Climate Change Threatens 60 Percent of the World’s Fish Species – Futurism

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Slow Boil

New research suggests that climate change threatens to wipe out significantly more species of fish than previously thought.

If average global temperatures rise by five degrees Celsius thatd be a global warming nightmare scenario then New Scientist reports that 60 percent of all fish species could go extinct by the year 2100. Its grim news, as previous studies predicted that fish would be far more resilient.

Other research gauging the impact of rising water temperatures on fish populations focused exclusively on how well adultfish would be able to adapt. Based on those measurements alone, New Scientist reports that scientists expected only five percent of fish species to die off under the same conditions.

But the new study also takes fish larvae, embryos, and other stages in the fish life cycle into account. And in those phases, the fish are far more vulnerable to higher temperatures.

This is casting light on a life phase that has been largely ignored, Hans-Otto Prtner of the Alfred Wegener Institute told New Scientist.

Thankfully, the year 2100 is still pretty far away, and ambitious efforts to limit climate change could mean many of those species are spared.

We can say 1.5 [degrees] is not paradise, there will be changes, Prtner told New Scientist. But we can limit those changes if we manage to stop climate change. Fish are so important for human nutrition, so this study makes a strong case for protecting our ecosystems and natural environments.

READ MORE: Climate change will make world too hot for 60 per cent of fish species [New Scientist]

More on extinction: Scientists: Human Extinction Is Extremely Likely

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Climate Change Threatens 60 Percent of the World's Fish Species - Futurism

When Futurism Meets With Disaster: Max Brooks’ Devolution – tor.com

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It would have been easy for Max Brookss World War Z to feel gimmicky. An oral history of a worldwide zombie apocalypse? There are many, many places where that could have gone wrong. Instead, what Brooks created succeeded on a host of levels, from the geopolitical to the horrific. It balanced big-picture momentum with a few fantastic setpieces; via its framing device, it also allowed Brooks to present a bold vision of what the world might look like after such an outbreak was contained.

On paper, Brookss followup has more than a few things in common with World War Z. Like its predecessor, Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre is presented as a found document. Like its predecessor, it involves humans coming into conflict with something uncanny. And, like its predecessor, its structure offers plenty of foreshadowing of discomfiting events. But Devolution differs from World War Z in a few substantial ways as well, which ultimately make it a more intimate book than its predecessorand a far stranger one.

The bulk of the narrative comes from the journal of one Kate Holland, with additional interviews and annotations by an unnamed writer. From the early pages, Brooks offers a broad outline of whats to come. Holland was one of the residents of an isolated, high-end, high-tech eco-community of Greenloop. Were told that Mount Rainier erupts, leading to chaos in the Pacific Northwestfor humans and non-humans alike. The introduction alludes to a troop of hungry, apelike creatures who would soon attack Greenloop.

All of that information gives the narrative the sort of doomed intensity of the best disaster movies. Greenloop itself, designed to be isolated in nature but also easy for its affluent residents to access Seattle, plays out like a lightly satirical take on Elon Musk-style futurism. Once the eruption hits and the communitys members find themselves isolated in ways they never expected, Brooks balances the more satirical elements of the situation with keen attention to the unique methods such a community would use to survive.

Being cut off from civilization is but one struggle that the residents of Greenloop must face. Kates journal includes allusions to strange sounds heard at night, and massive shadowy figures seen in the distance. The reader knows whats coming, which means that the plot has more than a little horror movie in its DNA. Were introduced to a disparate group with their own rivalries and shifting dynamics; as anyone whos seen a horror movie knows, were about to see most of these people meet terrible fates.

Interspersed with the Kate Holland narrative are interviews conducted with experts in the field and people with ties to Greenloops residents. Its here that Brooks offers a glimpse into Devolutions larger worldbuilding: namely, the idea that the sasquatches (or Bigfoots? Bigfeet?) that attacked Greenloop represent a species that evolved concurrently to humanity, and which have developed a keen ability to hide themselves away from human civilization.

The novels title, then, comes from the notion that the extreme circumstances of the volcanic eruption pushed the sasquatches to adopt more violent behavioreffectively devolving into a more base state. As the plot develops, the human characters find themselves relying less and less on technology and using more and more brutal tacticsmeaning, essentially, that devolution works both ways.

In showing humans pitted against a close evolutionary relative in a desperate attempt at survival, Brooks offers a bleak view of the world. Its telling that neither sidehuman or sasquatchsuggests cooperating to save both communities. Throughout the book, Brooks makes allusions to areas around the globe where neighboring populations have gone to war, including a passing reference to the Balkans in the 1990s and another character looking back on their time in the IDF.

But Brookss ambitious take on human (and primate) nature sometimes balances unsteadily with the smaller details of life in Greenloop, including a few odd pop culture references. When Devolution shows a wider canvaseven a secret history of the worldit works brilliantly, and the scenes of two species each fighting for their life abound with harrowing moments. But there are times where the intimate scale of this novel feels at odds with some of Brookss larger thematic points. As compelling as it is, you might find yourself wishing hed opted to tell this story using a larger canvas.

Devolution is available from Del Rey.

Tobias Carroll is the managing editor of Vol.1 Brooklyn. He is the author of the short story collection Transitory (Civil Coping Mechanisms) and the novel Reel (Rare Bird Books).

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Scientists Say They’ve Found the Exact Center of the Solar System – Futurism

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Off-Kilter

For the first time, scientists have managed to find our solar systems precise center of gravity down to about 100 meters a flabbergastingly precise measurement on the scale of our vast solar system.

It sounds like a trivial feat think back to the posters hanging in your classroom and you might reasonably assume that the center of our solar system is smack dab in the middle of the Sun. But finding the gravitational center its barycenter,in the lingo is actually a complex task, ScienceAlert reports, that involves factoring in the pull of every planet, asteroid, and moon in the star system.

With all those gravitational tugs especially Jupiters particularly strong pull accounted for, the real center of gravity in our solar system lies just above the Suns surface, according to research published in The Astrophysical Journal.

With that knowledge in hand, astronomers can more accurately hunt for gravitational waves given off by faraway supermassive black holes and pulsars, ScienceAlert reports. Thats because these measurements are extremely sensitive to error and depend on us knowing where Earth is relative to the solar systems barycenter.

Now, armed with a better understanding of the solar systems balance, scientists expect their gravitational recordings to suddenly improve.

Using the pulsars we observe across the Milky Way galaxy, we are trying to be like a spider sitting in stillness in the middle of her web, NASA astronomer Stephen Taylor said in a press release. How well we understand the solar system barycenter is critical as we attempt to sense even the smallest tingle to the web.

