Windows Central | Observer for Xbox One review: Cyberpunk meets horror in a twisted dystopia Windows Central Coming off the back of "Layers of Fear," its first horror endeavor, the studio has ventured into the realm of cyberpunk for its second entry. And while Observer clearly builds on the strengths of Bloober's previous work, the unique amalgamation of ... |
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Observer for Xbox One review: Cyberpunk meets horror in a twisted dystopia - Windows Central
Are shares ofEDAP TMS S.A. (NASDAQ:EDAP) ready to make a move? Increased volatility and interest from bargain investors have put the stock on a number of investors watchlists of late. The stock is pricing at$2.68 after moving0.00% from the opening bell.
Here well take a quick glance athow the stock price is currently trading in relation to some of its simple moving averages. At current levels, EDAP TMS S.A. (NASDAQ:EDAP) shares have been seen trading -9.05% away from the 20-day moving average. The stock has been recently separated from the 50-day moving average by -15.85%. Using a broader approach, shares have been trading -10.14% off of the 200-day moving average. After the latest check-in, company stock is -30.39% off of the 50 day high and 6.77% away from the 50 day low price.
Overall, 2017 has been a good year thus far for small-cap stocks. Investors may be examining their portfolios and trying to decide if they have the proper exposure to small-caps. Deciding on small-cap portfolio weighting may depend prominently on the risk appetite for each individual person. Investors also may need to evaluate their short-term and long-term goals when deciding how best to tackle the equity market. Small-cap stocks have historically outperformed early in economic expansion cycles, and underperformed later in the cycles. With the current economic cycle in year eight, it begs the question as to why small-cap stocks have still been chugging along and outperforming certain averages.
In terms of performance, shares of EDAP TMS S.A. (NASDAQ:EDAP) are -18.29% since the start of 2016. Over the past week, shares are -0.74%. Moving out to look at the previous month performance, the stock is at -14.92%. For the quarter, performance is at -4.29%. During the past six months, EDAP TMS S.A. (NASDAQ:EDAP)s stock has been -13.55% and -11.55% for the last 12 months.
Investors are constantly attempting to find the next great stock to own. Picking the next winner to bolster the portfolio may involve some hard work and a little bit of stock market magic. Sifting through the wealth of information about public companies can be a daunting task. Many sharp investors will attack the equity markets from many different angles. This may include keeping close tabs on fundamental and technical data. This may also include tracking analyst opinions and following what the big money institutions are buying or selling.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and information expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any company stakeholders, financial professionals, or analysts. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized to make stock portfolio or financial decisions as they are based only on limited and open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of any analysts or financial professionals.
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Are Discerning Investors Interested in These Shares: EDAP TMS SA (NASDAQ:EDAP)? - FLBC News
JoAnne Viviano The Columbus Dispatch @JoAnneViviano
A new pain pellet that scientists are developing in Columbus isabout half the size of a grain of rice, but researchers say it delivers a big dose of relief that could one day help fight the opioid epidemic.
The tiny rod holds a nonaddictive painkiller that doctors could insert in the lower back, much like an epidural, to give a patient a break from chronic or acute pain, said Dr. Ali Rezai, director of the Neurological Institute at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. He would not reveal the painkiller, saying only that it is a drug that already has beenused successfully as a cardiovascular medication.
Goals includegiving physicians an alternative to the opioid-based pain medications that have led to addiction.
"We want to look at the opioid crisis," Rezai said. "We want to stop it at its root."
Supporters have formed a company, Sollis Therapeutics, to create the product and are now raising funds, said Dr. Greg Fiore, Sollis' chief executive officer. Fiore hails from Boston and is the founder of Fiore Healthcare Advisors, a scientific consulting firm. Rezai serves as scientific adviser to Sollis.
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A small trial of 55 people with sciatica pain in the lower back and legs showed that the pellet stopped pain for up to one year and was safe and easy to use,Fiore said. Researchers will next seek to perform a large clinical trial, hoping toconfirm effectiveness and safety. The trial will involve a broader group of peopleculled from pain centers across Ohio.
If efficacy and safety are proved, researchers would seek approval for the pellet from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They hope to have the pellet in use within four or five years.
Sollis, headquartered in the University District, is the second company to be formed by the Neurotechnology Innovations Translator, which is funded by the Ohio Third Frontier Program. Both seek to move ideas from the lab to the marketplace.
Opioids are commonly used to treat chronic pain,Rezai said.
But the highly addictive nature of the medications, Fiore said, is a reason to find alternatives. Someone who takes opioids for a single day, for example,has a 6 percent chance of being addicted a year later.
"It's really important to avoid starting, even for legitimate conditions," he said. "It confers an increased risk for not being able to come off these drugs."
Along with medications, 11 million steroid injections are given each year to treat neck and back pain in the United States, Rezai said.Such injections might not work and, when they do, relief doesn'tlast long.
He wanted to bring the project to Ohio, and hopes are to eventually manufacture the pellets here.
"It's one of the ground zero states for the opioid crisis," Rezai said. "This is a big problem; it's just spiraling, so we want to find solutions quickly."
@JoAnneViviano
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Could this back-pain device end need for opioids? - The Columbus Dispatch
Ten new Mong Family Foundation Fellows in Neurotech will work under the mentorship of faculty across Cornell to advance technologies that promise to provide insight into how brains work, as well as strategies to fix them when they dont.
The fellowships are part of a multimillion-dollar seed grant from the Mong Family Foundation, through Stephen Mong 92, M.Eng. 93, MBA 02, which launchedCornell Neurotechin 2015 as a collaboration between the colleges of Arts and Sciences and Engineering. Its mission is to develop technologies and powerful new tools needed to reveal the inner workings of the brain, with a particular focus on how individual brain cells and complex neural circuits interact at the speed of thought.
We have another terrific group of interdisciplinary Mong fellows and advisers this year, said Joseph Fetcho, director of Cornell Neurotech-Arts and Sciences and professor of neurobiology and behavior. We fully expect that their work will catalyze advances in understanding brains and lead to projects of much bigger scope, just as previous Mong support produced collaborations and federally funded projects that helped Cornell become a National Science Foundation NeuroNex Neurotechnology Hub.
Said Chris Xu, the Mong Family Foundation Director of Cornell Neurotech and professor of applied and engineering physics: The Mong Fellow program this year builds on our success from last year. The five teams represent a number of graduate fields and bring a wide range of expertise in neurotechnology development. These fellows embody the collaborative spirit of Cornell in pushing the boundaries of interdisciplinary research.
