How to use Audiobox, Meta AI’s new sound and voice cloning tool – Android Police

Meta introduced its generative AI model for speech, Voicebox, in mid-2023. Meta aims to take AI sound generation to the next level with Audiobox, Voicebox's successor. The innovative tool generates sound effects from text prompts, eliminates noise from speech recordings, creates a restyled voice, generates speech in the style of an audio clip, and more. Before we take it for a spin, let's learn more about Meta's Audiobox.

The Audiobox demo is available on the web only. Try it on your Mac, Windows desktop, or a top Chromebook.

Creating high-quality audio can be a challenging process. Not everyone is a sound engineer and has access to extensive tools to create audio. Here's where Meta's Audiobox comes into play. It's a sound-generation tool from Facebook AI Research (FAIR). Meta's latest offering generates audio and sound effects using voice inputs, text prompts, and a combination of both.

With Audiobox, Meta aims to lower the barrier of audio creation and make it easy for general users to create high-quality sound samples. Whether you want to create audio for a podcast, YouTube video, audiobook, or video game, Audiobox can be your helping hand to get the job done.

Generative AI has made audio creation and voice cloning popular. There is no shortage of such tools. Meta's Audiobox easily stands out from the crowd due to its unique capabilities. Here's what you can do with it:

All Audiobox features are available to try from the company's official website. You can generate audio samples, check previews, and download them to your device.

You can also move to the Sound Effects menu and describe the sound sample you want to create. Add enough details to get astute results from Audiobox. We ran several text prompts and were impressed with the generated sound effects.

Audiobox can produce sound samples that are close to how people speak naturally. It has led to concerns about AI-powered deepfakes. Especially since the US presidential elections are around the corner, you can't rule out misuse of such AI tools. Meta implements automatic audio watermarking on audio generated by Audiobox.

The embedded signal in the generated audio is negligible to the human ear but can be tracked to the frame level. Meta will also add a voice authentication to prevent impersonation. The person must speak a voice prompt while registering their voice. The text prompt refreshes every 50 seconds, so playing someone else's pre-recorded voice is difficult.

Meta decided against making the AI model open source to prevent potential misuse.

Meta has done a remarkable job with Audiobox. It's accurate and very good. Try it with different prompts and voice samples, and check the results. Besides Facebook, tech giants like Google and Microsoft are exploring generative artificial intelligence to create content.

The search giant recently launched Google Bard to take on Open AI's (and Microsoft) ChatGPT. Read our dedicated post to learn more about Google Bard. We also compared Google Bard with ChatGPT to find their capabilities, limitations, and potential.

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How to use Audiobox, Meta AI's new sound and voice cloning tool - Android Police

Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken adopts Hi Auto’s voice cloning feature at drive-thru – QSR Web

Guests at select Ohio Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken restaurants will hear the voice of former NFL player Keith Byars as a partnership with AI platform Hi Auto. Photo: Hi Auto

Dec. 13, 2023

Hi Auto, an AI ordering brand, has launched its AI voice-cloning feature for QSRs. It allows restaurants to fully customize voice options into their drive-thru voice AI ordering tech, according to a press release.

Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, an early adopter of Hi Auto's drive-thru voice AL ordering technology, will launch the new voice cloning feature as a test in select Ohio drive-thru locations. Guests who visit Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken Ohio locations will be greeted with the voice of sports broadcaster and former NFL player Keith Byars. Byars grew up in Ohio and played football at Ohio State. In 2000, he was inducted into the Ohio State Hall of Fame and in 2020 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Byers proceeded to play in the National Football League for 13 seasons, playing for teams including Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Currently, Byars hosts "The Keith Byars Show" which can be heard on ESPN 1410 WING-AM in Dayton, Ohio.

"Lee's has been blessed to partner with Hi Auto since December of 2020, utilizing their AI voice recognition technology to help our employees and restaurants through the pandemic. We look forward to implementing their latest innovation to make our customer's drive-thru experience the most unique experience in the Dayton market," Chuck Doran, Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken owner and operator, said in the press release. "We've partnered with Keith Byars since his radio program launched 2018. The integrity, quality and excellence Keith brought to the football field and continues to bring to his broadcasts is what we strive to provide every customer that visits Lee's. This is just one more step in that quest."

"Three years ago, Lee's embarked on a pioneering journey with Hi Auto, leveraging their cutting-edge artificial intelligence for our drive-thru orders, marking a milestone in operational efficiency and customer service," Ryan Weaver, CEO of Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, said in the press release. "This collaboration not only enhanced our labor efficiency by saving approximately five to six hours daily, but also significantly improved order consistency and upselling conversions."

Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken operates more than 130 restaurants in 12 U.S. states and in Canada.

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Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken adopts Hi Auto's voice cloning feature at drive-thru - QSR Web

A Self Cloning Invasive Species Could Soon Take Over Texas – klaq.com

Who knew that one little crayfish could cause such a big problem? In Texas, this self-cloning aquatic species could soon take over!

Recently, the Texas Parks and Wildlife department sent out a warning on social media alerting all Texans about this possible invasive species called The Marbled Crayfish.

Look at that little fella! This lady is the real definition of "she don't need no man!" because TPWD say these all female crayfish can reproduce without males by cloning! The seriously crazy part, as the organization puts it, is that "the release of a single individual could start an entire invasive population".

TPWD is warning Texans if you have these critters as pets in your aquarium DO NOT release them into the wild! First of all, I didn't know that you could get crayfish and keep them as pets! My next question would be- can you eat them? Which, apparently you can, but I digress.

Now, I didn't think these little crayfish could do so much damage, they're so tiny! But apparently they can, and they have! They have previously spread through Europe and Africa and even appeared in Japan!

As for the science behind why they can self-clone? Well, I think this guy can explain it better than me!

Now the topic of banning the sale of marbled crayfish has come up; to which the TPWD responded by saying:

TPWD did consider prohibiting possession/sale of this species. But, Marbled Crayfish are directly descended via a mutation in aquaculture from the Georgia/Florida native Slough Crayfish, which are also sold in the aquarium trade but arenot self-cloning and so pose much less of a threat. There is no way to tell them apart other than genetic testing.

This would make enforcement of such a ban extremely difficult unless both species were banned and regulations must be enforceable.

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A Self Cloning Invasive Species Could Soon Take Over Texas - klaq.com

Metaverse cloning tech uses AI to create virtual versions of you that live in games you cant always c… – The Sun

ARTIFICIAL intelligence cloning is poised to become the next big thing in the technology sector - and maybe even our lives.

Meta recently unveiled its AI-powered chatbots and many of them feature likenesses of celebrities - or celeb AI clones.

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This is thanks to its Llama 2 technology, which can generate AI "characters" or "animations" based on real people.

Another company called Delphi lets users create virtual clones of themselves or anyone else.

To generate an AI clone via Delphi, all users need to do is upload some form of identification and as many as thousands of files, including emails, chat transcripts, and even YouTube videos.

It's apparent that this technology is quickly taking over the industry and this is only the beginning, experts say.

MichaelPuscar, Co-founder ofAI firm NPCx, which is developing its own AI cloning technology for the gaming sector, explains the phenomenon further.

"Our aim is to allow video game players toclonethemselves into video games, acting on their behalf in the game when theyre unavailable to play," he told The U.S. Sun in an email.