READ MORE: Astronomers Have Located The Centre of The Solar System to Within 100 Metres [ScienceAlert]

More on the solar system: Astronomers Discover Mirror Image of our Solar System

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The Large Hadron Collider Just Discovered a Brand-New Particle – Futurism

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Charming Discovery

Physicists at CERNs Large Hadron Collider just discovered a brand-new kind of subatomic particle and its composition is a baffling world-first.

The yet-unnamed particle is the first that we know of to be entirely made up of the same kind of quark, which is a building block for subatomic particles. In this case, according to preprint research shared online Tuesday, the particle is composed of four charm quarks an arrangement that could help physicists better probe the underlying forces holding particles together.

Charm quarks are just one of six flavors of quark, along with up, down, strange, top, and bottom. As one of the heavier flavors, the charm quarks are bound together by the same, poorly-understood fundamental force that binds protons to neutrons. Researchers hope the unusual combination can help them explain how that particular force works.

Particles made up of four quarks are already exotic, project spokesperson Giovanni Passaleva said in a press release, and the one we have just discovered is the first to be made up of four heavy quarks of the same type, specifically two charm quarks and two charm antiquarks.

Next, the team hopes to sort out whether theyve found a true tetraquark or rather two quark pairings that are bound together like atoms in a molecule though both would be valuable discoveries.

Todays discovery opens another exciting chapter in this scientific book, allowing us to study our theory of matter particles in an extreme case, spokesperson Chris Parkes said in the release.

READ MORE: Exotic never before seen particle discovered at CERN [University of Manchester]

More on the LHC: The LHC Just Discovered A New System of Five Particles

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A Giant Star Appears to Have Winked Out of Existence – Futurism

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Misplaced

A gigantic, particularly-bright star just disappeared without a trace.

Its an unusual case: The giant star in the nearby Kinman dwarf galaxy, which was 2.5 times brighter than our Sun, had been observed during a decades worth of observations, Gizmodo reports. But when astronomers went to check up on it in 2019, the star had vanished.

Thankfully, the Trinity College Dublin astronomers have some ideas for what could have happened.

There are two possibilities that the team threw around in their research, published Tuesday in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. First, the star could have drastically decreased its brightness and is also obscured by a cloud of dust. The second is far more mysterious: It could have died and turned into a black hole without ever exploding in a supernova.

If thats the case, it would be the second-ever failed supernova that we know of.

Regardless of which scenario occurred both are consistent with past observations for the star and computer models Gizmodo reports that the scientists missed out on an opportunity to update the models theyd based on the star. But on the flip side, the opportunity to investigate a vanished star makes up for the loss.

We were all pleasantly surprised to find that the stars signature was not present in our first observation, lead researcher Andrew Allan told Gizmodo. We initially hoped for a higher-resolution observation that resembled the past observations, which we would use for our models.

READ MORE: A Massive Star Has Disappeared Without a Trace [Gizmodo]

More on stars: Two Dead Stars Are Orbiting Each Others Corpses Incredibly Fast

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According to New Equations, a Mars Colony Would Need This Many People – Futurism

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Minimum Occupancy

A French computer scientist developed a complex series of equations to predict the smallest number of Mars settlers needed to establish a successful, self-sustainable community on the Red Planet.

The number he arrived at just 110 intrepid explorers, who could all fit in a pair of SpaceX Starships, if they can actually carry 100 passengers each seems shockingly low considering the countless challenges of establishing a permanent presence on a new planet for the first time. But Universe Today reports that the researcher, Jean-Marc Salotti, of Bordeaux Institut National Polytechnique, focused on one key metric: how cooperatively the settlers would work toward their shared survival.

The math in Salottis research, which was published this month in the journal Scientific Reports, gets a bit complex. But the end result is a simple graph showing that once the settlement has 110 people, they can successfully work together on tasks that benefit the group at large like building facilities that harvest drinking water instead of fending for themselves.

If each settler was completely isolated and no sharing was possible, Salotti writes in the research, each individual would have to perform all activities and the total time requirement would be obtained by a multiplication by the number of individuals.

Of course, there are many challenges that need to be solved before we can settle Mars. But Salotti argues in his research that establishing models like these could help space agencies create data-driven plans for the endeavor.

Our method allows simple comparisons, opening the debate for the best strategy for survival and the best place to succeed, he wrote.

READ MORE: The Bare Minimum Number of Martian Settlers? 110 [Universe Today]

More on settling Mars: Reality Check: It Would Take Thousands of Years To Colonize Mars

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This Forest Fire Was So Huge, NASA Spotted It From Space – Futurism

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Blazing Up

The Bighorn Fire is a vicious blaze thats been raging in Arizona since the beginning of June forcing evacuations as recently as this week.

In fact, the fire has grown so large that satellites can easily see it from space, according to a new post by NASAsJet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA grabbed the imagery using its Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument, on board its Terra satellite, which was launched back in 1999.

The epic shot included in the post shows the fires progress over the Santa Catalina Mountains, North of Tucson. Vegetation is shown in red, according to NASAs description of the shot, and burned areas are shown in gray.

ASTER, the space agency wrote, is a useful instrument for mapping the changing surface of the Earth because of its high resolution and capability of imaging in thermal infrared wavelengths.

NASA has used it to study the movement of glaciers, volcanic activity, crop health, weather, and the wellbeing of wetlands and coral reefs.

READ MORE: NASAs ASTER Sees Arizonas Bighorn Fire Burn Scar From Space [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory]

More on fires: Devastating Fires in Amazon Rainforest Can Be Seen From Space

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Extremely Dubious Scientist Believes There’s Mushrooms and Lichen on Mars – Futurism

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Researchers have yet to find any evidence of life on any other planet, including Mars.

But that hasnt stopped some rogue scientists from making outlandish claims and self-publishing evidence of the existence of a microbiological presence on the Red Planet, as CNETsJackson Ryan reports in an outstanding feature.

Self-described neurobiologist Rhawn Gabriel Joseph a man referred to by Ryan as the Space Tiger King, a nod to the popular Netflix docuseries is convinced that life already exists on Mars and Venus, and that we already have the evidence to back it up.

The roots of Josephs school of thought first started with the labeled release (LR) experiments on Mars in the 1970s, when NASAs Viking lander looked for biosignatures on the planet by carrying out a series of tests.

While the lander found no significant amount of organic molecules, some scientists, most notablythen-NASA researcher Gilbert Levin, believed the results did indeed confirm the existence life on Mars.

NASA refuted any such claims outright, writing that the experiments provided no clear evidence for the presence of living microorganisms in soil near the landing sites.

Joseph built on the research from this fringe group of researchers, by claiming that life was brought to the cosmos by a process called panspermia, a theory that suggests life in space was seeded with microbes carried by dust and meteors.

Over the decades, Joseph has attempted to get his work peer-reviewed and published in a variety astrobiology journals. He even went as far as creating his own journal, which he calls the Journal of Cosmology, likely an attempt to make his work appear more legitimate.