Mong Junior Fellows Akash Guru, doctoral student in neurobiology and behavior, and Mengran Wang, doctoral student in biophysics, will develop technology that helps reveal how activity in one group of neurons biases activity in another neural circuit in the mouse brain. They will use the tools to investigate the role of serotonin (implicated in depression) in modulating behavior in a circuit-specific manner.
Mong Junior Fellows Priya Balasubramanian, doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering, and Chunyan Wu, doctoral student in comparative biomedical sciences, will explore the use of ultrasound-based micro electro-mechanical systems as a means of monitoring and controlling the activity of neurons in brains over much longer time frames than is currently possible.
Mong Junior Fellows Yu-Ting Cheng, doctoral student in neurobiology and Behavior, and Yi-Yun Ho, doctoral student in neurobiology and behavior, will develop novel imaging and stimulation tools to explore pathways from the brain that blunt the sensation of pain by blocking the flow of pain signals through the spinal cord.
Senior Fellows Dawnis Chow, research associate in neurobiology and behavior, and David Sinefeld, postdoctoral associate in applied physics, will combine adaptive optics and three-photon microscopy to allow imaging of the structure and function of individual nerve cells anywhere in the brain of an intact living vertebrate (zebrafish) throughout its life from embryo to adult.
Mong Junior Fellows Michael Reynolds, doctoral student in physics, and Ryan Post, doctoral student in neurobiology and behavior, will combine optically transparent graphene field-effect transistors with calcium imaging to obtain high temporal resolution electrophysiological recordings from identified neurons in mammalian brains.
Yvette Lisa Ndlovu is a communications assistant for the College of Arts and Sciences.
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Early career scientists named Mong Fellows in Cornell Neurotech - Cornell Chronicle
Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK) and Glaukos Corporation (NYSE:GKOS) are both medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, dividends, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.
Dividends
Stryker Corporation pays an annual dividend of $1.70 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Glaukos Corporation does not pay a dividend. Stryker Corporation pays out 37.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Stryker Corporation has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Stryker Corporation and Glaukos Corporations top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
Stryker Corporation has higher revenue and earnings than Glaukos Corporation. Glaukos Corporation is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Stryker Corporation, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Stryker Corporation and Glaukos Corporations net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
73.8% of Stryker Corporation shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.1% of Glaukos Corporation shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.4% of Stryker Corporation shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 16.4% of Glaukos Corporation shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Stryker Corporation and Glaukos Corporation, as reported by MarketBeat.
Stryker Corporation currently has a consensus target price of $143.38, suggesting a potential downside of 0.63%. Glaukos Corporation has a consensus target price of $54.60, suggesting a potential upside of 45.79%. Given Glaukos Corporations stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Glaukos Corporation is more favorable than Stryker Corporation.
Risk and Volatility
Stryker Corporation has a beta of 0.8, suggesting that its share price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Glaukos Corporation has a beta of 1.29, suggesting that its share price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Stryker Corporation beats Glaukos Corporation on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.
Stryker Corporation Company Profile
Stryker Corporation is a medical technology company. The Company offers a range of medical technologies, including orthopedic, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products. The Companys segments include Orthopaedics; MedSurg; Neurotechnology and Spine, and Corporate and Other. The Orthopaedics segment includes reconstructive (hip and knee) and trauma implant systems and other related products. The MedSurg segment includes surgical equipment and surgical navigation systems; endoscopic and communications systems; patient handling, emergency medical equipment, intensive care disposable products; reprocessed and remanufactured medical devices, and other related products. The Neurotechnology and Spine segment includes neurovascular products, spinal implant systems and other related products. The Companys products include implants, which are used in joint replacement and trauma surgeries, and other products that are used in a range of medical specialties.
Glaukos Corporation Company Profile
Glaukos Corporation is an ophthalmic medical technology company. The Company focuses on the development and commercialization of products and procedures for the treatment of glaucoma. It offers iStent, a micro-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) device. The iStent is a micro-bypass stent inserted through the small corneal incision made during cataract surgery and placed into Schlemms canal, a circular channel in the eye that collects aqueous humor and delivers it back into the bloodstream. It is developing three additional pipeline products: the iStent Inject, the iStent Supra and iDose. The iStent Inject includes two stents pre-loaded in an auto-injection inserter. The iStent Supra is designed to access an alternative drainage space within the eye. iDose is a drug delivery system that is designed to be implanted in the eye to continuously deliver therapeutic levels of medication for extended periods of time to lower intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.
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Critical Comparison: Stryker Corporation (SYK) versus Glaukos Corporation (GKOS) - TrueBlueTribune
Washington Times | 'Great Comet' Broadway hit falls from political correctness ... Washington Times Ticket sales lulled when Josh Groban left Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 and Okieriete Oak Onaodowan, who is black, took over his role as ... |
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'Great Comet' Broadway hit falls from political correctness ... - Washington Times
North Korea's most public links to Thailand are the string of restaurants the regime has opened in Bangkok. (File photo via Vice TV)
The past few months showed Thailand's pragmatism. Its diplomacy is based on a comfort level rather than on perceived political correctness. With its location and added strategic assets, major countries have now begun to court Thailand at their own pace. Although the country's diplomatic pathway was put under severe stress in the first 15 months after the May 2014 coup, Thailand's regional and international profile has incrementally been gaining traction and leading to new cooperation with those countries that have forged the highest level of comfort.
India, China, Japan and Australia have emerged as countries that have provided much needed rapport with and support to Thailand and its leaders in the past three years. These four countries have made their relationship with Thailand special as their policymakers have established a high level of "comfort".
For the time being, the US, despite its superpower status, is not in the group. Neither is Russia even though the comfort level between Thai and Russian leaders has been better in comparison with the US.
Kavi Chongkittavorn is a veteran journalist on regional affairs.
When US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a five-hour trip to Thailand on Aug 8, he was unable to secure Thailand's commitment to downgrade its diplomatic engagement and exchanges with North Korea. Washington asked Bangkok to end commercial ties with North Korea by closing North Korean trade representative offices and cutting the number of its businessmen based here in Bangkok.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's reply was succinct, saying that Thailand would stick to the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. As early as April, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs circulated a 12-page letter to all Thai companies with trade links to North Korea urging them to follow all the UN resolutions, in particular No.2321 (on strengthening sanctions on North Korea).
In fact, Thailand has already shut down Pyongyang front organisations that operate under various disguises along Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, including a few restaurants.