"You can imagine the following situation: you and I are set to play Call of Duty tonight but at the last minute, your partner unknowingly made a dinner reservation. Now Im stuck, or am I? Im not if I can play with or against yourclone," Puscar said.

NPCxs product is called BehaviorX, and it has not yet been released to the public, he said, but it could be central to the development of the metaverse.

The term metaverse was popularized by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg and describes a virtual world that combines social media, cryptocurrency, augmented reality, and gaming.

"Our clones need to exist in not just a video game environment but in the Metaverse as well," Puscar said.

"In both cases, the goal is such that when you interact with these clones they are in every way indistinguishable from the person from whom they were cloned."

To create theclones, NPCx asks players to play the game and observe them and their environment in great detail.

"We specifically ask them to take certain actions in the game, not unlike how actors are asked to take specific actions on a motion capture stage," Puscar said.

"This gives us what we need to train our models and create theclone."

Puscar added that by generating characters based on real-world people, the company can also create non-player characters (NPCs) with deep personalities, who act and react in realistic ways.

When asked what the appeal of AI clones is in gaming, Puscar had a simple answer.

"For gamers, playing alongside or againstAIclonesof real-world players orcelebritiesadds an element of realism and excitement to the gaming experience," he said.

"It's about creating a more engaging, interactive, and personalized form of entertainment that resonates with the user's interests and preferences."

Beyond gaming and chatbots, Puscar anticipates seeing AI cloning technology employed in a variety of applications.

"This could include virtual training environments, interactive educational tools, personalized digital assistants, and more," he said.

"The entertainment industry, in particular, stands to benefit significantly, with possibilities ranging from personalized movie experiences to virtual concerts featuring digitalclonesof artists.

Still, while this all sounds like good fun, the ethics around digitalclonesare "perilous," Puscar explained.

"Once youve trained yourclone, your likeness is acting in ways out of your control. In theory, if the algorithms are working properly, it is acting in ways that you would act," he said.

"But we cannot control the counterparty, and you can imagine situations where someone nefarious decides to simulate sexual acts with aclone, uses profane language, or otherwise attempts to put them into compromising situations."

Therefore, it is imperative to make sure thatclonesare created and used ethically, he said.

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Metaverse cloning tech uses AI to create virtual versions of you that live in games you cant always c... - The Sun

FTC warns of scammers cloning voices with AI technology during phone calls – ABC NEWS 4

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV)

AI technology makes life easier in many ways, doing jobs or tasks that humans would normally do. It helps some people drive their cars, it helps doctors diagnose illnesses but it also helps scammers swindle unsuspecting victims.

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) issued a warning that scammers are now cloning people's voices in order to make phone scams sound more convincing.

The scams target victims who often give up money, believing the scammer is someone else often a family member who needs urgent help.

In "family emergency scams," a victim gets a call from someone who claims the victim's loved one is in trouble (in jail or in another country without a passport) and needs money. Senior citizens are often targets of these scams.

AI technology makes it very easy for fraudsters to clone a person's voice and use it during the scam phone call.

Amacher said with AI technology advancing very quickly, it takes just a small sample of someone's voice to create a voice clone.

Scammers can find samples of people's voices all over the internet on social media. They can use those samples to create a clone that says whatever they want.

Amacher said figuring out what's fake and what's real is a serious issue that our society will have to grapple with. He said we will have to be more careful about what information we give away and what we post on social media.

Katie Hart, Director of Utah Division of Consumer Protection said currently there are no local laws on the books to protect consumers who get ripped-off during AI scams.

For now, she said, the best protection for consumers is to be aware of these scams and question any phone calls that sound suspicious.

If you can't get a hold of that person, call someone else you can trust that can help verify they are in fact okay and not in need of money.

Utah lawmakers passed legislation in 2022 to form a cyber security commission, to "gather information and share best practices on cyber security".

The recently-formed commission has not yet addressed AI and scams.

Maggie Hutchens, a recent UVU graduate in UVU's cyber security studies program said laws have not caught up with AI scammers.

She said it's urgent for lawmakers to address this issue before more people are hurt. She said just like scammers use data to victimize people, lawmakers can use data to create policy to protect people.

"I don't think we need to wait for hundreds of thousands of dollars to be taken from people before we address the issue," she said.

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FTC warns of scammers cloning voices with AI technology during phone calls - ABC NEWS 4

When my mom died, I wanted to clone her – Insider

The author and his mother. Courtesy of the author

I suffered grief of biblical proportions when my mother died at 90 in 2018. In a haze of sadness, it seemed comforting to imagine cloning her in a fertility clinic lab, where I could raise her as my daughter.

My mother, Naimma, was born in a remote village by the Tigris river in Iraq, where she faced many hardships. She grew up in a small Arabic community that shared the Muslim religion. She was shaped by her parents, whom I never met. She mourned their early deaths, praying for them at the cemetery daily for years. She had an arranged marriage at 13 and welcomed her first child at 14. I was No. 5 of her six kids. She had just come to the US when I was born and had to learn English.

I was 12 when my father died suddenly in 1969 from a heart attack. My mother now had to navigate raising her children on her own. She took the GRE, worked hard at California State University, Los Angeles, and obtained her teaching credentials. She taught for the Los Angeles Unified School District in the inner city until she retired.

She was so proud that I was going to be a doctor and made it possible for me to pay for medical school in Los Angeles. I want to thank her for the sacrifices she made to ensure my life was better. I wished I could make her new life better.

But after re-tethering to reality about cloning my mother, I saw the futility in my fantasy. She would be a project, a designed object with unrealistic expectations. She would grow up loving me as a father. Parenting is a social activity, not purely biological.

My cloned mom would be over 90 years younger than my real mom. Though she might look like her eventually, she would not have the unique experiences that made her the woman I missed so much.

My cloned mom would not meet or marry my father. She would not have her hilarious malaprops, like "The Star Bangler Spangle" and, "You are a rat pack." She would not be guiding me to the hadj in Mecca and showing me the traditions of Ramadan.

Now religion would be her choice. She would not be underemployed because of her early limited access to education. Her eventual medical issues could be mitigated or even prevented, as I'd be aware of what her body did as she aged. I would not have to stand by watching her slowly slide toward dementia.

What relationship would my brothers and sisters have to a reincarnation of our mother? Some have already passed away, so even before my new mom was born, she would have children who died. The rest of them could be jealous that she would love me more than them. They would be confused aunts and uncles instead of sons and daughters.

A clone is not a perfect copy of an individual. If we cloned John F. Kennedy, Princess Diana, or Martin Luther King Jr., these children would be unlikely to meet the expectations to achieve what was accomplished by their genetic predecessors.

No, there would be no solace in attempting to recreate my mother. The new Naimma would be a completely different person, even if, anatomically, she had the same genome. She would not be my mom, whom I miss so much.

Samir Shahin, MD, is a family-practice physician in Los Angeles. He wrote a sci-fi romance novel, "Override," about sending embryos into space with an artificial-intelligence caretaker.

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When my mom died, I wanted to clone her - Insider

A.I. Week: The future is here and it’s cloning your voice – WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit

(WXYZ) The future is here, and its using your voice. There are already apps available where you can use artificial voices, listen to them, or you can make one.

Now some of these voices are pretty familiar: JFK, Barack Obama, Kevin Hart, the list goes on.

"It's pretty scary," said one Shelby Township resident. Adding that she would "absolutely" believe that it was a real person.

Those voices were made using an app called Play.ht. The app can also create clones of voices. It took a couple hours but I created a clone of my own voice.