The journal is not much more than an outdated website, and has published claims made by Richard Hoover, another former NASA scientist, who suggested that we discovered fossilized bacteria in space, as CNET reports yet another claim NASA wants nothing to do with.

In 2014, Joseph even attempted to sue NASA into examining a biological organism the agencys Opportunity rover discovered on the surface of Mars. He claimed the rover found a mushroom-like fungus, a composite organism consisting of colonies of lichen and cyanobacteria, and which on Earth is known as Apothecium. It turned out to be a rock.

Just last year, Joseph caught a break when the reputableAstrophysics & Space Science journal published a paper of his that claimed life on Venus had already been found.

Based on photographic evidence made up of grainy black and white images, Joseph argues that Russias Venera 13 lander found evidence of life on Venus in 1982. The paper is still online, as CNET found. The journal added an editors note to the paper this month warning readers that conclusions of this article are subject to criticisms that are being considered by the editors.

Mainstream astrobiologists are not amused.

I feel like these guys have just poisoned the whole field, Paul Myers, a developmental biologist at the University of Minnesota, told CNET.

READ MORE: The search for life on Mars and the Space Tiger King [CNET]

More on life on Mars: Former NASA Scientist Convinced We Already Found Life on Mars

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Diplomatic Academy Vienna Marking the 75th anniversary – Modern Diplomacy

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The transition to electric mobility could help Latin America and Caribbean countries to reduce emissions and fulfill their commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change, while generating green jobs as part of their recovery plans from the COVID-19 crisis, according to a new study.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, Electric Mobility 2019: Status and Opportunities for Regional Collaboration in Latin America and the Caribbean, analyzes the latest developments in 20 countries in the region and highlights the growing leadership of cities, companies, and civil associations in promoting new e-mobility technologies.

Though still a recent development, electrification of the public transport sector is happening at high speed in several countries in the region, says the study financed by the European Commission through the EUROCLIMA + Programme and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and renewable energy company Acciona.

Chile stands outs with the largest fleet of electric buses in the region, with more than 400 units, while Colombia is expected to incorporate almost 500 electric buses in Bogot, its capital. Other Colombian cities, like Cali and Medelln, have join Ecuadors Guayaquil and Brazils Sao Paulo in introducing electric buses.

Increased efficiency, lower operation and maintenance costs of electric buses, as well as growing public concern around the impacts of road transport-related emissions on human health and the environment are the main drivers behind this transition in public transport, according to the study.

The transport sector is responsible for 15 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Latin America and the Caribbean and is one of the main drivers of poor air quality in cities, which causes more than 300,000 premature deaths a year in the Americas, according to the World Health Organization.

In recent months we have seen a reduction of air pollution in cities in the region due to lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But these improvements are only temporary. We must undertake a structural change so that our transportation systems contribute to the sustainability of our cities, says Leo Heileman, UNEP Regional Director in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The report calls on decision-makers to prioritize the electrification of public transport, especially when updating the old bus fleets that run through the large cities in the region. There is fear of a technology lock-in over the next 7 to 15 years if authorities choose to renew old fleets with new internal combustion vehicles that will continue to pollute the air and cause severe health damages.

Some countries are already paving the way to ensure a transition to sustainable transport. Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panam have designed national strategies on electric mobility, while Argentina, Dominican Republic, Mxico, Paraguay are finalizing their own plans, according to the report.

More than 6,000 new light-duty electric vehicles (EVs) were registered in Latin America and the Caribbean, between January 2016 and September 2019, according to the report. The need for charging infrastructure has boosted new ventures and services. For example, e-corridors, already running in Brazil, Chile, Mxico, and Uruguay, allow users to extend the autonomy of their EVs by making use of public fast charging point networks.

Shared mobility businesses focusing on electric bicycles and skateboards are also being developed in at least nine countries in the region.

The development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure has the potential to foster new investments and jobs, which are key to COVID-19 recovery efforts in the region.

The report calls on governments to develop a clear medium- and long-term roadmap that provides legal certainty for private investment and highlights the role of sustainable mobility in power grid expansion plans, in line with climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.

The 2015 Agreement, signed to date by nearly 200 countries, aims to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The report was produced with inputs from the Latin American Association for Sustainable Mobility (ALAMOS) and contributions from the Center for Urban Sustainability in Costa Rica.

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Researchers Say You Can Improve Your Eyesight by Staring at This Specific Type of Light – Futurism

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Light Diet

Researchers from University College London (UCL) say theyve found that exposing the human eye to deep red light for three minutes a day could improve declining eyesight.

According to a study about the research published in the Journals of Gerontology, cellular function declines with age due to lower densities of mitochondria in the retinas photoreceptor cells. Mitochondria are as you may have learned in school the powerhouse of the cell, producing energy and boost cell function. Photoreceptor cells are particularly power hungry but after being exposed to near-infrared light with a wavelength of 670 nanometers, their performance improved, along with study subjects eyesight.

The technology is simple and very safe, using a deep red light of a specific wavelength, that is absorbed by mitochondria in the retina that supply energy for cellular function, Glen Jeffery, professor at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

For the study, 12 male and 12 female participants between the ages of 28 and 72 had the sensitivity of their eyes checked. They were then asked to stare into a small LED flashlight for three minutes a day over two weeks, a process Jefferey likened to re-charging a battery.

Participants ability to detect colors improved 20 percent among some of those 40 and older. Low light sensitivity improved significantly in the same group as well.

Mitochondria have specific light absorbance characteristics influencing their performance: longer wavelengths spanning 650 to 1000nm are absorbed and improve mitochondrial performance to increase energy production, Jeffrey said.

READ MORE: Deep red light reboots aging retinas like recharging a battery [New Atlas]

More on eyesight: This Bionic Eye Is Better Than a Real One, Scientists Say

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NASA Invents Wearable That Scolds You For Touching Your Face – Futurism

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No Touching

A team at NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab have built a prototype to fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic: An electronic pendant that scolds you every time you lift your hands to your face.

The tiny device, called PULSE, is simple in design. Its equipped with a infrared proximity sensor, a coin-sized vibration motor, and a three volt battery. Once it notices that youre about to touch your face, the vibration motor triggers.

Health experts have long recommended that you should abstain from touching your own face to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection. All it takes is a short touch to spread pathogens from your hands to your mouth or nostrils.

NASA doesnt have any plans to start selling the gadget, but it has generously made the entire plans for the small device open source, from schematics for the electronics to files for 3D printing the case.

The team seems to have had far more success at developing a device to stop you from touching your face than Australian astrophysicist Daniel Reardon, who got four small magnets stuck up his nose in late March while trying to develop a similar gadget.