That has disappointed Mr Tillerson, who has strongly supported Thailand since assuming the secretary of state position in the Trump administration. Also, Thailand was disappointed with the US State Department's latest Trafficking in Persons report, which keeps it on the Tier 2 Watch List for yet another year.
If this remains unchanged next year, despite the kingdom's all-out effort to prosecute high-level traffickers, Thai-US relations, which are supposed to reach a new normal level, will again slump.
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai was quick to tell the press after his meeting with Mr Tillerson that Gen Prayut was scheduled to visit Washington in early October at the personal invitation of US President Donald Trump, who also invited Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Mr Duterte has not responded to the invitation.
Despite strong mutual desire, Gen Prayut's planned visit to the US might not materialise due to schedule conflicts. So far, Thai authorities concerned have not yet called for a preparatory meeting for his visit.
However, deep down beyond the diplomatic pleasantries, it reflects Bangkok's growing anxiety about Mr Trump's political future as well as US policy toward this part of the world. Thailand is taking a rather non-committal position regarding North Korea, which in the past several weeks has been a top priority of the US in Southeast Asia.
Any dramatic change in Thailand's policy towards North Korea would disrupt Thai-Chinese relations. Bangkok is not willing to play into Washington's hands on North Korea. Indeed, like the rest of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Thailand strongly condemned North Korea's missile tests and other misbehaviour but is still not willing to downgrade ties or kick the country out of the regional security platform, the Asean Regional Forum.
Ironically Asean is intensifying its diplomatic efforts regarding the nuclear crisis to display its diplomatic finesse that an international crisis can be defused and subsequently resolved "the Asean way". Asean's two-decades-long engagement with Myanmar, which helped ended the country's diplomatic isolation and restored it to the international community, is frequently cited as one the group's big accomplishments.
Major powers that have a high comfort level are moving fast to fill the strategic vacuum left by America's botched diplomacy. Obviously, political pundits cite China as the biggest beneficiary of the repercussions from Thailand's three-year-old coup. That is partially true if one assesses Thailand-China relations solely based on defence and security cooperation.
China's Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi, left, shakes hands with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House in July. China is among countries that have provided much needed rapport with Thailand in the past three years. (Photo courtesy Government House)
For years, Thailand has been looking for alternative sources to upgrade its military hardware. As such, the controversial procurement of Chinese submarines was a strategic move by the Royal Thai Navy, which has been on the drawing board for nearly a decade. Other non-security matters which showed the essence of Thailand-China relations still have steep learning curves.
What is remarkable have been the inroads made by Japan, India and Australia. They have increased their diplomatic engagement with Thailand since the referendum on the new charter passed last August. Both Japan and India were very supportive of Gen Prayut from the very beginning. In coming years, they will figure prominently in the country's strategic outlook.
For instance, Thailand and Japan, as fellow US allies, are strengthening their defence cooperation as never before. The two countries will soon sign a memorandum that would allow Japan's defence equipment to be transferred to Thailand, which will reduce costs and shorten delivery times.
Thailand and India view their growing economic connectivity as a new driving force for growth and stability. To realise this goal, the two countries need strong security cooperation and assurances. New Delhi has long wanted to provide military hardware to Bangkok at friendship prices. Additional Japan-India broader cooperation are in the pipeline, which would also impact Thailand as an integrated connectivity hub along the East-West Corridor.
However, Thailand's next strategic partner will be Australia, which has displayed a security commitment and resiliency in engaging Thailand and other Asean members. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop understands the pivotal role Thailand can play in leading and directing the group's future direction. Her speech on the 50th anniversary of Asean tracing the host's historical role at the Thai Foreign Ministry was well received.
Thailand's diplomacy has evolved and been highly adaptive since its first foreign emissary went abroad in 1603. Preserving peace while respecting sovereignty is the country's diplomatic principle, which outsiders often forget.
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NEW DELHI: A Nigerian man has been arrested for cloning debit cards of over 100 people and withdrawing money fraudulently from their accounts. The victims had swiped their cards at ATMs in upscale south Delhi colonies.
The man identified as Kingsley had a unique modus operandi. Police said he would identify an ATM kiosk that didn't have a security guard around. He would go inside, rip open the card swiping slot of the machine and place a scanner behind it. Black tape would hold the device in place. Next, Kingsley would place a camera somewhere on the machine so that its focus would be on the keypad.
Whenever an ATM user swiped his card, the scanner would capture the details while the camera would record the PIN as the customer keyed it in. Once the customer stepped out, Kingsley would go inside, fetch the card reader and camera, and clone the card with the details. Then he would swipe the cloned card at other ATMs and withdraw money. In this way, customer after customer fell victim to Kingsley's fraud.
Until one day, a woman who operated an ATM near Hari Nagar found a large transaction done from her card long after she had withdrawn money. She immediately reported the matter to the police, who then obtained footage of CCTV cameras installed nearby.
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Nigerian held for duping Delhiites by cloning cards at ATMs - Times of India
BBC News | Are Turkey's schools dropping evolution and teaching jihad? BBC News "We are not against evolution. If science says something, it is impossible to resist it. Also, the subjects on inheritance, mutation, modification and adaptation are still present in the curriculum. These are all within the theory of evolution," Mr ... |
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Are Turkey's schools dropping evolution and teaching jihad? - BBC News
Tell us about your character Jane.
When we meet her in Big Little Lies, we meet a girl whos trying to live in an adult world, whos coping with the extreme suppression of anger and sadness while also trying to deliver a life full of possibility and positivity and wonder to her young child. And I think thats why she was able to bond with so many of the women from Monterey, because although they didnt have similar personalities, Jane saw that they, too, were coping with some sort of deep grief despite the facade of white fences.
There are more than 1000 suggestions for what to stream over on Watching, The New York Timess TV and movie recommendation site.
Those women were played by real powerhouses. What was that like?
It was wonderful. Reese, Nicole and Laura would discuss with Zo [Kravitz] and me how times have changed since they were teenage actors, and reflect on the progress that has been made in Hollywood. I still think theres a long way to go when it comes to depicting females in films. But being on a set where we had the camaraderie and compassion and support of so many women and not just the actors, but our crew and producers was an unparalleled experience.
Youve spoken about the need for empathy toward the shows male characters, even the abusive husband played by Alexander Skarsgard.
A bully generally is not bullying just to bully. Theyre bullying out of pain and internal conflict and brokenness. Obviously there is no complacency on my end for any act of violence. But its worth looking at why we have so many rapes and acts of sexual violence. Many young men and women feel out of control or that they dont have support for the traumas theyre experiencing, and I think paying attention to that and providing support would create a world where we have less acts of violence.