Artificial intelligence clones Sarah's voice

"Were at a point in time with artificial intelligence where you can recreate somebody's voice after just having 3 seconds of their audio," said Sinead Bovell, Futurist and WAYE founder.

WAYE is a company which educates on the future of technology. Bovell travels the world to talk about artificial intelligence.

Related:

While Bovell is worried about the technology, she said she feels in some ways we have been here before.

"When the radio was invented, it disrupted so many things and there was a lot of legitimate fear," she said.

As with most all progression, Bovell says there are pros and cons to the artificial intelligence.

Full interview with futurist and founder of WAYE

Pros: it can be used to give people with disabilities back their ability to speak and make a lot of peoples jobs easier when it comes to careers like podcasting and video creation.

Cons: alarm bells have been ringing as to artificial intelligence scams where bad actors have used A.I. voice cloning to pretend to be someone else, threatening them over the phone or attempting to gain access to bank accounts.

"As A.I. becomes more advanced and more pervasive that means things like phone calls and different video segments we may see, we have to think critically about how those were created or who is actually behind them," said Bovell.

She says there is artificial intelligence in the works to let you know if a voice is real or fake.

Its a bit of a cat and mouse game, but what you can do is call family or friends directly to confirm their identity, come up with a safe word, and be very careful with what phone numbers you pick up for, as well as with who you share your personal information.

Similar to when the internet came out, we all need to educate ourselves, and prepare to adjust.

"Kinda scary but at the same time I think its just the advancement of ... the world now," said Imani Jones of Detroit.

Bovell adds, "we really have been here before and we of course will find ways to move through it."

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A.I. Week: The future is here and it's cloning your voice - WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit

Ahsoka’s Baylan Actually Could Be This Huge Star Wars Character … – Screen Rant

The upcoming Ahsoka series will feature Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, and this seemingly new antagonist could actually be an existing Star Wars character. Baylan was first revealed in the Ahsoka teaser trailer at Star Wars Celebration 2023, wielding an orange lightsaber and clashing blades with Ahsoka Tano. Not much is known about Baylan and his apprentice, Shin Hati, other than that they're working with Morgan Elsbeth, meaning they could team up with Grand Admiral Thrawn himself. While this would tie in nicely with Ahsoka's mission, it also hints at Baylan having a secret identity that will change the course of both Ahsoka and the Mandoverse.

Related: Ray Stevenson Gies Insight Into Ahsoka's Orange Lightsaber-Wielding Villains

If Baylan is revealed to be an existing Star Wars character, several story possibilities would open up based on that character's history. This would allow the team behind Ahsoka to tie Baylan's character into Thrawn's plan and create even more connections to the other Star Wars TV shows. The concepts that would become available could lead to a lot of really fun and creative moments in Ahsoka, taking the live-action Star Wars show to the next level. All of these possibilities hinge on Baylan being confirmed as an existing Star Wars character, and there's actually quite a bit of evidence to suggest that it will happen.

There's a good chance that Baylan is actually Joruus C'Baoth from Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy of books. In the Star Wars Legends timeline, Joruus C'Baoth was a mad clone of Jedi Master Jorus C'Baoth, who teamed up with Thrawn in Heir to the Empire as a means of achieving his own goals. He tried converting Luke Skywalker to his side, but Luke saw how he had fallen to the dark and refused, which led to a climactic duel at the end of the trilogy. Given the Star Wars TV shows' focus on Imperial cloning and C'Baoth's connection to Thrawn, making Baylan his canon equivalent would make sense for the story.

Thrawn first met Jorus C'Baoth in the years before the Clone Wars, where the two came into a conflict that ended with Thrawn destroying C'Baoth and the Outbound Flight project. Perhaps something similar happened in canon, which would explain Thrawn creating C'Baoth's clone, or discovering that Palpatine had created him, like in Legends. Baylan bears a striking resemblance to C'Baoth, albeit with much shorter hair, and being a dark Jedi could explain the meaning behind the orange lightsaber color. Perhaps Baylan will try to recruit Ahsoka as C'Baoth did with Luke in Legends, given that she's technically no longer a Jedi.

Baylan being Joruus C'Baoth would also set up more Jedi clones, just like in the Thrawn trilogy. In The Last Command, C'Baoth created a clone of Luke named Luuke Skywalker, grown from the hand that he lost in The Empire Strikes Back. Incorporating Luke as a villain would be an incredibly bold way to feature him in Ahsoka, and having a slightly altered clone would allow for a new actor, rather than another CGI recreation of Mark Hamill. This would also be a great way to continue Ahsoka's character arc, as an evil Luke would remind her of Anakin Skywalker and drudge up old wounds that she hasn't fully overcome.

Another shocking possibility would be Ezra Bridger, who was last seen disappearing with Thrawn into hyperspace. Since Thrawn knows that Ahsoka is looking for Ezra, perhaps he'll create a clone to fool her and eventually strike when Thrawn sees fit. This would make for an incredible twist if the show waited a few episodes before the reveal, and it would make the real Ezra's return even more satisfying. Star Wars Rebels briefly teased Ezra turning to the dark side in season 3, but this idea was quickly dropped, so having an evil Ezra clone is a great opportunity to build on this concept.

Related: Did New Ahsoka Footage Tease Ezra Bridger's Turn To The Dark Side?

If Ahsoka does bring back Joruus C'Baoth and even clones of existing characters, then Star Wars canon should also bring Mara Jade into the Mandalorian era. She was an integral part of the Thrawn trilogy, the former Emperor's Hand who had failed to kill Luke Skywalker, only to team up with him to stop C'Baoth. She was the one who killed Luke's evil clone and C'Baoth himself, so given how intertwined their stories are in Legends, she deserves to be brought back if he is. Of course, much of Mara's Legends story would no longer work in canon, namely her marriage to Luke, but there are ways to work around this.

If Luke and Mara were to meet in canon, then there could be some slight adjustments to their history. They could simply be friends or allies, or have a brief romance that doesn't lead to marriage, allowing some of their story to be the same without contradicting canon. Mara was eventually killed in Legends, so her death could be shifted to earlier in the timeline, explaining her absence in the sequel trilogy and maybe even allowing her and Luke to have been married after all. However, if Mara doesn't appear in Ahsoka, her role could be filled by a different character, such as a former Inquisitor or even Shin Hati.

Related: Ahsoka Villains Explained: Names, Identity, Weapons & More

Mount Tantiss is one of the most significant elements to be reincorporated into Star Wars canon, and it carries even greater importance if Baylan is in fact Joruus C'Baoth. The Emperor's secret cloning facility first appeared in Heir to the Empire, guarded by Joruus C'Baoth himself, which brought the mad Jedi into conflict with Thrawn before they agreed to work together. Mount Tantiss returned to canon in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and this would be the perfect setup for Joruus C'Baoth to return in Ahsoka. Thrawn also used Mount Tantiss in Legends to create his own clone army, which ties in nicely with a Jedi clone.

Because Mount Tantiss was used for Palpatine's cloning project, a Jedi clone would set up his return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The Star Wars TV shows have hinted that the various cloning projects all lead to Palpatine or Snoke, with Thrawn's "Project Necromancer" being the most recent hint. C'Baoth's appearance would honor the original Thrawn story, build on Star Wars' current projects, and set up the future timeline all at once. The Star Wars franchise has done an excellent job setting up a canon adaptation of the Thrawn trilogy, and having Ahsoka's Baylan be Joruus C'Baoth would serve as the final piece that brings it all together.