READ MORE: NASA designed a vibrating necklace to help you stop touching your face [Mashable]

More on that physicist: Physicist Tries to Build Device to Prevent Coronavirus, Gets Magnets Stuck Up Nose

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Augmented Human: 5 Times Ive Used Technology To Augment Myself – Forbes

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Getty

While the topic of human augmentation may be taboo to many, humans have been trying to find ways of augmenting ourselves for centuries. One could argue that glasses were an invention that allowed us to augment our bad eyesight and that hearing aids augmented our bad hearing. As a woman who works in tech, Ive often wanted to explore the idea of how technology can help us live longer and live better. Im in some ways, what my futurist friend Kate ONeil has coined, a tech humanist.

My curiosity has led me to test a lot of new technologies and also work within the emerging tech industry thats crafting some of these solutions. In this article, Id like to share six times that Ive personally used technology to augment myself and share some of the lessons Ive learned along the way.

Our sense of touch is more important than ever. With handshakes gone due to the pandemic, I often worry that were on our way to becoming a touchless society. But one of the VR peripherals that offer some hope for us to be able to feel touch in virtual environments with haptic gloves.

I had a chance to demo VRgluv in Atlanta back in 2018. VRgluv is a wireless all-in-one force-feedback haptic glove for Virtual Reality. According to their website: When integrated into a custom VR training simulation, VRgluv allows users to see and use their own hands to seamlessly interact with the virtual training environment without the need to use a controller. VRgluv uses force feedback to recreate the size, shape, and material properties of virtual objects, tools, and interfaces. By stopping the fingers at the boundaries of the virtual objects, users experience significantly more realism and immersion when interacting with their virtual surroundings. These haptic sensations and visual confirmations allow trainees to work and train with objects that only exist in the digital world.

I put on a VR headset and the glove and was able to enter a virtual work simulation where I needed to pick up and move objects. The haptic feedback, the weight simulation, and the resistance of the virtual objects were all pretty realistic and to this day my brain believes that what we did was true and not a virtual simulation.

Im really enjoying the hand tracking on my Oculus Quest, so I look forward to seeing how VR hardware OEMs use peripherals like haptic gloves to give users the feeling of touch, and Im sure that neural interfaces are on the horizon as well.

It is often said that humans only use a certain percentage of their brainpower, so when I was given the chance to test out Neruable, a brain-machine interface device in April 2019, I jumped at the opportunity. Brain-machine interfaces (BMI) and brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are devices that enable direct communication between a brain and an external device. I was able to put on their BMI and a VR headset and I went into an experience that reminded me of Stranger Things. I used just my thoughts to input codes and throw items to escape a virtual room that I was trapped in. It was the first time I had tried anything similar and I was hooked.

Impressed by Neurable, I sought out to test more of these BCI devices. I got a chance to test NextMinds BCI at CES in January. During my demo, I was able to switch channels using just my thoughts, play duck hunt with my thoughts, and dim lights by just focusing on them. After this demo, I realized how much my brain enjoyed this workout.

I continued exploring and pre-ordered Neurositys Notion BCI developer kit, which arrived earlier this year. I can use this BCI to scroll my iPad with just my thoughts (yes, you read that right) and Im seeing developers create amazing applications for this dev kit.

It really does feel like Im pulling off a Jedi mind trick. Which leads me to the next superpower Ive experienced.

What if we could see through walls? Would that be your superpower of choice? While I havent been able to do this (at least not yet), I have been able to demo the Accuveins Vein Visualization device.

It got me to think about how augmented reality can make our lives better or easier, especially if one has a fear of needles?

In May 2019, I got a chance to demo the AR subcutaneous vein imagining finder from Accuvein at Jabils Blue Sky Center in Silicon Valley. This was a great example of how AR can provide true utility. This type of use of immersive tech will make my life better and the lives of many of their folks out there, especially children and the elderly. This use of AR helps take the guesswork out of finding the vein. In my opinion, it helps make the healthcare experience better for the patient and it helps the medical professional do their work faster and better.

The vein finder glides over your arm and can detect veins and blood flows, giving phlebotomists a sort of X-ray vision and helping them find the right vein.

One could also argue that when I use my spatial computing headset and venture into an app like Spatial for meetings with colleagues in the form of realistic avatars, that I also use some sort of X-ray vision to see whats not really in front of me.

Cathy Hackl

Have you ever seen, felt, or smelled a tree in VR? Well, I all three at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017. I actually really did smell the redwoods in an interactive experience called Treehugger: Wawona where I put on a VR headset with a scent device over my noise and gloves with tracking devices. While there was not a concrete storyline, I did perceive this to be an innovative way to interact in VR through touch and smell and a

Cathy Hackl

way forward for how we will be able to tell stories in VR using all the senses in the future. I walked away from this tree-hugging experience feeling energized as we had just done a whole hour of yoga. Its been one of my favorite VR experiences to date. It gave the phrase, stop to smell the roses, a lot more possible in a virtual world.

Mommy, are you a cyborg? my son asked.

I wasnt sure how to answer that question. I was living connected to a medical device that had to be on 24/7 and that needed to be charged often. It would beep when it was starting to run out of battery and beep constantly when it was almost out of charge. During that time I felt more like a Tesla than a cyborg.

Phrases such as:

I spent the last several months of 2019 recovering from medical complications post-surgery. My surgery wound wasnt healing as it should and my doctor recommended I start using a medical machine called a wound vac or negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) machine, to heal.

Cathy Hackl

Having to don a medical computer all day, round the clock was daunting. Needless to say, it took a while to realize that the machine and I were essentially one for a span of 6 weeks, except during showers and dressing changes. I had to plug into the wall every so often to recharge the machine. If I had to go outside, I would carry the machine with me in a travel pouch. I slept with the machine on, worked with the machine on, did everything with it on. Living life with a medical machine gave me a new perspective on human augmentation.

See, while being a cyborg would seem cool, I felt more like a Tesla more than a cyborg. I had to recharge the machines battery every day, when the battery was low it would beep constantly and I had to run upstairs to plug in. This symbiotic relationship between woman and machine would only be effective if I charged it and it did its job.

Having these experiences have really lead me to think about human augmentation in a totally new way. It also got me thinking a lot about what the strategic foresight consultancy, Toffler Associates, refers to as the Bio-Digital Convergence, which is the intersection of human and machine, and the impact this convergence will have on our lives, our laws and even our sense of self.

Curiosity has led me to demo all these technologies and think through their connotations for humanity and for businesses and the possible futures where they can lead us. Its trends like these that are on the horizon and that will major implications for our businesses, our families, and our sense of self. Setting ethical best practices will be of the utmost importance so that in the future those who augment and those who do not have the same opportunities. Now the question is, what superpower would you choose and how would you use it for good?