Female friendships are important to you. And yet in the past youve said that youre not a feminist.
I would today consider myself a feminist. If females start working through the false narrative of jealousy and insecurity fed through a patriarchal society, then not only will we have more women feeling confident in themselves and supportive of one another, but we will start introducing a type of matriarchy, which is what this world needs. We need more softness and more silence and more pause through the chaos.
Youre an environmental activist. Have you considered running for political office?
There was a point last year when I was working for Bernie Sanders where I thought, Huh, maybe Ill run for Congress in a couple years. And you know what? Im not going to rule it out. Who knows? Life is big, and Im young.
Do you have a favorite Emmy nominee this year?
Im rooting for Feud, and Im all on the Susan Sarandon train, just because shes brilliant and brought so much to that show.
A version of this article appears in print on August 22, 2017, on Page C4 of the New York edition with the headline: Life Is Big, And Im Young.
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Shailene Woodley on Her Emmy Nomination and Feminist Evolution - New York Times
Im currently deep in the world of turtles its because of the textbook. And long-time readers will know that I suffer from Turtle Guilt anyway and have long aimed to put things right. In view of both of these things combined with the fact that I feel the urge to produce a new Tet Zoo article here are some brief thoughts on turtles that I hope you find interesting. The world of turtle evolutionary history and phylogenetic research is rich and complex, so I thought it would be fun to throw out a small selection of interesting factoids, not to focus on one specialised area. Here we go
Whos on the stem, whos in the crown? If you know anything about the geological history of turtles, youll be aware that a few anatomically archaic Late Triassic and Early Jurassic turtles have been regarded as the oldest representatives of Cryptodira and Pleurodira, the two great turtle groups that exist today. Most notable among these are the Late Triassic Proterochersis (originally described as the oldest known pleurodire) and the Early Jurassic Kayentachelys (originally described as the oldest cryptodire). A Late Triassic pleurodire would mean that the common ancestor of crown turtles was in existence by this time.
But this has been challenged. In a study devoted to phylogenetic analysis of Mesozoic turtles, Joyce (2007) argued that these early turtles are outside the crown group (crown group = the clade that contains living species and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor), and that crown turtles did not, in fact, evolve until considerably later (the Late Jurassic). Joyce (2007) and, later, other authors (Sterli et al. 2013) went further, proposing that a large number of additional taxa among them the remarkable meiolaniids of the Cretaceous and Cenozoic, the fabled Kallokibotion of the Late Cretaceous of Romania and the diverse and abundant baenids of the Cretaceous and Paleogene were stem-turtles too, not archaic cryptodires as long thought. Thisreallocation of taxa and revised view of turtle history has been accepted by some turtle specialists but not by others, and these two schools of thought currently appear to be at an impasse.
You might be thinking that none of this matters much, and perhaps youd be right. But the proposal that those archaic turtle lineages are outside the crown has some important implications: meiolaniids, you see, persisted to relatively recent times, their youngest geological occurrence being from the Holocene of Vanuatuwhere theyve been dated to just c 3000 years ago. We only just missed them, and by missed them I mean that ancient members of our species hunted them to extinction. Had they persisted to the present, we would according to the model proposed by Joyce have especially archaic, early-diverging turtles still with us today, members of a lineage that originated far earlier in the Mesozoic than the other turtle lineages still present. A complication here is that if meiolaniids were still alive our definition of the turtle crown would be far more inclusive, since all or virtually all of those lineages outside the cryptodire-pleurodire clade would now be inside the crown.
Side-necked turtles once lived just about everywhere. Today, pleurodires the side-necked turtles are southern animals of Africa, Madagascar, South America and Australasia. But the fossil record shows that this is absolutely not reflective of their distribution in the past: they were effectively cosmopolitan, with species across North America, Europe and Asia. Most of these animals belonged to groups that are now wholly extinct, like the bothremydids: these were around from the Late Cretaceous until eitherthe Oligocene or Miocene (Lapparent de Broin & Werner 1998, Gaffney et al. 2006). But others belonged to groups that now have a more restricted distribution: Neochelys known from around 8 species that inhabited Europe during the Eocene is a member of Podocnemididae, a group only present today in South America and Madagascar.
Archelon is not the biggest turtle. It has often been said, or at best implied, that certain of the Late Cretaceous marine protostegids in particular the famous Archelon (Archelon! Archelon!, quoth Raquel Welch, 1966) were the biggest turtles ever. This hasnt been true for a while, even though those particular turtles sure were big. Nope, the biggest turtles of all are pleurodires, the record-holder being Stupendemys of the Upper Miocene and Pliocene of northern South America. This giant reached 3.3 m in carapace length and thus must have exceeded 5 m in total length. Incidentally, if youve been to the AMNH in New York and seen the Stupendemys on display there, note that its skull is not actually that of Stupendemys, its an enlarged replica of the skull of another sort of pleurodire: the very deep-faced Miocene podocnemidid Caninemys, named on account of its bulldog-like appearance (Meylan et al. 2009).
Giant tortoises were formerly widespread, and not just on islands. Today we associate giant tortoises with oceanic islands, most famously the Galpagos but also the Seychelles. If youre up to speed on recently extinct animals youll also be aware of the recently extinct Cylindraspis tortoises of the Mascarenes, and perhaps of the big tortoises that also once occurred on the Caribbean islands. The impression you get from these animals is that giant size in tortoises was an island thing, and that tortoises are only able to achieve giant size when evolving in isolation from continental predators. But the fossil record paints a different picture.
Giant tortoises those with a carapace length exceeding 70 cm were a widespread presence in continental habitats too, and in fact have been since the Oligocene at least. Taraschelon an Oligocene form from France reached c 80 cm in carapace length. The biggest tortoise of all Megalochelys atlas (carapace length 2.1 m, mass c 1000 kg) inhabited southern Asia between the Miocene and Pleistocene and lived alongside a typical assortment of big continental mammals, and similarly big tortoises (they may be additional specimens of Megalochelys) also inhabited eastern Europe during the Pliocene (Boev 2008). Another giant Cheirogaster was present in Greece during the Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene. Some Cheirogaster specimens exceed 1.5 m in carapace length; the skull alone can be 23 cm long. Europe was also home to several species of Titanochelon during the Miocene and Pliocene: this animal occurred from Portugal all the way to western Asia and seems to have had a carapace length of about 1.2 m. North America was home to Hesperotestudo during the Pleistocene, some species of which rivalled Galpagos giant tortoises in size. This brief listing is far from complete, but you get the point: there were really big, fully terrestrial tortoises in many continental environments during the Cenozoic.