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Ahsoka's Baylan Actually Could Be This Huge Star Wars Character ... - Screen Rant

Star Wars Is Finally Getting Over Its Palpatine Obsession… But … – Screen Rant

Star Wars is finally moving away from its obsession with Emperor Palpatine, but a certain storyline involving Grand Admiral Thrawn could undo that progress. Palpatines return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was highly controversial not only did it seem convoluted within the context of the Skywalker sagas overarching narrative, but it also came across as an attempt to cash in on nostalgia. Making Rey a Palpatine was unnecessary, but Star Wars has, at the very least, been trying to make more sense of Darth Sidious return through other media since The Rise of Skywalkers release.

These attempts include comic series like Charles Soules The Rise of Kylo Ren, which goes some way to explain how Palpatine manipulated Ben Solo through Snoke. Star Wars: The Bad Batch has also delved into the possible circumstances of Palpatines return, taking a closer look at the cloning research that occurred after the rise of the Empire. Even so, Star Wars is a franchise with endless possibilities it can, and should, move past Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader as its main antagonists. Thankfully, Star Wars has been taking steps in the right direction, with several upcoming projects seemingly neglecting Palpatine entirely. However, the threat of Palpatine could still be looming over a certain corner of the Star Wars universe.

Three recent and upcoming Star Wars projects have avoided Palpatine in their stories. While it seemed as though The Mandalorian would reveal its cloning storyline as being Palpatines failed attempts at Snoke, the clones turned out to be Moff Gideons instead even Grogus involvement was explained as Gideons plan to gain Force abilities himself. The Acolyte, an upcoming Star Wars show set during the tail end of the High Republic, cannot include Palpatine, as he wasnt even born yet. Reys new Jedi Order movie surely wont include Palpatine; his being resurrected once again would be a terrible decision and undermine what the movie is supposed to represent: the start of a new Star Wars era.

These projects are all the better because they exclude Palpatine. The Emperor is an iconic villain, one who has undoubtedly provided incredible storytelling moments and interesting plot twists. But a franchise as expansive as Star Wars cant rely on the legacy of one villain forever, and The Mandalorian, The Acolyte, the High Republic Era at large, and Reys upcoming New Jedi Order movie all prove why its so important to create new characters or focus on ones that havent had a chance to truly shine yet in live-action canon. Enter: Grand Admiral Thrawn.

As Ahsoka will partially function as a Star Wars Rebels sequel, its no wonder the show is bringing back Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn, both in canon and Legends, has proven to be a formidable enemy and tactical mastermind. He poses a serious threat to the heroes of the Mandoverse and will undoubtedly shake up the status quo. It seems likely that Ahsoka, The Mandalorian season 4, The Mandalorian movie, and perhaps even Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will tell an overarching canon adaptation of the Heir to the Empire storyline. Thrawn, on his own, is an incredibly compelling character, and yet certain hints from The Mandalorian season 3 may link his story to Palpatines.

Related: Who Is Grand Admiral Thrawn? Star Wars Villain Origin & Future

Should that link exist? Arguably, no, though its a tough line to walk. While Project Necromancer and Thrawns hinted cloning efforts could be part of Palpatines backstory, it seems a shame to have a character as interesting as Thrawn be merely another cog in Palpatines master plan. While Star Wars efforts to turn Palpatines resurrection into something more believable have been mostly successful, theres a risk of using the remaining Mandoverse story merely as a vehicle to make The Rise of Skywalker more meaningful. But doing that also makes sense, given the Mandoverses placement in the timeline. As long as Star Wars stories are being told between the prequel, original, and sequel trilogies, theres always a risk that Palpatine might overshadow the everything.

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Star Wars Is Finally Getting Over Its Palpatine Obsession... But ... - Screen Rant

What is Cloning – University of Utah

Many people first heard of cloning when Dolly the Sheep showed up on the scene in 1997. Artificial cloning technologies have been around for much longer than Dolly, though.

There are two ways to make an exact genetic copy of an organism in a lab: artificial embryo twinning and somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Artificial embryo twinning is a relatively low-tech way to make clones. As the name suggests, this technique mimics the natural process that creates identical twins.

In nature, twins form very early in development when the embryo splits in two. Twinning happens in the first days after egg and sperm join, while the embryo is made of just a small number of unspecialized cells. Each half of the embryo continues dividing on its own, ultimately developing into separate, complete individuals. Since they developed from the same fertilized egg, the resulting individuals are genetically identical.

Artificial embryo twinning uses the same approach, but it is carried out in a Petri dish instead of inside the mother. A very early embryo is separated into individual cells, which are allowed to divide and develop for a short time in the Petri dish. The embryos are then placed into a surrogate mother, where they finish developing. Again, since all the embryos came from the same fertilized egg, they are genetically identical.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), also called nuclear transfer, uses a different approach than artificial embryo twinning, but it produces the same result: an exact genetic copy, or clone, of an individual. This was the method used to create Dolly the Sheep.

What does SCNT mean? Let's take it apart:

Somatic cell: A somatic cell is any cell in the body other than sperm and egg, the two types of reproductive cells. Reproductive cells are also called germ cells. In mammals, every somatic cell has two complete sets of chromosomes, whereas the germ cells have only one complete set.

Nuclear: The nucleus is a compartment that holds the cell's DNA. The DNA is divided into packages called chromosomes, and it contains all the information needed to form an organism. It's small differences in our DNA that make each of us unique.

Transfer: Moving an object from one place to another. To make Dolly, researchers isolated asomatic cell from an adult female sheep. Next they removed the nucleus and all of its DNA from an egg cell. Then theytransferred thenucleus from the somatic cell to the egg cell. After a couple of chemical tweaks, the egg cell, with its new nucleus, was behaving just like a freshly fertilized egg. It developed into an embryo, which was implanted into a surrogate mother and carried to term. (The transfer step is most often done using an electrical current to fuse the membranes of the egg and the somatic cell.)

The lamb, Dolly, was an exact genetic replica of the adult female sheep that donated the somatic cell. She was the first-ever mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell.

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What is Cloning - University of Utah

Cloning – Scratch Wiki

Cloning is a feature that allows a sprite to create a copy of itself while the project is running. Each clone has the same costumes, sounds, scripts, and variables as the original but is otherwise independent.

Cloning is different from stamping in that stamping only produces an image of the sprite on the stage, whereas clones are individual sprites that are able to interpret scripts and run seperately. Stamping will also by default stamp a bitmap image of the sprite. It is also different from the "duplicate" option in the sprite menu in that ordinary duplicates are permanent and appear in the sprite pane, whereas clones do not appear in the sprite pane, disappear when the stop sign is pressed, and can be sensed by other sprites using the Touching ()? block with the original sprite as its input.

There may only be 300 clones at once to prevent excessive lagging or crashes,[1] but 301 could be made in Scratch 2.0.[2]

Cloning is commonly used when a project has many similar sprites doing similar things. Because clones are created by the project rather than the user, cloning prevents the user from needing to make the same changes to each of many sprites. Some common uses of cloning include:

There are three blocks related to cloning, all of which are found in the control palette:

Clones can also create clones, which is often used for recursion.

If a variable is marked as "for this sprite only", each clone of the sprite will have its own value for the variable that is separate from the original sprite and all other clones. This can be used to store information for individual clones, such as health for enemies in some Game Projects.