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Mike Pero: An air bridge to the Cook Islands – why not? Otherwise Rarotonga will become part of China – Newshub

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The Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna - who put his country into lockdown on March 5 - has said they will soon run out of money. Incoming prime minister Mark Brown tabled a Budget last month that would support the Cook Islands through to September: "After that we will look at borrowing."

The current financial situation has hit Rarotonga and the other 14 islands that make up the Cooks harder than any recent cyclone rebuilding programme. It is matching 1996 proportions when the Cooks were on the brink of bankruptcy.

Fletcher Melvin, chairman of the recently formed Cook Island Private Sector Taskforce, warns there is a real risk of history repeating.

As well as New Zealand, China has supported Rarotonga with infrastructure projects and loans. As the tourism-starved Cooks head towards insolvency, will they be forced to turn to China to bail them out?

China is anywhere and everywhere in the Pacific with the money and the resources to take over the South Pacific Islands.

The temptation is too great for China and the upside is huge.

This could also place New Zealand in an awkward position against China. Aotearoa needs to help the Islands keep the debt to China at bay or at least current.

From September onwards Rarotonga, for one, is in a very precarious position. Our Government has floundered with no valid excuse for not addressing this before now.

A Reuters report in 2018 said the majority of China's financial support comes in the form of concessional loans, while traditional regional players Australia, New Zealand and the United States tend to provide gifts. Some within the current New Zealand Government fear the Cooks will follow Tonga in their reliance on funding from China.

China has already paid the Cooks administration millions of dollars for tuna fisheries licences, loaned many more millions for the massive Te Mato Vai water project and there is talk of Beijing funding the development of a deep-water port on remote Penrhyn Island.

Two years ago, Cooks opposition deputy leader James Beer warned about the effect the "soft loans" that accompany Chinese aid were having on the economy. He said if the tourism industry was to fail, the country might not be able to service the loans.

Yes, we can send them money - New Zealand currently provides about two-thirds of the Cooks' official development assistance - but they don't want handouts, just tourists. Tourism accounts for nearly 70 percent of the Cook Islands economy and in June, for example, the Cooks would usually host 16,000 visitors, 11,000 of those coming from New Zealand.

Instead, Puna says, the resorts are "empty".

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Mike Pero: An air bridge to the Cook Islands - why not? Otherwise Rarotonga will become part of China - Newshub

Brazil’s Bolsonaro would veto bill regulating fake news in current form – Reuters

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FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro attends the inauguration ceremony of the Main Space Operations Center of the Geostationary Defense and Strategic Communications Satellite in Brasilia, Brazil June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro said he would veto a bill regulating fake news, which has also been criticized by social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter, if it comes to his desk from Congress in its present shape.

A network of Bolsonaros right-wing supporters is being investigated for propagating fake news to denigrate opponents and attack the countrys democratic institutions.

Speaking on a Facebook live broadcast, his favorite channel of communication with his backers, Bolsonaro said he was for total freedom of the media as he criticized the bill passed by the Senate on Tuesday.

The proposal has returned to the lower chamber to approve changes.

Facebook, Twitter and Google have jointly criticized the bill as a serious threat to privacy by requiring social media account holders to provide an identity document and a cellphone number for verification purposes when registering.

The companies called it a massive gathering of data on people that undermined the right to protect data.

They also said the requirement to keep databases on servers in Brazil would endanger privacy and hurt the economy because it would create barriers to commerce that were contrary to the global and open nature of the Internet.

Bolsonaro said he would consult the people before deciding whether to veto the bill or sign it into law.

Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Chris Reese and Neil Fullick

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Brazil's Bolsonaro would veto bill regulating fake news in current form - Reuters

MMA and QAnon: How fake news and conspiracies permeated the octagon – The Guardian

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Last month, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the leading promotion in mixed martial arts, found itself involved in a far-right conspiracy scandal after one of its officials was spotted wearing QAnon markings on their official attire.

Don House, a long-time UFC cutman and friend of the organizations president, Dana White, appeared on the UFC on ESPN 11 broadcast wearing a Q symbol on his chest and a WWG1WGA marking on the left arm of his shirt, which stands for Where we go one we go all and is a popular slogan amongst QAnon conspiracy theorists and supporters. The markings were visible on his clothing during the main event between Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov.

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory which propagates the idea that the alleged deep state is waging an invisible war against US president Donald Trump and his supporters through a secret plot. The theory, which was birthed out of an anonymous 4chan post by a person identifying as Q Clearance Patriot an alleged government official is rooted in the belief that many liberal Hollywood actors, Democratic politicians and other high-ranking officials are part of an global cabal of pedophiles running an international child sex trafficking ring, and that Trump is trying to dismantle the elitist group.

Despite the lack of evidence supporting their baseless and unhinged claims, the fringe internet conspiracy theory has continued to gain supporters. In 2019, QAnon was labelled a potential domestic terrorism threat by the Federal Bureau of Investigations due to its ability to lead individual extremists to carry out criminal or violent acts.

Houses decision to display symbols in support of a domestic terrorism threat was lauded by QAnon supporters on the internet and criticized by pundits, which led to the UFC launching an investigation into Houses actions. The organization claimed to have been unaware of Houses decision to wear the markings, and stated that the cutman had not sought permission to wear the symbols.

This was a violation of our staff event outfitting policy and the matter will be thoroughly investigated, the UFC said in a statement to ESPN.

House later admitted that he regretted his decision to wear the markings because of the embarrassment it caused White, whom he called a friend of mine. However, he also defended QAnon by agreeing with some of the theorys key principles, including their supposed aim to expose a child sex trafficking ring. Theyre trying to expose that, House told MMAFighting.com.

The patches worn by House are not the first time that QAnon has permeated the MMA space. Earlier in June, Albuquerque city councillor Pat Davis tweeted a photo of a flag with the letter Q perched on the roof of the Jackson Wink Academy, a renowned MMA gym that is home to past and present UFC champions such as Holly Holm and Jon Jones. The academy released a statement in which it claimed that the flag was planted by an unknown individual and was removed as soon as it came to our attention.

Prominent UFC fighters have also been guilty of using QAnon-related hashtags on social media, including UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal, who used a QAnon hashtag when he posted a false quote by Kurt Cobain in reference to Donald Trump. The president previously attended one of Masvidals fights at UFC 244 and praised the fighter on social media after Masvidal called Trump a bad motherfucker.

Given the trend of prominent QAnon support emerging within the MMA landscape, there appears to be an overlap between a subset of MMA fans and the fringe conspiracy. According to a VOX analysis of the QAnon subreddit /r/greatawakening, many of the casual posters also frequent other subreddits such MMA, fitness and Joe Rogan. They are also avid posters in a variety of Trump-related subreddits.