Its also worth noting that giant continental tortoises still exist today: there are some big South American Chelonoidis species, and the very large Centrochelys and Stigmochelys species of Africa. Another assumption that these animals were limited to tropical, frost-free places is also challenged by the fossil record, since some of these very large tortoises (thinking here of the North American Hesperotestudo) appear to have been able to dig deep burrows and avoid the cold surface temperatures sometimes present in the places where they occurred (thanks to Mark Gelbart for this idea).
That will do for now. We will revisit turtles again soon. While on the subject of this group, my review of Olivier Rieppelnew book Turtles As Hopeful Monsters has recently been published (Naish 2017). For previous Tet Zoo turtle articles, see
Refs - -
Bakker, R. T. 1986. The Dinosaur Heresies. Penguin Books, London.
Boev, Z. 2008. First finds of giant land tortoises discovered in Bulgaria. Science News April 2008, 2-4.
Gaffney, E. S., Tong, H. & Meylan, P. A. 2006. Evolution of the side-necked turtles: the families Bothremydidae, Euraxemydidae, and Araripemydidae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 300, 1-700.
Joyce, W. G. 2007. Phylogenetic relationships of Mesozoic turtles. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 48, 3-102.
Lapparent de Broin, F. de & Werner, C. 1998. New late Cretaceous turtles from the Western Desert, Egypt. Annales de Palontologie 84, 131-214.
Meylan, P. A., Gaffney, E. S. & Campos, D. de A. 2009. Caninemys, a new side-necked turtle (Pelomedusoides: Podocnemididae) from the Miocene of Brazil. American Museum Novitates 3639, 1-26.
Naish, D. 2017. Review of Turtles as Hopeful Monsters: Origins and Evolution. Palaeontologia ElectronicaVol. 20, Issue 2; 1R: 3p.
Sterli, J., de la Fuente, M. & Cerda, I. A. 2013. A new species of meiolaniform turtle and a revision of the Late Cretaceous Meiolaniformes of South America. Ameghiniana 50, 240-256.
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Letters From the World of Turtle Evolution - Scientific American (blog)
August 21, 2017 Deep Lake in the Vestfold Hills region of Antarctica. The 36-metre deep lake is so salty it remains in liquid form down to a temperature of minus 20 degrees. Credit: UNSW Sydney
UNSW Sydney scientists studying microbes from some of the saltiest lakes in Antarctica have discovered a new way that the microbes can share DNA that could help them grow and survive.
The research, based on 18 months of water sampling in remote Antarctic locations, including during the extreme cold of winter, could throw light on the evolutionary history of viruses.
The team unexpectedly discovered one strain of the Antarctic salt-loving microbes contained plasmids - small molecules of DNA which can replicate independently in a host cell, and which often contain genes useful to an organism.
"Unlike viruses, which encase themselves in a protective protein coat, plasmids usually move around by cell to cell contact, or as a piece of naked DNA," says research team leader, UNSW scientist Professor Rick Cavicchioli.
"But the plasmids that we found in the Antarctic microbes were masquerading as viruses. They produced proteins which went into the host's membrane, which then allowed the membrane to bud off containing the plasmid DNA.
"The budded membranes, called membrane vesicles, allowed the plasmids to infect microbes of the same species that did not have any plasmids present, and then replicate themselves in the new host," he says.
Study first author Dr Susanne Erdmann says: "This is the first time this mechanism has been documented. And it could be an evolutionary forerunner to some of the more structured protective coats that viruses have developed to help them spread and become successful invaders.
"This finding suggests some viruses may have evolved from plasmids," she says.
The study, by Dr Erdmann, Dr Bernhard Tschitschko, Dr Ling Zhong, Associate Professor Mark Raftery and Professor Cavicchioli, is published in the journal Nature Microbiology.
The Antarctic microbes studied by the researchers are called haloarchaea and are known to be promiscuous, swapping DNA readily between themselves.
They can survive in Deep Lake, a 36-metre deep lake that is so salty it remains in liquid form down to a temperature of minus 20 degrees. The lake, which is about five kilometres from Australia's Davis Station, was formed about 3500 years ago when the Antarctic continent rose, isolating a section of ocean.
Haloarchaea microbes containing the plasmids were isolated from very rare water samples collected from the Rauer Islands about 35 kilometres further away.
"We also discovered that the plasmids could take some of the DNA from the host microbe, integrate it into their own DNA, produce membrane vesicles around themselves, and then go off and infect other cells," says Professor Cavicchioli.
"The findings are therefore relevant to Antarctic science as well as biology as a whole."
Explore further: Bacterial plasmids readily pick up new genes and spread them to new species
More information: Susanne Erdmann et al. A plasmid from an Antarctic haloarchaeon uses specialized membrane vesicles to disseminate and infect plasmid-free cells, Nature Microbiology (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41564-017-0009-2
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Antarctic salt-loving microbes provide insights into evolution of viruses - Phys.Org
Young students in Turkey will no longer be taught about evolution as the countrys government has decided to phase out its education, according to a new report.
Turkeys education minister announced last month in a news conference that new textbooks will be introduced to students this fall with the concept of evolution omitted,NPR reported, adding that it had been taught to ninth-graders.
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"Evolutionary biology is best left to be taught at the university level," Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz said. "It's a theory that requires a higher philosophical understanding than schoolchildren have."
Government officials are phasing in a curriculum which they say is based on values, as critics have reportedly accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of pushing conservative views and religious beliefs on the nation.
With approximately 99 percent of the country Muslim, many Turkish residents have said they dont believe in natural selection also known as Darwinism, or the theory of evolution but rather believe in creation. Creationism is the idea that god created earth, out of nothing, by an act of free will.
GERMAN NATIONALISTS PULL ANTI-ISLAM PIG POSTER
The new textbooks will be released to students in 1st, 5th and 9th grades this fall and the remainder will follow next year, the report adds.
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Turkey to stop teaching evolution in schools, report says - Fox News
U.S. study entitled 'A Psychological Profile of the Alt-Right' unveils the specifics of the race theory embraced by the movement
NEW YORK American researchers have published a working paper showing that people identifying with the alt-right consider Jews, Mexicans, blacks, Democrats, journalists, feminists and Muslims as subhumans, below homo sapiens on the evolutionary scale.
The study, entitled "A Psychological Profile of the Alt-Right," unveils the specifics of the race theory embraced by the movement. For example, unlike other far-right groups, members of the alt-right do not rank Jews at the bottom of the racial hierarchy.
