itself is an optical circuit , detected a maximum of 76 photons in one test and an average of 43 across several tests .
Its calculation time to produce the list of numbers for each experimental run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fastest Chinese supercomputer , TaihuLight , would have taken 2.5 billion years to arrive at the same result .
That suggests the quantum computer can do GBS 100 trillion times faster than a classical supercomputer .
This does n't mean that China has a fully practical quantum computer yet , according to Xinhua .
China 's device is specialized , and mostly useful as a tool for doing GBS .
But it 's a major milestone on the way there .

A team of Chinese scientists has developed the most powerful quantum computer in the world, capable of performing at least one task 100 trillion times faster than the world's fastest supercomputers.
In 2019, Google said it had built the first machine to achieve "quantum supremacy," the first to outperform the world's best supercomputers at quantum calculation, Live Science previously reported . (IBM disputed Google's claim at the time.) The Chinese team, based primarily at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, reported their quantum computer, named Jiuzhang, is 10 billion times faster than Google's. A description of Jiuzhang and its feat of calculation was published Dec. 3 in the journal Science . Assuming both claims hold up, Jiuzhang would be the second quantum computer to achieve quantum supremacy anywhere in the world.
China has invested heavily in quantum computing, with Xi Jinping's government spending $10 billion on the country's National Laboratory for Quantum Information Sciences, NDTV reported. The country is also a world leader in quantum networking, where data encoded using quantum mechanics is transmitted across great distances, as Live Science has reported.
Related: 12 stunning quantum physics experiments
Quantum computers can exploit the unusual mathematics governing the quantum world to outperform classical computers on certain tasks, as Live Science reported. Where classical computers perform calculations using bits, which can have one of two states (typically represented by a 1 or a 0), quantum bits, or qubits, can exist in many states simultaneously. This allows them to solve problems more quickly than classical computers. But while the theories predicting that quantum computing would beat classical computing have been around for decades, building practical quantum computers has proved much more challenging.
The Chinese computer makes its calculations (limited to particular questions about the behavior of light particles) using optical circuits. Google's device, Sycamore, uses superconducting materials on a chip and more nearly resembles the basic structure of classical computers. Neither would be particularly useful on its own as a computer, and the Chinese device was built to solve just one type of problem.
To test Jiuzhang, the researchers assigned it a "Gaussian boson sampling" (GBS) task, where the computer calculates the output of a complex circuit that uses light. That output is expressed as a list of numbers. (Light is made of particles known as photons, which belongs to a category of particles known as bosons.)
Success is measured in terms of number of photons detected. Jiuzhang, which itself is an optical circuit, detected a maximum of 76 photons in one test and an average of 43 across several tests. Its calculation time to produce the list of numbers for each experimental run was about 200 seconds, while the fastest Chinese supercomputer, TaihuLight, would have taken 2.5 billion years to arrive at the same result. That suggests the quantum computer can do GBS 100 trillion times faster than a classical supercomputer.
This doesn't mean that China has a fully practical quantum computer yet, according to Xinhua. China's device is specialized, and mostly useful as a tool for doing GBS. But it's a major milestone on the way there.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-08--Here's how genes determine your facial features

• A new study reveals more than 130 regions in human DNA play a role in sculpting facial features .
• The nose is the facial feature most influenced by your genes .
• Understanding the link between specific genes and facial features could be useful for treating facial malformations or for orthodontics .
You might think it ’ s rather obvious that your facial appearance is determined by your genes .
Just look in the family photo album and observe the same nose , eyes or chin on your grandparents , cousins and uncles and aunts .
Perhaps you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ genetic syndrome – that often results from a damaging alteration to one or more genes – and noticed the often distinctive facial features .
You may be surprised to learn that until very recently , geneticists had virtually no understanding of which parts of our DNA were linked to even the most basic aspects of facial appearance .
This gap in our knowledge was particularly galling since facial appearance plays such an important role in basic human interactions .
The availability of large data sets combining genetic information with facial images that can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of discovery .
So , what do we know about the genetics of facial appearance ?
Can we reliably predict a person ’ s face from their DNA ?
What are the implications for health and disease ?
We are an anthropologist and a human geneticist whose research focuses on uncovering the biological factors that underlie the similarities and differences in facial appearance among humans .
How many genes are associated with facial appearance ?
We still don ’ t have a complete answer to this question , but recent work published in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has identified more than 130 chromosomal regions associated with specific aspects of facial shape .
Identifying these regions is a critical first step toward understanding how genetics impacts our faces and how such knowledge could impact human health in the future .