There are two different types of cloning implemented in different Scratch modifications. They are commonly referred to as "Panther-style cloning" and "BYOB-style cloning".[citation needed]

In Panther-style cloning, a clone is a copy of a sprite, but it does not appear in the sprite pane, changes made to the original do not affect the clone, and it is deleted when the stop sign is pressed. Much of the code for cloning used in Panther was already present in Scratch 1.4. Scratch uses this style of cloning.

In BYOB-style cloning, each clone appears in the sprite pane, and may have scripts all of its own. Clones are created with the block (clone:: operators), which clones a sprite and reports the new clone; sprites are first class in BYOB. (The other important differences between cloning in Scratch and cloning in BYOB are that a clone in BYOB is not merely a copy of the original sprite but can share attributes, and that one can use the () of () to ask a sprite (whether it is a clone or not) for the value of a particular attribute. Snap!, the successor of BYOB 3, offers both temporary and permanent clones.)

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Cloning - Scratch Wiki

Mumbai: Is cheque cloning the new con in town? – mid-day.com

Dadar bizwoman says over Rs 47,000 was withdrawn from her account using a cheque even though she had never issued a single leaf

Hutoxi Panthaki, a businesswoman

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A businesswoman from Dadar received an SMS from HDFC Bank on Wednesday evening, informing her that over Rs 47,000 had been debited from her current account through cheque. Unlike other text messages from her bank, this bewildered her, as she had not issued any cheque. Hutoxi Panthaki checked her chequebook and found all the leaves intact.

She suspect that someone not only cloned her cheque, but also forged her signature. "I rushed to the bank the next day. The staff there initially insisted that I must have issued the cheque in the name of Mithon Kumar. The bank staff was convinced only after I showed them the blank leaves of my chequebook," she told mid-day.

Also Read: Heavy deposit flats: New modus of fraudsters in Mumbai

The bank staff showed her the copy of the issued cheque on laptop, she said. "They told me that they had found out where the cheque was deposited, so there was no need for me to file a police complaint." The bank in whose branch the money was deposited has credited R47,201 back to her account.

A spokesperson of the HDFC Bank told mid-day, "A physical cheque was presented under Cheque Truncation System to another bank... We will go to the police after some verification, and have also asked Panthaki to file a police complaint."

Original post:

Mumbai: Is cheque cloning the new con in town? - mid-day.com

Mom Shares Surprising Differences Between Her Cloned Cat and Original Cat – Yahoo Life

There's one in particular people freak out over.

Cloning animals has been becoming more common in recent years. In simple terms, the process involves transferring the DNA of an animal to an egg cell that has had its DNA and nucleus removed. This fairly new practice leaves many people with questions, so one woman who cloned her cat shared part of her experience.

TikTok user @clonekittyrecently shared a video of her cloned Ragdoll cat named Belle. This kitty was created with the DNA this woman's previous cat, Chai, that had passed away, and in the video, she shares some of the differences between Chai and Belle. Check out the video to see what makes this clone distinct compared to her DNA donor!

View the original article to see embedded media.

Wow, this is so interesting! Usually, people think that when you create a clone, they would be exactly the same as the original. However, these differences prove that's not the case! Many of these things, like their personality, can be attributed to the different way Belle was socialized as a kitten compared to Chai.

People in the comments discussed how the kitties share DNA but Belle's soul is entirely her own. @puplover1979said, "You can clone the cat but not the soul. Beautiful kitty, though!" and @sojournsmittencommented, "They have two different souls, so they're definitely not going to be the same personality." Everyone, even cloned cats, has a unique soul!

Others made comparisons to explain how they viewed the process of cloning. @whatsthatfactscommented, "Its just the same DNA, not the same animal. Kind of like identical twins!" Another user, @unofficialhannahtaylor, said, "So is it almost like your original cat had a baby without having to actually give birth to it? Thats how I see this." This seems like passing on DNA so there are some similarities while still having a cat with their own, unique quirks!

We loved learning more about how cloning animals works. This user has shared various other videos about the cloning process which provide further insight into the process and her reasoning, so view her account if you're still curious about cloning!

Do you have a pet who's funny, smart, full of personality, or just downright adorable? We'd love for you to submit a video of your fur baby for a chance to be featured on PetHelpful and our social channels! Click here to upload your clip and share your beloved pet with the world. For more interesting pet news, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Excerpt from:

Mom Shares Surprising Differences Between Her Cloned Cat and Original Cat - Yahoo Life

Dog Cloning Market increasing demand with Industry Professionals Sioux City Catholic Globe – Sioux City Catholic Globe

The proposed Dog Cloning Market report will encompass all the qualitative & quantitative aspects including the market size, market estimates, growth rates & forecasts & hence will give you a holistic view of the market. The study also includes detailed analysis of market drivers, restraints, technological advancements & competitive landscape along with various micro & macro factors influencing the Dog Cloningmarket dynamics.

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Dog Cloning Market increasing demand with Industry Professionals Sioux City Catholic Globe - Sioux City Catholic Globe

Fuel Card cloning on the rise, warns Backhouse Jones – CBW Magazine

News stories are free to read. Click here for full access to all the features, articles and archive from only 2.99.

Companies which use fuel cards may be at risk of being the victim of fuel card fraud and suffering the costs involved, warns road transport specialist solicitors Backhouse Jones, as fuel card cloning is on the rise. There has been a recent increase in fuel cards being cloned by fraudsters, resulting in operators becoming the victims of fraud and theft, the firm cautions, meaning stolen data is being used to create copied fuel cards with the charges going to the original card holder.

The firm advises operators to read the terms and conditions of agreements with fuel card providers and pay particular attention to the wording of the liability clause. It is imperative that you understand who is liable for costs in instances of theft and third-party fraud, the company said. Most of the terms and conditions that we review exclude liability of the fuel card provider, and maintain that the card holder is liable for costs in the event of theft and third-party fraud.

Should it occur, the operator risks being faced with the cost of stolen fuel from which they obtained no benefit, and no way of recouping the money. Backhouse Jones advises that companies should ensure that they have appropriate company-wide safety measures in place to limit exposure to theft and fraudulent behaviour, as well as ensuring that all drivers are aware that they need to protect their pin every time it is entered. Regular checks on fuel card transactions will also help minimise the impact, the firm advises.

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Fuel Card cloning on the rise, warns Backhouse Jones - CBW Magazine

For species on the very brink of extinction, cloning is a loaded last resort – Mongabay.com

For many people, extinction is a term that refers to the past. Its meant for dinosaurs, woolly mammoths and so many other species only found in textbooks or on display at museums.

Extinction is an abstract concept to many people. It was to me as a kid, says Oliver Ryder, director of conservation genetics at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

But the planet us growing less biodiverse each year. And extinction is a very real and present crisis. In September 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared 23 species to be newly extinct. And many species arent technically considered extinct because they live in captivity, even though they no longer exist in the wild. Where conventional conservation methods have stalled, there may be another option, one thats highly contentious, to pull a species back from the brink: cloning.

Right now, conventional conservation measures are struggling to keep up with the pace of the threats that face the world. Weve crippled populations to such fragmented and small sizes, says Ben Novak, lead scientist at Revive and Restore, a nonprofit organization that works to boost biodiversity through whats known as genetic rescue of endangered and extinct animals.