In the study, Prof. Patrick Forscher of the University of Arkansas and Prof. Nour Kteily of Northwestern University questioned 447 people who identify with the alt-right and 382 members of a control group who do not.
The study is a working paper; it has not yet been published in a scholarly journal. The initial findings were released two days before the Unite the Right demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a man has been charged with murder for allegedly ramming his car into a crowd, killing a 32-year-old woman and injuring 19 people.
To study the dehumanization of various social groups by the alt-right, Forscher and Kteily showed their subjects the iconic March of Progress illustration describing the five phases of human evolution, from apes to homo sapiens, and asked them to mark where various population groups fell.
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On average, those identifying with the alt-right placed whites, Republicans, Americans, Swedes and Christians at evolutions highest level of development as homo sapiens. The other groups were ranked as belonging to earlier evolutionary stages. Among the inferior groups, in descending order reflecting an alleged lack of development, were Jews, Mexicans, blacks, Democrats, journalists, feminists and Muslims.
The members of the control group ranked all the groups as homo sapiens except for Donald Trump, whose name the researchers had offered for classification by the respondents. The control group put the president one stage lower than modern humans. Both groups were also asked to rank Hillary Clinton; alt-right adherents placed Clinton at the level of Muslims, two stages below modern humans.
The researchers also studied the extremism of members of the alt-right based on aggressiveness and so-called Dark Triad traits including narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy that are associated with callous, manipulative behavior. They determined that the alt-right respondents fell into two subcategories, one that the researchers dubbed supremacist, the less extreme one populists.
Members of the supremacist group showed traits of narcissism, psychopathy and aggression, and said they had engaged in violent behavior such as threats and harassment, both in social encounters and online.
The members of the second alt-right group were more moderate; they were less aggressive and more concerned with issues such as government corruption. But both alt-right groups viewed major media outlets such as CNN, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal with suspicion. They opposed Black Lives Matter and expressed concerns about discrimination against males and whites in the United States.
In the paper, Forscher and Kteily said they found some of the findings surprising and contrary to the stereotype attributed to the alt-right. For example, in questions about the social relations of the extremists whom they examined, there were no significant differences between them and the control group.
Contrary to the image of the troll hiding in his parents basement, members of the alt-right reported having close social relationships at levels similar to the control group. Also, there were no significant differences in the level of concern that alt-right members and the general population had about the state of the U.S. economy.
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Evolution According to the 'Alt-right': Journalists, Blacks and Jews Among the Subhuman - Haaretz
Editors note: We are delighted to welcome a new contributor to Evolution News,our colleague Daniel Reeves,Educational Outreach Assistant with Discovery Institutes Center for Science & Culture.
Representing Discovery Institute as an educational outreach assistant often means sitting at a conference book table and offering a selection of materials related to intelligent design readings that range from a brief overview of the corrosive social impacts of neo-Darwinism to 600-page technical breakdowns of complex biochemical systems. Ive watched, time after time, as students and professionals alike approach the table with visible enthusiasm only to leave feeling overwhelmed by the vast array and sheer quantity of information available on the subject. I can fully relate.
My own journey to learning about intelligent design began in high school, where I became particularly interested in the biodiversity of life and the glaring inadequacy of natural selection as an explanation for it all. A friend handed me a copy of Darwins Black Box, by Michael Behe, and I was hooked.
Soon, I learned of other titles and was knee-deep in Signature in the Cell an argument for design from the complex digital codes observed in DNA. By the time I had finished an undergraduate degree in biology and was getting acquainted with Discovery Institute, I had read another dozen or so books on the subject. My head was swimming with so many ideas that I didnt know where to turn next.
I wondered: How does this all fit together? What other arguments are out there for intelligent design? What are the counterarguments? What I wish I had to start with was a comprehensive curriculum providing a basic framework for all of the technical books and papers I would go on to read in the years to follow. Such a thing, to my knowledge, did not exist. But now it does.
Regardless of your level of study on the subject, there are now invaluable resources available to help make the multitude of current ID arguments accessible to you. Two are of special interest. Each is organized much like a textbook and comes with supplemental materials including workbooks and/or DVDs. Online companion courses are also offered for each of these, free of charge, to help the reader work through the material at her own pace. I trust that one or both of these resources will prove helpful in your own intellectual journey.
Published recently by Discovery Institute Press, Discovering Intelligent Design is a comprehensive curriculum presenting the biological and cosmological evidence in support of the scientific theory of intelligent design, as well as challenges to neo-Darwinism. Designed for readers ranging from middle-school students (in private or home schools, not public) to adults, this is a perfect place to begin your studies or to gain an overview of the arguments to date. Topics include the fine-tuning of the universe, solar system, and planet Earth, the irreducible complexity of biochemical systems, challenges to the traditional tree of life, and even strategies for engaging in the larger debate. With plenty of images, discussion questions, and accompanying videos, this curriculum stands to captivate students, professionals, families, youth groups, and more.
Or are you already comfortable with the basic framework of ID arguments? Delve deeper with The Design of Life, a beautifully illustrated college-level textbook that covers topics related to human origins, genetics, and macroevolution, the fossil record, the origin of species, irreducible complexity, and much more! Written by mathematician William Dembski and biologist Jonathan Wells, this book presents a compelling scientific case for the intelligent design of biological systems using critical analysis, clear explanations, and brilliant analogies. It will engage every reader, from trained scientist to curious layperson.
The textbooks are available for sale at the Center for Science & Culture bookstore. I hope these resources will serve you as they have me.
Photo: Daniel Reeves, via Discovery Institutes Center for Science & Culture.
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Curricula on Intelligent Design Are Urgently Needed -- And Here ... - Discovery Institute
Leaders in the fields of AI and robotics, including Elon Musk and Google DeepMinds Mustafa Suleyman, have signed a letter calling on the United Nations to ban lethal autonomous weapons, otherwise known as killer robots. In their petition, the group states that the development of such technology would usher in a third revolution in warfare, that could equal the invention of gunpowder and nuclear weapons.
Once developed, [autonomous weapons] will permit armed conflict to be fought at a scale greater than ever, and at timescales faster than humans can comprehend, write the signatories. These can be weapons of terror, weapons that despots and terrorists use against innocent populations, and weapons hacked to behave in undesirable ways.