We accomplished this by scanning the DNA of more than 8,000 individuals to look for statistical relationships between about seven million genetic markers – known locations in the genetic code where humans vary – and dozens of shape measurements derived from 3D facial images .
When we find a statistical association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more genetic markers , this points us to a very precise region of DNA on a chromosome .
The genes located around that region then become our prime candidates for facial features like nose or lip shape , especially if we have other relevant information about their function – for example , they may be active when the face is forming in the embryo .
While more than 130 chromosomal regions may seem like a large number , we are likely only scratching the surface .
We expect that thousands of such regions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contribute to facial appearance .
Many of the genes at these chromosomal regions will have such small effects , we may never have enough statistical power to detect them .
What do we know about these genes ?
When we look collectively at the implicated genes at these 130-plus DNA regions , some interesting patterns emerged .
Your nose , like it or not , is the part of your face most influenced by your genes .
Perhaps not surprisingly , areas like the cheeks , which are highly influenced by lifestyle factors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ associations .
The ways that these genes influence facial shape was not at all uniform .
Some genes , we found , had highly localized effects and impacted very specific parts of the face , while others had broad effects involving multiple parts .
We also found that a large proportion of these genes are involved in basic developmental processes that build our bodies – bone formation , for example – and , in many cases , are the same genes that have been implicated in rare syndromes and facial anomalies like cleft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was a high degree of overlap between the genes involved in facial and limb development , which may provide an important clue as to why many genetic syndromes are characterized by both hand and facial malformations .
In another curious twist , we found some evidence that the genes involved in facial shape may also be involved in cancer – an intriguing finding given emerging evidence that individuals treated for pediatric cancer show some distinctive facial features .
Can someone take my DNA and construct an accurate picture of my face ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the foreseeable future , someone could take a sample of your DNA and use it to construct an image of your face .
Predicting an individual ’ s facial appearance , like any complex genetic trait , is a very difficult task .
To put that statement in context , the 130-plus genetic regions we identified explain less than 10 % of the variation in facial shape .
However , even if we understood all of the genes involved in facial appearance , prediction would still be a monstrous challenge .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not determined by simply summing up the effects of a bunch of individual genes .
Facial features are influenced by many biological and non-biological factors : age , diet , climate , hormones , trauma , disease , sun exposure , biomechanical forces and surgery .
All of these factors interact with our genome in complex ways that we have not even begun to understand .
To add to this picture of complexity , genes interact with one another ; this is known as “ epistasis , ” and its effects can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not surprising then , that researchers attempting to predict individual facial features from DNA have been unsuccessful .
This is not to say that such prediction will never be possible , but if someone is telling you they can do this today , you should be highly skeptical .
How might research connecting genes and faces benefit humans ?
One of the most exciting developments in medicine in the 21st century is the use of patients ’ genetic information to create personalized treatment plans , with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sign up for The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
A deeper understanding of how genes influence the timing and rate of facial growth could be an invaluable tool for planning treatments in fields like orthodontics or reconstructive surgery .
For example , if someday we can use genetics to help predict when a child ’ s jaw will hit its peak growth potential , orthodontists may be able to use this information to help determine the optimal time to intervene for maximal effect .
Likewise , knowledge of how genes work individually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shape of facial features can provide new molecular targets for drug therapies aimed at correcting facial growth deficiencies .
Lastly , greater knowledge of the genes that build human faces may offer us new insights into the root causes of congenital facial malformations , which can profoundly impact quality of life for those affected and their families .
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher .

Takeaways
A new study reveals more than 130 regions in human DNA play a role in sculpting facial features.
The nose is the facial feature most influenced by your genes.
Understanding the link between specific genes and facial features could be useful for treating facial malformations or for orthodontics.
You might think it’s rather obvious that your facial appearance is determined by your genes. Just look in the family photo album and observe the same nose, eyes or chin on your grandparents, cousins and uncles and aunts. Perhaps you have seen or know someone with a genetic syndrome – that often results from a damaging alteration to one or more genes – and noticed the often distinctive facial features.
You may be surprised to learn that until very recently, geneticists had virtually no understanding of which parts of our DNA were linked to even the most basic aspects of facial appearance. This gap in our knowledge was particularly galling since facial appearance plays such an important role in basic human interactions. The availability of large data sets combining genetic information with facial images that can be measured has rapidly advanced the pace of discovery.