Biotechnologies, like cloning and gene editing, now give us a chance to accelerate the evolution of species so they can actually cope with change and survive it.

Cloning is one type of genetic rescue, an approach used to restore genetic diversity in a population and lower the risk of extinction. Today, we can clone some mammals, fish and amphibians, and potentially even marsupials, Novak says.

Often, when a species population crashes to very low levels, it undergoes a genetic bottleneck, where only a few individuals remain to pass on genes to future generations. That reduces the overall genetic diversity of the population, increasing the likelihood of inbreeding, which in turn raises the chances of offspring carrying recessive traits, further undermining the species survivability.

Where the conventional conservation methods of captive and assisted breeding are limited to working with the genetic material currently circulating within a species, cloning can reinject lost genetic diversity into the population, says Beth Shapiro, an evolutionary molecular biologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who also serves on the board of directors at Revive and Restore.

Increasing genetic diversity is likely to benefit by providing genetic fodder for natural selection, she says.

Right now, cloning is the only way to produce an actual copy of an animal from a non-reproductive cell, Novak says.

In December 2020, a team of researchers led by Revive and Restore cloned the first black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), which they named Elizabeth Ann. Today, all black-footed ferrets descend from only seven individuals, so every ferret is related in some way. Elizabeth Ann is a clone from a different population and has three times more genetic diversity than any other ferret alive. So if she breeds successfully, she will contribute new genetic diversity to the population.

Earlier in 2020, scientists from Revive and Restore also successfully cloned a Przewalskis horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), which they named Kurt.

Cloning cant happen unless tissues samples, like skin, are biobanked, which means theyre frozen for preservation and stored in a biorepository. As a species declines, it loses genetic diversity within the populations. Thats why its important for researchers to collect tissue samples whenever possible to leave options open for the future, Novak says.

For any species on the brink of extinction, what we can be doing right now is saving as many tissue samples as possible so that in the future if they go extinct or they get really rare we can reach into the past and get something back that weve lost, he says.

However, an animal can only be cloned if the technology already exists to breed it in captivity, because researchers need to know how to handle it and how it reproduces, Novak says. So cloning should never be aimed at replacing captive-breeding programs or nudging out other reproductive technologies, he says. But there will be different scenarios that favor different approaches.

With cloning, scientists take cells from tissues, like the skin, and a reproductive egg from a common ancestor. They remove the nucleus, the part that holds the genetic material, and then fuse the ancestor cell with the skin cell, so that the fused cell then only contains the genes from the animal theyre cloning. The fused cell is now an embryo that a surrogate will carry.

Proponents of cloning say such a method could work to revive the northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a subspecies down to its last two individuals. Theres currently another project underway to save the northern white rhino, not with cloning but with stem cell technology. In this case, scientists revert cells from tissues samples to stem cells. Once they are stem cells, they have the potential to become any kind of cell, like reproductive egg and sperm cells.

The difference between cloning and stem cell technologies is that, with the latter, scientists arent making an identical copy of the donor. Instead, they are creating the circumstances so that cells can produce offspring through sexual reproduction, says the Wildlife Alliances Ryder.

There are only two northern white rhinos left in the world: Najin and her daughter, Fatu. In October 2021, Najin was retired as a potential egg donor due to age and illness, so now Fatu is the only donor left.

Experts like Ryder and Shapiro say theyre confident that one day they will successfully create a northern white rhino, but it will take a long time and there are a lot of challenges and unknowns along the way.

In mid-2021, the German government-funded initiative BioRescue announced that it had successfully created 12 northern white rhino embryos.

But still, the embryos need to be successfully transferred to a surrogate that is a common ancestor with the same gestational period. And in this case, that would be the southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum).

However, there has never been a successful embryo transfer in a rhino to date, Ryder says.

Southern white rhinos also faced a population decline and subsequent genetic bottleneck due to poaching. The population crashed to as low as 30 individuals, limiting genetic diversity, before bouncing back to a population today of more than 10,000 individuals, but with much less diversity than before.

In fact, researchers at the Wildlife Alliance sequenced the 12 cell cultures that they have in their Frozen Zoo and found more genetic diversity in those 12 cultures than in the entire population of southern white rhinos, Ryder says.

So genetically, they have the potential to recover, he says. The technology just isnt there yet to make the jump from frozen embryo to live rhino calf.

Although some may argue that intervening in the evolution of plants and animals is unnatural, Shapiro points out that humans have been intervening for tens of thousands of years already. She says we shouldnt reject new technologies until the risks and potential are fully evaluated.

I think in biotechnology, sometimes we get lost in the can we do this? And the goal of an ethics analysis is to answer the question, should we do this biotechnology? says Samantha Wisely, a conservation geneticist at the University of Florida.

Wisely was a part of a team that recently published an ethics analysis of cloning as a form of genetic rescue and looked at black-footed ferrets as a case study.

The ethical analysis took into consideration whether the goals of the program are justified, whether cloning can be done responsibly, and whether theres support from the public and within the conservation community.

For the ferrets, cloning was really the only way, Wisely says. The remaining individuals were highly inbred and there were no new individuals to bring in and add to that genetic diversity.

Revive and Restores Novak points out that captive-breeding programs are already heavily managed. Animals dont get to choose who they mate with; theyre paired together based on whos related to who. With cloning, scientists are just expanding their options, he says.

The use of somatic cells, like skin cells, is also much less invasive than collecting reproductive cells, the analysis points out. Using somatic cells to create genetically identical animals has been used in the livestock industry in the U.S. for more than a decade.

And ultimately, whether or not cloning should be done as a means of genetic rescue should be considered on a case-by-case basis, Wisely says.

The way to save species is to save them in their habitats, Ryder says. But the fact that we have species going extinct means that its not being realized to the fullest extent.

An additional set of options offers the future the possibility that wouldnt otherwise have existed, he adds.

Over the next few years, Revive and Restore hopes to make more clones of Elizabeth Ann and Kurt as well as some new, unique Przewalskis horses, Novak says.

He says this also gives them an opening to use gene editing or genetic engineering. For instance, they can sequence the genomes of ferrets that died in the early 1900s and find genes that are potentially beneficial, like ones for disease resistance. Scientists can write those genes back into living ferrets, providing a genetic boost to the current population.

The technology is unfolding in real time. And its important to engage global stakeholders who will be affected by the adoption of these approaches, while the technology is still developing, Shapiro says.

The pace of change is too fast today for evolution by natural selection to keep up, she says.

If we want to live in a future that is both biodiverse and filled with people, then we have no choice but to continue to intervene as we always have in more deliberate, thoughtful, and careful ways.

Banner image of a cloned Przewalskis horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) named Kurt. Kurt was born on April 6, 2020. Courtesy of Revive & Restore.

Citation:

Sandler,R.L., Moses,L., & Wisely,S.M. (2021). An ethical analysis of cloning for genetic rescue: Case study of the Black-footed ferret.Biological Conservation,257, 109118. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109118

Editors note: This story was supported by XPRIZE Rainforest as part of their five-year competition to enhance understanding of the rainforest ecosystem. In respect to Mongabays policy on editorial independence, XPRIZE Rainforest does not have any right to assign, review, or edit any content published with their support.