A revolution in warfare that could equal the invention of gunpowder
The letter is signed by the founders of 116 AI and robotics companies from 26 countries, and was published this weekend ahead of the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI). This was intended to coincide with the beginning of formal talks by the UN exploring such a ban. 123 member nations agreed to the talks which were triggered in part by the publication of a similar petition in 2015 but discussions have been delayed due to unpaid fees from member states.
The experts signing the letter say that autonomous weapons that kill without human intervention are morally wrong, and that their use should be controlled under the 1983 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). This UN agreement regulates the use of a number of types of weapons including land mines, fire bombs, and chemical weapons.
Signatories to the letter say the need to act is urgent. This is not a hypothetical scenario, but a very real, very pressing concern which needs immediate action, said signatory Ryan Gariepy, founder of Clearpath Robotics, in a press statement. We should not lose sight of the fact that, unlike other potential manifestations of AI which still remain in the realm of science fiction, autonomous weapons systems are on the cusp of development right now and have a very real potential to cause significant harm to innocent people along with global instability.
A number of nations are currently developing lethal autonomous weapons, including the US, China, Russia, and Israel. Some systems have already been deployed, like autonomous border turrets built by South Korean arms manufacturer Dodaam Systems. The turrets are equipped with machine guns and are technically capable of identifying and firing on targets without human intervention, although currently human operators have to authorize any lethal shots.
Proponents of autonomous weapons say such technology could reduce battlefield casualties, and would be able to discriminate more accurately between civilians and combatants. But critics says these attitudes will only lead to such weapons being deployed more frequently, and cite the use of drone strikes by the US, which have allowed the country to conduct persistent bombing campaigns across the Middle East.
At this point in time no country seems likely to slow its development of such weapons for fear that others will overtake them. A US department of defense report on the subject cited by the Financial Times urges increased investment in autonomous weapon technology, so that America may remain ahead of adversaries who also will exploit its operational benefits.
This sort of arms race mentality is exactly the situation that the AI and robotics experts want to avoid. As the petition submitted to the UN states: We do not have long to act. Once this Pandoras box is opened, it will be hard to close.
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Elon Musk and AI leaders call for a ban on killer robots - The Verge
Jeff Immelt: Uber CEO? The GE chairman has reportedly emerged as the front-runner to lead the controversial ride-hailing company.
Ellen Pao has a new book. The former Kleiner Perkins investor shares details of her time at the venture firm and argues that gender discrimination lawsuits are far from over.
Teens love Apple's iMessage.Why? Because they own iPhones, iMessage is already there, and third-party app support has breathed new life into the platform , argues one executive.
Netflix is still spendinga lot. The media company will spend $7 billion on content next year, up from $6 billion this year.
Can Electronic Arts cultivate a casual eSports customer base? With the National Football League.Madden NFL 18,and a new tournament, perhapswith sponsorships, ticket sales, merchandising, and broadcast rights to follow.
Ford's Argo AI. The Pittsburgh company has $1 billion in backing from the Detroit automaker andnow finds itself fighting with the competition to recruit roboticists and machine learning experts.
Parts suppliers succumb to the Amazon effect. Plumbers, electricians, and contractors feel the pressure of the retailing giant .
Elon Musk calls for a robotics weapon ban. Along with 115 other experts, Musk called for strict oversightof autonomous weapons , a.k.a. "killer robots."
Is this the new Nest thermostat? A well-known leaker of such things believes so.
Former 23andMe president joins Livongo. Andy Page, who left 23andMe earlier this year, joins a startup focused on chronic disease management .
Paul Allen makes a historic discovery.The USS Indianapolis, lost for 72 years, is found 18,000 feet below the surface of the Philippine Sea.
"After years of sitting too comfortably on the sidelines, here, at an important moment in history, [technology companies] appear to be stepping up against unquestionably evil ideologies. And because companies like Google or Facebook constitute a kind of modern infrastructure for social relations and how we get media, it can, as an observer, feel good to see them help cut off oxygen to the pernicious and insidious viewpoints now so plainly and terrifyingly in view."
Navneet Alang, writing in The Week
Should Uber pay congestion charges? Nexar CEO Eran Shir makes an interesting argument for such a thing in The Information . He believes that "surge pricing" could be applied to a multimodal transportation network, citing as an example New York City, which remains without such things despite several attempts over the last decade. Looking out the windows of Fortune HQ to the fairly empty street belowand remembering the packed subway car I rode here earlier this morningI'm wondering if we're thinking about this all wrong.
This edition of Data Sheet was curatedby Andew Nusca . Find past issues, and sign up for otherFortune newsletters .
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Data Sheet: Uber CEO, Ellen Pao Speaks, Netflix Cash, Robotics Weapon Ban - Fortune
While we usually see robotics applied to industrial or research applications, there are plenty of ways they could help in everyday life as well: an autonomous guide for blind people, for instance, or a kitchen bot that helps disabled folks cook. Or and this one is real a robot arm that can perform rudimentary sign language.
Its part of a masters thesis from grad students at the University of Antwerp who wanted to address the needs of the deaf and hearing impaired. In classrooms, courts and at home, these people often need interpreters who arent always available.
Their solution is Antwerps Sign Language Actuating Node, or ASLAN. Its a robotic hand and forearm that can perform sign language letters and numbers. It was designed from scratch and built from 25 3D-printed parts, with 16 servos controlled by an Arduino board. Its taught gestures using a special glove, and the team is looking into recognizing them through a webcam as well.
Right now, its just the one hand so obviously two-hand gestures and the cues from facial expressions that enrich sign language arent possible yet. But a second coordinating hand and an emotive robotic face are the next two projects the team aims to tackle.
The idea is not to replace interpreters, whose nuance can hardly be replicated, but to make sure that there is always an option for anyone worldwide who requires sign language service. It also could be used to help teach sign language a robot doesnt get tired of repeating a gesture for you to learn.
Why not just use a virtual hand? Good question. An app or even a speech-to-text program would accomplish many of the same things. But its hard to think less of the ASLAN project; taking an assistive technology off the screen and putting it in the real world, where it can be interacted with, viewed from many angles, and otherwise share the physical space of the people it helps, is a commendable goal.
ASLAN was created by Guy Fierens, Stijn Huys and Jasper Slaets. Its still in prototype form, but once its finalized the designs will be open sourced.
Read this article:
This 3D-printed robotic arm is built for sign language | TechCrunch - TechCrunch
Seppe Terryn/Science Robotics
Poke a hole in a human and something remarkable happens. First of all, you go to jail. But meanwhile, the wound heals itself, filling in the missing tissue and protecting itself from infection. Poke a hole in a robot , however, and prepare for a long night of repairs. The machines may be stronger than us, but theyre missing out on a vital superpower.