Yet it is the support for Trump that helps explain why QAnon and other conspiracy theories appear to thrive within combat sports. The UFC brass is unabashedly pro-Trump and has used the promotion as a platform for the presidents ideology, even going so far as to produce a propaganda documentary about Trump called Combatant in Chief. White, who spoke at the 2016 Republican national convention, has been unapologetic about his support for Trump and has even claimed he doesnt care if that support alienates fans.

I dont give a shit, White said. If you dont like me because Im friends with this guy, thats your problem not mine.

The UFCs public support for Trump may have cost the promotion a portion of its progressive and ethnically diverse fanbase, but it has helped secure its conservative fandom, many of whom voted for Trump or have right-leaning tendencies. Since the 2016 election, the UFC has even seen the rise of fighters sporting MAGA gimmicks such as Colby Covington, who even visited the Oval Office when he was interim champion. And as more conservative fans flock to the sport they view as MAGA-friendly, there has been a noticeable rise in fake news, fringe conspiracy theories and right-wing extremism.

Former UFC champion Tito Ortiz a vocal Trump supporter has flooded his social media timelines with unhinged conspiracy theories, including his most recent claim that George Floyds killing at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer was a false flag and political stunt aimed to cause chaos ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell who once asked Donald Trump to call him if he needs help whooping some politician believes that the coronavirus is a bioweapon made by government in order to try and take our guns.

Former UFC title challenger and Special Forces Green Beret Tim Kennedy shared an Instagram post of himself wearing a Hawaiian shirt beneath a bulletproof vest while holding a rifle. The Hawaiian shirt alludes to the Boogaloo Boys, a far-right extremist movement that is preparing for a second American civil war which they call the boogaloo. Participants often wear Hawaiian shirts along with military fatigues to identify themselves at protests.

Kennedy posted the aforementioned picture in June 2020 along with the caption: Just dont be an assholeif you choose to be an assholeI picked out a shirt for the occasion

Kennedy has since informed the Guardian that he does not support the Boogaloo movement but will continue to wear Hawaiian shirts because he enjoys them.

Im from California. I fucking love Hawaiian shirts. Im not gonna let any extremist group regardless of what their affiliation is claim something thats awesome, Kennedy told the Guardian via email. I also like do European swimsuit a.k.a. the speedo. If some bitch ass motherfucker says that thing is only for an alt right/left, Ill still wear that banana hammock with pride. I dont subscribe to any this bullshit. I just do the shit I like to do.

There has even been a case where an MMA fighters photo was used to spread fake news about protestors at a Black Lives Matter event. The post, which showed a cropped version of a womans bruised face, claimed that the person was beaten and raped at a BLM protest. The photo attached to the post was actually a picture of Russian MMA fighter Anastasia Yankova following her bout at Bellator 161 in September 2016.

While MMA has long been a niche sport that attracted interesting and somewhat diverse segments of society, there has been an apparent increase in conservative fandom within the sport. As the UFC continues to develop into a safe haven for MAGA supporters to rally around Trump and his far-right ideology, MMA will continue to be soiled with conspiracy peddlers and bad faith actors who view the sport as a platform for their dangerous worldview.

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MMA and QAnon: How fake news and conspiracies permeated the octagon - The Guardian

Fake News, Hiding Data and Profits: How COVID-19 Spun Out of Control in Brazil – The Wire

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Sao Paulo:On June 30 (Tuesday), the European Union decided to extend a ban on travellers from certain countries which still have rising cases of COVID-19. As the coronavirus graph goes down across the continent and it slowly opens its doors to tourists, people from Brazil have been barred from entering Europe. But citizens of Uruguay, a country of just three million people that shares its border with Brazil, can now travel to the EU countries.

In this important detail lies the story of how Brazil, the biggest country and economy in South America, has made a mess of its coronavirus situation, while its small neighbours have triumphed over the killer virus.

The virus reached South America on February 26, 2020 when Brazil confirmed a case in Sao Paulo. By April 3, all countries in the continent had recorded at least one case. Brazil recorded its first COVID-19 death on March 12. In four months, the country has reached a total of 1,448,753 cases of infection and 60,632 deaths.

The virus hit Argentina on March 3. As of June 30, the country had 64,517 cases and 1,307 deaths. In the past three months, Paraguay has seen 2,221 cases and 17 deaths; and Uruguay has reported 936 infections and 27 deaths. But Brazil registered 46,712 new cases and 1,038 deaths in just past 24 hours (June 30 to July 1).

While Brazils three southern neighbours, which have all shut their borders with the country of 210 million people, have managed to flatten the COVID-19 curve and prevent the contamination of their economies, the South American giant has seen an uncontrolled pandemic, a fast-spreading economic crisis and a deep social fissure that threatens its democracy.

Also read: ICMR Must Decide if it Is Indias Council for Medical Research or its Masters Voice

If Brazil today is in the grip of a deadly virus with no end in sight, the big share of blame rests with Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right president who blindly followed US President Donald Trumps lead in first downplaying the danger of virus and then pressuring state governors and city mayors to restart the commercial activities as economy is life. Since the virus hit the country, Brazil did not go into complete lockdown, instead opting for a quarantine to be observed voluntarily by citizens.

With the closure of schools, colleges, pubs, cafes, restaurants, shopping malls and other non-essential activities, almost 50% of the population have stayed home. The other half, mostly the poor, have been out on the streets as they were the hardest hit by the virus and the recession caused by it.

Real threat, fake news

In denial mode from the beginning, Bolsonaro did his best to encourage people to break quarantine by calling the disease a little cold, joining pro-government rallies without a face mask, shaking hands with people in bakeries, openly demanding that social restrictions be lifted and attacking governors who tried to implement a strict quarantine.

Even as thin crowds attended his weekend rallies in Brasilia, where the president spoke about things like inviting a group of 30 people for a barbecue and repeatedly dismisses the virus as a mild flu, the messaging began to make an impact, with more and more people ignoring the social distancing rules, refusing to wear masks and taking part in neighbourhood parties which sometimes turned violent against those who tried to stop them.

A street cleaner disinfects a street wearing protective clothing (PPE), during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in the municipality of Breves, on Marajo island, Para state, Brazil, June 3, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino

With Bolsonaro giving a clear signal to his far-right base that he was not in a mood to recognise the threat posed by the virus, his supporters unleashed their time-tested weapon of fake news to further fuel the rage against governors and the Supreme Court, which had struck down several of the presidents decrees for curtailing the quarantine measures.

Since the virus began spreading in Brazil, its social media has been flooded with false data, memes, graphics and reports pushing the idea that COVID-19 was not more dangerous than ordinary flu. Bolsonaro himself posted dubious claims on his social media pages. While a few of his posts were taken down by Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, thousands of messages filled with conspiracy theories about the WHO, evil scientists and miracle cures have continued to circulate on WhatsApp groups across Brazil.