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For species on the very brink of extinction, cloning is a loaded last resort - Mongabay.com

Veritone’s MARVEL.ai Brings Synthetic Cloning Capabilities to Iconic Voice of The Bert Show Host and Georgia Radio Hall of Fame Member Bert Weiss -…

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Veritone, Inc. (NASDAQ: VERI), creator of aiWARE, a hyper-expansive enterprise AI platform, today announced it has signed a deal with The Bert Show, hosted by Georgia Radio Hall of Famer Bert Weiss. Selecting Veritones award-winning MARVEL.ai for its high-quality custom synthetic voice cloning solution, the popular nationally syndicated morning show can securely and efficiently create text-to-speech and speech-to-speech versions of Berts iconic and sought-after voice for a myriad of projects without his physical presence required.

I am really excited to start using Veritones MARVEL.ai. Seems like it makes the impossible possible, says Weiss, who began hosting the show in 2001. They say you cant be in two places at the same time but were sure getting close. Between The Bert Show syndication, my new podcasting network, Pionaire, my family and my nonprofit organization, Berts Big Adventure, time is at a premium. Were all pressed for time.

Recutting production or creating new promotional content is vital but time consuming. Im excited to start experimenting with MARVEL.ais synthetic voice quality. And it sure looks easy to use. Veritone promises us professional services, guidance and support to give our Show Director Tommy Owen the ability to develop original content and repurpose audio clips with nothing needed from me other than my consent. Not only will that reduce production cost but also expands where and how my voice can be heard.

Nationally syndicated through Cumulus Media in 27 markets across the U.S and originating from the studios of Atlanta-based WWWQ, a Top 40 outlet branded as Q100, The Bert Show features Weiss along with co-hosts Kristin Klingshirn, Davi Crimmins and Moe Mitchell who offer a blend of lifestyle advice, national entertainment news, celebrity interviews, humor and on-air community. The programs success lies in its original unscripted content and the openness of cast members to share the most intimate and vulnerable details of their lives. This openness is what keeps the shows 1 million+ listeners coming back for more every day via radio and podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcasts.

Partnering with The Bert Show to bring synthetic voice capabilities through MARVEL.ai is a significant step for us both, says Veritone President Ryan Steelberg. We share a passion for and a commitment to evolving with changing listening habits of consumers as well as content evolution. As a leader in the AI industry, Veritone is continually extending the power of synthetic voice technology in innovative and inclusive ways. We are confident the next 20 years will be even more remarkable for The Bert Show than the 20 past.

Veritones MARVEL.ai, named a 2021 NAB SHOW Product of the Year, is a hyper-realistic synthetic voice solution that allows clients to ethically and securely create and monetize professional-quality synthetic voice that can be easily personalized into different genders, languages, dialects, accents and more. Built on Veritone's aiWARE, the first operating system for AI, the self-serve application supports both text-to-speech and speech-to-speech. Addressing the need for media companies, brands, broadcasters and advertisers to fulfill increasing consumer cravings for new content, MARVEL.ai reduces production costs by speeding the process of getting content to market while expanding audience reach exponentially.

Read Veritones whitepaper to learn more about voice cloning.

To learn more about Veritone, visit Veritone.com.

About Veritone

Veritone (NASDAQ: VERI) is a leader in enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Serving organizations in both commercial and regulated sectors, Veritones software, services, and industry applications simplify data management, empowering the largest and most recognizable brands in the world to run more efficiently, accelerate decision making and increase profitability. Veritones hyper-expansive Enterprise AI platform, aiWARE, orchestrates an ever-growing ecosystem of machine learning models to transform audio, video and other data sources into actionable intelligence. Through its robust partner ecosystem and professional and managed services, Veritone develops and builds AI solutions that solve the problems of today and tomorrow.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as may, will, expect, believe, anticipate, intend, could, estimate or continue or the negative or other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Assumptions relating to the foregoing involve judgments and risks with respect to various matters which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond the control of Veritone. Certain of such judgments and risks are discussed in Veritones SEC filings. Although Veritone believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove inaccurate and, therefore, there can be no assurance that the results contemplated in forward-looking statements will be realized. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking information included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by Veritone or any other person that their objectives or plans will be achieved. Veritone undertakes no obligation to revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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Veritone's MARVEL.ai Brings Synthetic Cloning Capabilities to Iconic Voice of The Bert Show Host and Georgia Radio Hall of Fame Member Bert Weiss -...

Global Synthetic Biology (Enzymes, Cloning Technologies Kits) Market Report 2021-2027 – Opportunities in the Development of Vaccines and Personalized…

DUBLIN, January 06, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Synthetic Biology Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Enzymes, Cloning Technologies Kits), by Technology (PCR, NGS), by Application (Non-Healthcare, Healthcare), by End Use, and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global synthetic biology market size is estimated to reach USD 31.97 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 20.8%

Extensive applications of synthetic biology in multiple fields is a major impact rendering driver of the market. For instance, the technique is used for the development of biofuel from microorganisms in the bioenergy field.

Several market participants have produced materials and textiles with the use of synthetic biology. Bolt Threads, a material developing company that produced engineered spider silk ties, and Colorifix are developing dyes with biological systems.

In addition, the market has provided the agriculture industry with alternative fertilizer options, which are not harmful. For instance, Pivot Bio, a California-based company, has established a technique of fertilizing crops without relying on a harmful polluting chemical process.

Extending clinical applications of synthetic biology, the potential of the technique to accelerate drug development, and enhancing market competition are some key aspects driving the industry. The COVID-19 pandemic is set to drive applications and investments in this space.

For instance, in January 2021, FDA approved Phase III trials of carrimycin - a synthetic biological drug treatment for COVID-19. This drug includes anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-fibrosis, as well as antibacterial effects.

Synthetic Biology Market Report Highlights

Oligonucleotide/oligo pools and synthetic DNA held the dominant share in the product segment owing to the increased application scope of the product in the research field

The enzymes product segment is expected to witness the second-fastest CAGR over the forecast years owing to the growing application of enzymes in biofuel, textile industry, and molecular biology applications

Healthcare application is the largest revenue-generating as well as the fastest-growing application segment due to a rise in the application of synthetic biology in research, diagnostics, and other clinical fields

The biotechnology & pharmaceutical companies end-use segment led the market in 2020 due to heavy investments to enhance R&D activities for the production of vaccines and other drugs

PCR was the largest revenue-generating technology segment in 2020. With the accelerated development of modern life science, PCR technology has been widely applied to different biological, medical research, virus detection, and the food industry

The availability of advanced research facilities, increased investments in private companies, favorable regulations, and government assistance & funding have contributed to the dominance of the North America regional market in 2020

For Instance, in September 2020, a U.S.-based startup, Zymergen Inc., received USD 300 million in funding from Baillie Gifford & Co. to increase the R&D activities in synthetic biology

The key operating players are focusing on exploring synthetic biology to its highest potential across different emerging applications

For instance, in April 2020, Barcelona-based Luis Serrano and Maria Lluch received USD 2.35 million of seed financing from Barcelona-based Invivo Ventures to develop novel treatments for lung infections

Story continues

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Methodology and Scope

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

Chapter 3 Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1 Market Segmentation