So, what do we know about the genetics of facial appearance? Can we reliably predict a person’s face from their DNA? What are the implications for health and disease? We are an anthropologist and a human geneticist whose research focuses on uncovering the biological factors that underlie the similarities and differences in facial appearance among humans.
How many genes are associated with facial appearance?
We still don’t have a complete answer to this question, but recent work published in Nature Genetics by our collaborative research team has identified more than 130 chromosomal regions associated with specific aspects of facial shape. Identifying these regions is a critical first step toward understanding how genetics impacts our faces and how such knowledge could impact human health in the future.
We accomplished this by scanning the DNA of more than 8,000 individuals to look for statistical relationships between about seven million genetic markers – known locations in the genetic code where humans vary – and dozens of shape measurements derived from 3D facial images.
When we find a statistical association between a facial feature and one or more genetic markers, this points us to a very precise region of DNA on a chromosome. The genes located around that region then become our prime candidates for facial features like nose or lip shape, especially if we have other relevant information about their function – for example, they may be active when the face is forming in the embryo.
While more than 130 chromosomal regions may seem like a large number, we are likely only scratching the surface. We expect that thousands of such regions – and therefore thousands of genes – contribute to facial appearance. Many of the genes at these chromosomal regions will have such small effects, we may never have enough statistical power to detect them.
What do we know about these genes?
When we look collectively at the implicated genes at these 130-plus DNA regions, some interesting patterns emerged.
Your nose, like it or not, is the part of your face most influenced by your genes. Perhaps not surprisingly, areas like the cheeks, which are highly influenced by lifestyle factors like diet, showed the fewest genetic associations.
The ways that these genes influence facial shape was not at all uniform. Some genes, we found, had highly localized effects and impacted very specific parts of the face, while others had broad effects involving multiple parts.
We also found that a large proportion of these genes are involved in basic developmental processes that build our bodies – bone formation, for example – and, in many cases, are the same genes that have been implicated in rare syndromes and facial anomalies like cleft palate.
We found it interesting that there was a high degree of overlap between the genes involved in facial and limb development, which may provide an important clue as to why many genetic syndromes are characterized by both hand and facial malformations. In another curious twist, we found some evidence that the genes involved in facial shape may also be involved in cancer – an intriguing finding given emerging evidence that individuals treated for pediatric cancer show some distinctive facial features.
Can someone take my DNA and construct an accurate picture of my face?
It is unlikely that today, or for the foreseeable future, someone could take a sample of your DNA and use it to construct an image of your face. Predicting an individual’s facial appearance, like any complex genetic trait, is a very difficult task.
To put that statement in context, the 130-plus genetic regions we identified explain less than 10% of the variation in facial shape. However, even if we understood all of the genes involved in facial appearance, prediction would still be a monstrous challenge. This is because complex traits like facial shape are not determined by simply summing up the effects of a bunch of individual genes. Facial features are influenced by many biological and non-biological factors: age, diet, climate, hormones, trauma, disease, sun exposure, biomechanical forces and surgery.
All of these factors interact with our genome in complex ways that we have not even begun to understand. To add to this picture of complexity, genes interact with one another; this is known as “epistasis,” and its effects can be complex and unpredictable.
It is not surprising then, that researchers attempting to predict individual facial features from DNA have been unsuccessful. This is not to say that such prediction will never be possible, but if someone is telling you they can do this today, you should be highly skeptical.
How might research connecting genes and faces benefit humans?
One of the most exciting developments in medicine in the 21st century is the use of patients’ genetic information to create personalized treatment plans, with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes.
[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]
A deeper understanding of how genes influence the timing and rate of facial growth could be an invaluable tool for planning treatments in fields like orthodontics or reconstructive surgery. For example, if someday we can use genetics to help predict when a child’s jaw will hit its peak growth potential, orthodontists may be able to use this information to help determine the optimal time to intervene for maximal effect.
Likewise, knowledge of how genes work individually and in concert to determine the size and shape of facial features can provide new molecular targets for drug therapies aimed at correcting facial growth deficiencies.
Lastly, greater knowledge of the genes that build human faces may offer us new insights into the root causes of congenital facial malformations, which can profoundly impact quality of life for those affected and their families.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook and Twitter. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.


livescience--2020-12-08--Burnt 'Great Pyramid' notes reveal Isaac Newton's research into the apocalypse

Sir Isaac Newton , the acclaimed physicist , mathematician , and astronomer , may be one of the most renowned scientists of all time , but his wide-ranging research took him to strange places far outside what we now consider to be science .