Even as hospitals has run out of ICU beds and mayors have to create new cemeteries in public parks, the fake news machinery had been working non-stop, putting the healthcare system under great stress. We are trying to convince people of the problem that is right in front of them. Our biggest problem is fake news, a nurse told the BBC in May, when the number of infections and deaths had just begun to spike.

Also read: How Have the Centres Food Distribution Schemes Performed So Far?

Brazil, which has an internet penetration of 70% and close to 130 million users of WhatsApp, has been a laboratory of fake news for quite some time. In 2018, just before the second round of presidential election in which Bolsonaro was pitted against Fernando Haddad of the Workers Party, a huge expos in Folha de Sao Paulonewspaper revealed that Bolsonaros supporters fired hundreds of millions of messages to thousands of WhatsApp groups over the messaging platform. The illegal practice, which mostly spread fake news about Haddad, was financed by a group of businessmen in complete violation of the countrys election laws. In a recent decision, a Supreme Court judge got hold of the banking and financial dealings of a businessman who is suspected of financing the fake news racket during the elections.

The investigation into the fake news case, which is getting bigger and murkier by the day, can lead to serious charges of electoral crimes an impeachable offence against Bolsonaro. The probe, which also targets the presidents sons, has subdued Bolsonaro a bit but he has continued to undermine his own governments effort to control the pandemic.

Hide the numbers, deny the problem

Between 1971 and 1974, when Brazil was under a military dictatorship, the country was hit by a meningitis epidemic. The crisis was so severe in Sao Paulo that thousands were hospitalised and hundreds died in weeks. The epidemic reached a peak in 1972 when the death rate spiked at 14%. But the generals running the country at that time decided to cover up the crisis. The government did not reveal the real scale of the epidemic and used the victory in the 1970 World Cup to rally the Brazilians around football, a passionate issue in this country. While the military obfuscated the truth to protect the regime from collapsing along with the healthcare system, in 1975, it was proven that the best way to lower the death rate was early diagnosis and treatment.

Bolsonaro, who openly admires the 21 years of military dictatorship and praises the torture inflicted on pro-democracy and leftist activists, seems to be using the same old playbook to hide the real scale of the disease that is ravaging this country. In the first week of June, when the infections were rising and it was becoming clear that the government was losing control of the situation and its mild flu narrative the federal government released two different sets of data about the confirmed cases and deaths. Even as people struggled to make sense of numbers, which brought the figure down drastically from one day to another, Bolsonaro joked on social media that the primetime television news would not be able to report the numbers now.

Also read: Self-Absorbed, Uncaring, Incompetent: COVID Has Exposed Populist Leaders for What They Are

The government came back to releasing the daily figures only after a court order. But for a few days the country was in the dark about the damage being done by the virus. This further weakened the already fragile quarantine. Former health minister Luiz Mandetta, who was fired by Bolsonaro as he refused to tow his line on relaxing the social distancing norms, called the government move dumb and narrow. It is absurd and childishness and it will have consequences, said Mandetta, who was replaced as minister by another doctor who, in turn, was replaced by an army general.

After many days of squabbling with Mandetta, who became hugely popular across Brazil because of daily briefings, Bolsonaro fired him in April and appointed in his place a doctor with no public healthcare experience. The second minister was forced out after just 30 days as Bolsonaro handed over the Ministry of Health to General Eduardo Pazuello, who has no medical or public health experience. Under Pazuello, the health ministry has pushed for the widespread use of drugs like chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), which have been rejected by most studies. Daily media briefings have largely disappeared.

Profit over people

Last week, it was revealed that May of this year was the month with the highest number of deaths recorded in the history of Brazil, with COVID-19 claiming 24,111 of the 1,23,861 people who died across the country. In June, Brazil has recorded close to 1,000 deaths a day. In recent days, the number of new infections has touched figures as high as 54,000 in a day. Several survey by the countrys top universities and research centres have released studies that show the actual number of cases of COVID-19 in Brazil is between four to five times greater than the figures officially issued by the Ministry of Health.

By no stretch of imagination is the coronavirus crisis in Brazil over. It has not even peaked yet. But the country seems to be rushing back to business as usual, as in pre-pandemic days. Since the first quarantine was declared in Sao Paulo on March 16, the presidents supporters have used aggressive tactics to break the social distancing rules. Demonstrations and car and bike rallies have been taken out by far-right groups demanding a return to work and the opening of trade.

Now, the combined effect of constant social media messaging against social distancing by Bolsonaro, obfuscation of real numbers by the government, promotion of miracle drugs like HCQ by the Ministry of Health and extreme pressure from business groups has broken the resolve of most governors and mayors to control the pandemic with strict measures. Sao Paulo, the South American financial hub, has already started to open shops, malls and restaurants, despite a record number of new COVID-19 cases. Cities and towns in the state, which is the epicentre of the pandemic with 20% of the infections reported in the country, are following suit even as cases continue to rise.

Cabofriense players are temperature checked as they arrive before a match, following the resumption of play behind closed doors after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Photo: Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

In Rio de Janeiro, the second biggest city in the country with the highest per capita deaths in Brazil, even football games are back despite many top clubs not wanting to expose their players to the virus. But, egged on by Bolsonaro, big clubs like Flamengo and Vasco da Gama have pushed athletes to play in the middle of the pandemic. Even with the virus showing no signs of slowing down and several players testing positive, the city mayor is already under pressure to open one-third of the stadiums to spectators. The beaches of Rio, which were opened to the public some 10 days ago, are already packed with people. Masks are rare. Social distancing norms have been abandoned by most.

As Brazil becomes the first country to reopen its economy without ever closing it in a real sense, public health experts are watching the unfolding situation with horror. On Tuesday, members of the Pan American Health Organisation, the regional arm of the WHO, said the epidemic may reach peak in Brazil by mid-August and that the country may have more than 80,000 deaths by then. Some studies have estimated a much higher number till the end of 2020.

Bolsonaro, a self-declared fan of Donald Trump, follows the US presidents policies and style of functioning to a fault. Even in mismanaging a pandemic, he seems to be mimicking his idol on the northern side of the Equator.

Shobhan Saxena is a journalist based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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Fake News, Hiding Data and Profits: How COVID-19 Spun Out of Control in Brazil - The Wire

Fake News Busted! BMC clarifies 169 residents of Omkar Alta Monte in Malad have not tested positive for – Mumbai Mirror

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Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Tuesday refuted rumours that 169 residents tested positive for coronavirus in Malad's Omkar Alta Monte.

A picture clicked from a neighbouring building has been going viral on the internet wherein several people dressed in PPE kits can be seen standing outside the building premises. The message also claimed that 169 residents of the society have tested positive for COVID-19 and that the building has now been sealed.