3.2 Synthetic Biology Market Lineage Outlook

3.2.1 Parent Market Outlook

3.3 Penetration And Growth Prospect Mapping

3.4 Market Driver Analysis

3.4.1 Extensive Applications Of Synthetic Biology

3.4.2 Funding And Assistance From Government And Private Organization

3.4.3 Growing Research And Development Activities In Synthetic Biology

3.5 Market Restraint Analysis

3.5.1 Biosafety, Biosecurity Issue

3.5.2 Ethical Issues And Unintended Consequences

3.6 Market Opportunity Analysis

3.6.1 Development Of Vaccines And Personalized Medicines

3.6.2 Demand For Biofuel

3.7 Market Challenge Analysis

3.7.1 Lack Of Standard Regulation For Synthetic Biology Products

3.8 Business Environment Analysis

3.8.1 SWOT Analysis; By Factor (Political & Legal, Economic And Technological)

3.8.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3.9 Competitive Analysis

Chapter 4 Products Business Analysis

4.1 Synthetic Biology Market: Products Movement Analysis

4.2 Oligonucleotide/Oligo Pools And Synthetic Dna

4.3 Enzymes

4.4 Cloning Technologies Kits

4.5 Xeno - Nucleic Acids

4.6 Chassis Organism

Chapter 5 Technology Business Analysis

5.1 Synthetic Biology Market: Technology Movement Analysis

5.2 Pcr

5.3 Genome Editing

5.4 Ngs

5.5 Bioprocessing Technology

Chapter 6 Application Business Analysis

6.1 Synthetic Biology Market: Application Movement Analysis

6.2 Healthcare

6.2.1 Global Synthetic Biology Market For Healthcare Synthetic Biology Market Estimates And Forecast, 2018 - 2027 (USD Million)

6.2.2 Clinical

6.2.2.1 Global Synthetic Biology Market For Clinical Synthetic Biology Market Estimates And Forecast, 2018 - 2027 (USD Million)

6.2.2.1.1 Bio/Pharmaceuticals

6.2.2.1.2 Diagnostics

6.2.3 Non - Clinical

6.3 Non - Healthcare

Chapter 7 End Use Business Analysis

7.1 Synthetic Biology Market: End Use Movement Analysis

7.2 Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Companies

7.3 Academic & Government Research Institutes

Chapter 8 Regional Business Analysis

8.1 Synthetic Biology Market: Regional Movement Analysis

Chapter 9 Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gzc6ya

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220106005512/en/

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Why Dolly Parton Was the Namesake for the World’s First Cloned Animal – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

In her life, Dolly Parton has been the inspiration behind a theme park, a spa, and several restaurants. Shes also the inspiration behind the name of a famous sheep. Dolly the sheep, the worlds first cloned mammal, shares Partons first name for a reason that has little to do with her musical ability. Heres why the scientists behind the cloned sheep felt that Dolly was the perfect name.

When she first began gaining notoriety for her music, Parton said the comments about her lookscould be hurtful.

In the early days, I think it used to bother me when people [made fun of me], Parton said onThe Oprah Conversation. It didnt change me. It didnt make me do it different, but I kind of get a little embarrassed sometimes if somebody made too much fun of it. That was when I knew they didnt know who all I was or what all I was.

Soon, though, she realized these comments were more a reflection on others than herself. As she grew more comfortable, she began cracking self-deprecating jokes.

All of my life, I have been known for two things. Well, not them, Parton joked, gesturing to her breasts when she was named MusiCares Person of the Year in 2019, per theIndependent. Ive also been known as a singer and songwriter too. Although Im not complaining. Ol Pancho and Leftys been pretty good to me. Everybody always expects me to do a boob joke, and I like to do that right up front.

For much of her career, Partons figure has been the subject of discussion, including by herself. In 1997, this reached new heights. Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland were working to produce genetically modified livestock. As part of an experiment, they cloned a sheep via DNA from a mammary gland cell from one sheep and an unfertilized egg from another. The result was the first fully cloned mammal from adult cells.

The scientists involved in the project were thrilled to see its success and immediately knew what they had to name the animal.

Im standing next to [farm research assistant] Douglas McGavin watching the vet assist this birth, and I made an off-the-cuff remark to Douglas, research assistant John Bracken toldScientific American. I said, You know what were going to have to call this lamb? Were going to have to call it Dolly, after Dolly Parton, because the cells are derived from mammary tissue.

Though not everyone was entirely on board, they now agree the name was fitting.

Being somewhat puritanical, I might have been a bit worried, embryologist Ian Wilmut said. With hindsight, without a doubt it was a great name.

So what does Parton think of her namesake? She reflected on the late Dolly the sheep in an interview with theDaily Record.

Dolly The Sheep was very popular for a long time, but I believe she passed away, Parton said. I was told she was called after me because she had big mammary glands. She gave me a lot of competition but I heard that when they first named her they used the mammary glands for cloning and the scientist who came up with that thought he had to name her Dolly. I never met her but I always said theres no such thing as baaad publicity.

RELATED: Dolly Parton Quietly Shatters 3 Guinness World Records

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Why Dolly Parton Was the Namesake for the World's First Cloned Animal - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Drivers warned of surge in illegal number plate cloning as older cars look to avoid fines – Express

Many drivers have been stung by fines wrongly attributed to their cars since the introduction of clean air zones and the expansion of Londons Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). With the number of fines increasing for drivers who have not entered the car tax zones, it has been suggested that more rogue motorists are using fake plates to cheat city centre enforcement cameras.

Bath, Birmingham and Portsmouth all launched their clean air zones last year, with some more polluting vehicles being charged a daily fee for driving in the zone.

A number of other cities are also set to launch a clean air zone this year, including Greater Manchester, Oxford, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Some clean air zones charge older cars between 7 and 10 per day to drive inside the emissions area, whilst larger vehicles like HGVs and buses can be charged between 50 and 100.

There are fears that as more clean air zones are introduced, more fake number plates could be seen.

READ MORE:Car tax band: How to work out your car's tax band ahead of changes

In 2019, the number of drivers complaining to the DVLA about correspondence, fines or penalties wrongly linked to their vehicles has more than doubled.

The DVLA had 9,384 complaints about correspondence, fines or penalties wrongly linked to vehicles in 2019, up from 4,021 in 2018.

In 2020 the figure fell to 7,400, thought to be due to traffic levels in the pandemic.

Between January 1 and July 31 last year, the latest period figures are available for, it was 4,110.

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Jack Cousens, head of policy at the AA, said: With cities across the country introducing clean air zones, plate cloning could increase as fraudsters hope to cheat the charges.

A policy from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) stipulates that if a driver is stopped more than once with a plate which doesnt meet regulations, the registration should be rescinded.

In this case, the driver would be issued with a new, random number plate.

This is done so all number plates meet the UKs regulations and can be more easily identified by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.

A quick Google search can lead drivers to find fake number plates, which could potentially be used to navigate around the charges.

There have been a number of instances where drivers have been wrongly fined for supposedly driving inside a clean air zone.

Richard Gregory-Gibbons, from Staffordshire, says a driver with the exact same car and same licence plate is frequently travelling through Birminghams CAZ zone and claims his registration plate was cloned.

This case of mistaken identity has left him inundated with penalty charge notices (PCN).

In August, he had received almost 30 letters and needed to appeal each fine individually via the councils website.

He received six letters in just one day three of which were for bus lane fines and one warning letter from the clean air zone.

Another driver, Ruth Costello from West Sussex, said she had been receiving the 120 penalty charge notices (PCNs) since the launch of Birminghams CAZ in June.

The motorist, who lives 160 miles away from Birmingham, received 19 fines totalling 2,280, despite having never driven in the city.

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Drivers warned of surge in illegal number plate cloning as older cars look to avoid fines - Express