Until now. Researchers at Belgiums Vrije Universiteit Brussel report this week in Science Robotics that theyve developed a squishy, self-healing robot. Cut it open, apply heat, let it cool down again, and the wound heals itself. While self-healing materials are nothing new, their application in so-called soft robotics a relatively new kind of pliable machine that uses pneumatics or hydraulics to movecould be big. Think Terminator-style robots that automatically heal bullet wounds. OK, maybe dont think of that.
Seppe Terryn, Science Robotics
To build their squishbot, the researchers crafted an elastomer, a elastic variety of polymer. Its network of microscopic chains are held together by something called a Diels-Alder reaction , which is temperature-sensitive. So these bonds break when you heat them and reform as they cool. On the microscopic level, there is enough mobility to seal the gap, says electromechanical engineer Seppe Terryn , lead author on the paper. And then if we decrease the temperature again the entire network will be formed again. Think of melting down a cube of Jell-O, then putting it back in the fridgethe difference being that this polymer goes back to its original shape and strength after injury. Also, its more expensive and less tasty.
Now, of course itd be ideal if the soft robot could heal itself without the application of heat, but in a way theres an advantage here. This means also that we can do the healing in a controlled way, says Terryn. So in the long term, the robots can decide when is the best time to start the healing and start heating up.
That, though, would require that the robot knows its injured. So what the team is working on next is a material loaded with sensors that could tell exactly where a wound opens up, then deploy targeted heat to the area to heal it. The robot could even start preemptively healing if it detects microcuts from normal wear and tear.
Seppe Terryn, Science Robotics
This system, then, very much mimics the way an animal seals up a wound. That's opposed to other self-healing materials already out there which, for instance, use embedded microcapsules to release healing agents. (These are better for rigid structures like glass, not floppy robots. That and they don't need temperature changes to work.) What Terryn and his team are doing instead is adapting an existing technology. "They're taking these Diels-Alder polymers that have been shown before to have reversible covalent bonds and making use of them in these very biomimetic applications," says North Dakota State University's Michael Kessler, who also works in self-healing materials.
In addition to this system needing heat to work, another downside is that the healing isnt wildly efficient. The main concern with the material proposed in this paper is the time and the heating required for healing, says roboticist Pietro Valdastri of the University of Leeds. Depending on the application, 40 minutes at 80 degrees centigrade plus cooling time can be too long to wait.
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But thats now. Self-healing will only get better from here, and surely will be essential for soft robots, which today are typically made of fabrics like polyester. After all, the whole point of a robot soft is it can interact with humans without killing them and pick up squishy objects like tomatoes.
That and they pack well: A four-foot-long soft robot arm can deflate and ship in far less space than a traditional robot arm. And thats important because soft robots are going places. Having a robot that doesn't need to be pulled out for repair, says roboticist Jon Pompa of soft robot outfit Pneubotics , if you could identify some failure modes and have the materials of the robot do some kind of self-repairing stuff, that would be a really excellent argument why to use them in extreme environments.
For instance, if you pack a soft robot in a rocket and fire it to Mars to do some construction ahead of human habitation, youre screwed if it springs a leak and deflates mid-mission. But what Terryns team has shown is that you could theoretically have an injured soft robot deflate itself and heat up to repair the wound. That would save you a lot of money and heartache.
So get ready to see a lot more soft robots and, at some point, soft robots you can stab without getting in trouble. Sorry, I'm still thinking about Terminator .
Read the original:
The Robots Will Be Soft and Cuddly and Heal Their Own Wounds ... - WIRED
Its here! Many astronomers have waited for this moment. Today there will be a total eclipse of the sun over a wide swath across the U.S. Well have a pretty good show here in Hampton Roads. About 80-90% of the sun will be blocked out in our region. Solets talk about it.
The event will start up around 1:20pm in the afternoon, it will peak around 2:45pm, and it will end a little after 4pm. Here are some specific times for different cities in the viewing area:
Norfolk will have about 86% of the sun blocked out by the moon.
The weather forecast looks pretty good for the region. We have high pressure just off to our northeast today. There is a stationary front to our south.
So well have partly sunny skies in the region. A stray shower may pop up in the region this afternoon. Id say theres only a 5-10% chance for a shower. Possibly a little better chance (10-20%) between Richmond, Gloucester, and Reedville. It will be pretty hot and humid though. Pretty standard weather for August. High temps will be near 90 with low-mid 90s inland. Dew points are in the low 70s. So the heat index will be in the mid 90s up to near 100 today. Keep that in mind if you are out for a while. Stay well hydrated. Also, be sure to put on plenty of sunscreen. (Yes youll still need it if you are out for a long period of time).
Be sure to wear the approved glasses to view the eclipse. You can also wear welders goggles. If you cant get the glasses, then you can still easily see the show. You can simply take a piece of cardboard. Poke a small hole in it. Then project the light onto the ground. You will have to move the cardboard up or down to focus the light. You can do this on a sheet or a large piece of paper. You can also use binoculars or a telescope. Just dont look through the eyepiece. Also, be careful as the light could get very hot as it gets focused. Pets can also harm their eyes if they look at the eclipse. The odds of them looking at the sun are low, but you can play it safe and keep them indoors. Make sure the kids know that they cant look at the eclipse without eye protection. Normal sunglasses will not work. Here are some other tidbits: Traffic may be rough if you are planning on traveling. A lot of folks might be on the road. Especially on the interstates. Plus, a lot of people will be uploading their images to the web. Lots of folks will be doing Facebook live. So internet connections may slow down for a brief time. Finally, some animals may behave differently. They may have some unusual behavior. Stay safe and have fun!
Tomorrow well heat up a little more. High temps will be in the low/mid 90s. The heat index will be near 100. Well have partly cloudy skies with a couple of isolated showers possible. There will be a better chance for rain Wednesday into early Thursday as a cold front moves into the region. Then well cool down and dry out going into the weekend. Highs will basically be near 80 Thursday through Sunday. The forecast looks dry next weekend for now.
In the tropicstropical storm Harvey fell apart this last weekend. However, the remnants are pushing towards the Yucatan Peninsula. It could re-develop over the Bay of Campeche in a day or two.
There is also a weak disturbance northwest of Puerto Rico. This is moving off to the west/northwest. It has a low-medium chance for development over the next 2-4 days. Well watch that one carefully, as it will be tracking over some very warm water. Though it does have to contend with a fair amount of wind shear. Stay tuned for updates!
Meteorologist: Jeremy Wheeler
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