It created a wave of panic among the people residing in and around the society as soon as the message making the rounds.

"This image from Omkar Alta Monte, Malad (E) making rounds on social media claims that 169 residents have tested positive for COVID19. We would like to inform that the said news is false. The image is of a screening camp organised at the premises. We urge citizens to not panic (sic)," BMC tweeted.

Since the lockdown has been imposed in March, a host of false news and messages are being forwarded on social media. The BMC, as well as the state and central government, have time and again issued clarifications on these rumours and have requested people to not believe in such fake information.

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Fake News Busted! BMC clarifies 169 residents of Omkar Alta Monte in Malad have not tested positive for - Mumbai Mirror

Letters to the Editor: ‘Fake news’ on coronavirus; rampant revisionism; the nature of gender – The Providence Journal

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Coronavirus response shows the real "fake news"

The term "fake news" was born during the presidency of Donald J. Trump. It was widely used by the president and members of the presidents team to rebuff news items critical of the Trump Administration. Over the Trump years, the amount of "fake news" grew exponentially. It got so great that the president routinely disparaged representatives of mainstream media, and sternly admonished them and dismissed their questions at presidential news conferences. Trump supporters admired such actions because they were seen as one demonstration of his "telling it like it is." After all, the president himself promised that, unlike his predecessors and members of the Washington elite, "telling it like it is" is one way that he alone will make America great again.

Now comes the COVID-19 pandemic, which Trump informed the nation was a "hoax" likely perpetrated by Democrats. Epidemiologists using methods of scientific investigation determined the severity and extent of the disease. They collected incidence data and identified preventive measures that should be promulgated at the federal level. On multiple occasions, Trump told the public that prevalence was decreasing, not increasing, and the use of masks and social distancing could safely be phased down. Last week, epidemiologists at a press conference presented data showing growing prevalence. Vice President Pence, speaking for the absent president, then spoke of the outstanding progress the administration has made, right from the beginning, in defeating the pandemic.

Who is lying? Whose news is fake? Whose inaction and incompetence has resulted in the unnecessary deaths of thousands of American lives?

Richard Bolig

Cranston

Where does revisionism end?

Currently there is an agenda by certain activist groups to oppose segments of our American history that they deem offensive. Their efforts are to remove, ban or deface any objects that relate to our flag, our national anthem, memorial monuments and persons of historic significance. They have even made attempts to eliminate religious names, statues and certain places of worship.

In the coming years, history books will need to be rewritten for all educational classrooms omitting many of the suggested offensive references. A new curriculum will be required in order not to offend anyone.

Even if only partially successful, the cultural effect will impact much of our countrys history for years to come. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will have new meaning for some as our past history is being revised on a daily basis.

Whats next, the Fourth of July?

Bob Sweeney

Warwick

Larger ramifications of gender-neutral drivers license

According to Governor Raimondo, Rhode Island residents can now select a gender-neutral designation on their drivers license in order to "better reflect the diverse identities of Rhode Islanders." As the state continues to explore the transgender ideology and all it holds, we must continually ask ourselves about the nature of the human person. For to hold that ones body and "identity" is asserted by Xs will does not correspond to the truth, but to an accommodation of want that further undermines the purpose, meaning, and nature of the human person in an ordered universe.

Craig Cooley

Providence

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Letters to the Editor: 'Fake news' on coronavirus; rampant revisionism; the nature of gender - The Providence Journal

There probably isn’t as much fake news in the media as we think – New Scientist News

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By Donna Lu

Richard Levine / Alamy

Fake news was widely cited as a problem during the 2016 US election, but a new analysis suggests that, at least in that country, it may not affect public opinion as much as has been suggested.

Duncan Watts at the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues analysed the daily media consumption habits of people in the US and found that deliberately false or misleading content makes up only a tiny fraction of what people watch or read.

Watts and his colleagues found that, on average, people consumed fake news for 0.15 per cent of the total time they spent watching TV and movies or gaming, using social media and enjoying other such entertainment.

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They suggest that conventional news sources, or people avoiding the news altogether, may be greater contributors to the polarisation of opinions and creating a misinformed public than fake news.

The team analysed data from Nielsen, a company that measures the TV viewing habits of about 100,000 people in the US to determine ratings. The team also studied nationally representative data from analytics firm Comscore, which measures the time people spend on their computers and mobile phones on different media websites.

Fake news consumption was defined as the amount of time people spent on any of 98 websites that had previously been identified by fact-checkers as deceptive, low-quality or hyper-partisan.

The researchers found that people in the US spend an average of over 7.5 hours a day consuming media. News comprises 14 per cent of this.

People spend about five times more time consuming news on TV 54 minutes than online, although this ratio was smaller for 18- to 24-year-olds.

The media plays a tremendously important role in questions about politics, public opinion, polarisation and attitudes towards experts, says Watts.

News publishers and programmes should be held as accountable as social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, he says.

Journal reference: Science Advances

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There probably isn't as much fake news in the media as we think - New Scientist News

UK government takes $500 million stake in space exploration firm OneWeb – The Verge

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As part of a consortium that includes Indian telecom Bharti Global, the UK government will invest $500 million and take a significant equity share in space exploration firm OneWeb, it announced Friday. OneWeb, which has its headquarters in the UK, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US in March, after it was unable to secure financing. Bharti Global also will invest $500 million as part of the deal.

OneWeb is one of several companies working on an Internet-from-space project, using a combination of low-altitude satellites to beam internet connectivity to ground terminals on Earths surface. It was slated to launch a constellation of 650 spacecraft, and its plans included providing internet coverage for the Arctic. So far, it has launched 74 satellites for the project.

Fridays deal with the UK, which gives the country a 20 percent stake, will allow OneWeb to complete construction of the satellite constellation, the government said in a statement, making the UK a world leader in science, research and development. UK Secretary of State for Business Alok Sharma said the deal presents the opportunity to further develop our strong advanced manufacturing base right here in the UK. The UK lost access to the European Unions Galileo satellite system in 2018 as part of its departure from the EU, and the UKs plans to build its own global navigation satellite system are on hold due to cost concerns.

OneWeb said in a statement Friday that the company was seeking to resume operations as soon as possible.

News of the OneWeb deal drew criticism from some space experts in the UK, however. Dr Bleddyn Bowen, a space policy expert at the University of Leicester, told The Guardian that the deal amounted to bolting an unproven technology on to a mega-constellation thats designed to do something else. OneWebs satellites are in low-Earth orbit, but most other countries GPS systems are in medium-Earth orbit, The Guardian noted.

The deal is subject to US regulatory approval and is expected to close before the end of the year.

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UK government takes $500 million stake in space exploration firm OneWeb - The Verge