Amidst his outstanding legacy of academic output , numerous fragments and unpublished notes – many discovered after his death in 1727 – stand as a testament to his long and said-to-be obsessive interest in matters of the occult , alchemy , and biblical apocalypse theory .
These mystical leanings – much of which would have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – are evidenced in some fragmentary manuscript notes currently being auctioned by Sotheby 's .
In this case , the texts are literally fragments , in that they are the scorched survivors of a fire , said to have been started by an upset candle accidentally toppled by Newton 's dog , Diamond .
Whether that purported chain of events is entirely true is n't clear , but what is clear is that the flame-licked sheets form part of Newton 's lesser-known canon , dealing with obscure theories we would now firmly categorise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which at time of writing have a leading bid of £280,000 ( about US $ 375,000 ) – Newton muses on ancient Egypt 's Great Pyramid of Giza , which Newton believed was designed around an Egyptian unit of measurement called the royal cubit .
Newton thought that by quantifying the royal cubit , he might be able to refine his own theories on gravitation , and in so doing provide an unprecedentedly accurate measure of the circumference of the Earth – while also unlocking other obscure and 'sacred ' geometrical insights , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would end , as foretold in the Bible .
`` He was trying to find proof for his theory of gravitation , but in addition the ancient Egyptians were thought to have held the secrets of alchemy that have since been lost , '' Gabriel Heaton , Sotheby 's manuscript specialist , told The Observer .
`` Today , these seem disparate areas of study – but they did n't seem that way to Newton in the 17th century . ''
Newton was n't the first to have these sorts of ideas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While such pyramidology has now drifted outside the bounds of serious science – depending on where you look on the internet , at least – once upon a time , it consumed the attention of one of the greatest minds on the planet .
`` These notes are part of Newton 's astonishingly complex web of interlinking studies – natural philosophy , alchemy , theology – only parts of which he ever believed were appropriate for publication , '' the auction listing explains .
`` It is not surprising that he did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a widely-held tenet of alchemical research , and Newton 's theological beliefs , if made public , would have cost him ( at least ) his career . ''
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert .
Read the original article here .

Unpublished notes of Sir Isaac Newton stand as a testament to his long and said-to-be obsessive interest in matters of the occult, alchemy, and biblical apocalypse theory.
Sir Isaac Newton, the acclaimed physicist, mathematician, and astronomer, may be one of the most renowned scientists of all time, but his wide-ranging research took him to strange places far outside what we now consider to be science.
Amidst his outstanding legacy of academic output, numerous fragments and unpublished notes – many discovered after his death in 1727 – stand as a testament to his long and said-to-be obsessive interest in matters of the occult, alchemy, and biblical apocalypse theory.
These mystical leanings – much of which would have been considered heretical thinking in Newton's day – are evidenced in some fragmentary manuscript notes currently being auctioned by Sotheby's.
In this case, the texts are literally fragments, in that they are the scorched survivors of a fire, said to have been started by an upset candle accidentally toppled by Newton's dog, Diamond.
Whether that purported chain of events is entirely true isn't clear, but what is clear is that the flame-licked sheets form part of Newton's lesser-known canon, dealing with obscure theories we would now firmly categorise as pseudoscience.
In the pages – which at time of writing have a leading bid of £280,000 (about US$375,000) – Newton muses on ancient Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza, which Newton believed was designed around an Egyptian unit of measurement called the royal cubit.
Newton thought that by quantifying the royal cubit, he might be able to refine his own theories on gravitation, and in so doing provide an unprecedentedly accurate measure of the circumference of the Earth – while also unlocking other obscure and 'sacred' geometrical insights, that might ultimately predict when the world would end, as foretold in the Bible.
"He was trying to find proof for his theory of gravitation, but in addition the ancient Egyptians were thought to have held the secrets of alchemy that have since been lost," Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby's manuscript specialist, told The Observer.
"Today, these seem disparate areas of study – but they didn't seem that way to Newton in the 17th century."
Newton wasn't the first to have these sorts of ideas, and he was also not the last. While such pyramidology has now drifted outside the bounds of serious science – depending on where you look on the internet, at least – once upon a time, it consumed the attention of one of the greatest minds on the planet.
"These notes are part of Newton's astonishingly complex web of interlinking studies – natural philosophy, alchemy, theology – only parts of which he ever believed were appropriate for publication," the auction listing explains.
"It is not surprising that he did not publish on alchemy, since secrecy was a widely-held tenet of alchemical research, and Newton's theological beliefs, if made public, would have cost him (at least) his career."
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert. Read the original article here.