Monthly Archives: June 2020

Theres another deadly virus brewing in the Northeastern United States.

Those words may be hard to hear, but theres some good news as well: youre extremely unlikely to catch it.

The eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus can cause a severe brain infection, and it can be transmitted through a mosquito bite, as OneZero reports.

As the virus name suggests, horses are particularly susceptible to infection. Theres a vaccine for horses but no specific treatment plan or approved human vaccine.

Luckily, transmission and infection are both extremely rare. Since it was first discovered in humans in 1938, there have been less than 100 cases in the US, according to OneZero.

In 2019, for instance, there were only 38 human cases recorded and 15 deaths in the US, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 95 percent of those bitten by EEE-carrying mosquitoes never end up developing an infection.

Those numbers couldnt be more different from the current coronavirus pandemic. The United States alone crossed the two million cases threshold this week, with over 1,000 people dying from COVID-19 related deaths every 24 hours.

But once infected, the EEE virus is deadly. Mortality rate is about 33 percent, according to the National Environmental Health Association. Those who survive will have to battle with sometimes crippling neurological impairments.

Scientists are also worried that with rising temperatures caused by global warming, the number of outbreaks of the virus appear to be on the rise in large part due to growing mosquito populations during prolonged summer periods, according to OneZero.

At the end of the day, despite the risks, its important not to take the EEE virus too far out of context.

We try our best to make people aware of the risks without sensationalizing, Catherine Brown, state epidemiologist at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, told OneZero. But there are still people who are so fearful of EEE that they kind of forget that there are other things going on in the world.

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Bad News: Another Deadly Virus Is Spreading in the US - Futurism

Basilisk Stare

Amateur photographer Gaurav Agrawal had no idea his spectacular picture of St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana could end up mercilessly crashing countless Android phones.

But if it was set as the wallpaper on smartphones running the Android 10 operating system, the phones started acting up, switching off and on repeatedly.

I didnt do anything intentionally, Agrawal told the BBC. Im sad that people ended up having issues.

The image, edited in Adobe Lightroom and uploaded to Flickr, didnt seem to cause any issues on iPhones. But thanks to a tiny snafu during the export of the image, Agrawal unintentionally turned his gorgeous landscape photo into an Android-killing threat.

So what the hell happened? Agrawal uploaded the image in RGB, a color model that Android 10 phones just couldnt cope with rather than the far more commonplace standard RGB (sRGB), as Twitter user Romain Guy explained. RGB is a color model, not a color space, Guy wrote.

A deep dive into the code on Twitter by Android developer Dylan Roussel revealed that the color space may just not be supported on certain devices.

I hoped my photograph would have gone viral for a good reason, but maybe thats for another time, Agrawal told the BBC.

READ MORE: How my photo ended up breaking Android phones [BBC]

More on Android: Google Just Admitted to Tracking Your Location Even When You Have the Settings Disabled

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This Guy Accidentally Took a Photo That Crashes Android Smartphones - Futurism

Flat Universe Society

According to precise new measurements of dark energy, scientists believe that our entire universe is totally flat.

By improving the way astronomers measure the impact of dark energy the force thought to be driving our universes expansion a team of University of Portsmouth scientists found that the universe may be spatially flat rather than shaped like a bubble. And in doing so, they may have solved a major astronomical debate.

Previously, scientists measured dark energy by tracking distant supernovae. Instead, the Portsmouth scientists looked at over a million galaxies and quasars, according to research published last week in the journal Physical Review Letters.

That data reportedly allows for a vastly improved understanding of how dark energy is pushing our universe outward. Therefore, it could finally settle the ongoing debate over the Hubble constant, a contested value that describes how rapidly the universe is expanding.

When scientists say the universe is flat, it doesnt necessarily mean it resembles an infinitely-expanding sheet of paper. More study,for instance, is needed to determine whether the universe could be bent into a torus a donut-like shape still considered flat by cosmological models.

This result shows the power of galaxy surveys to pin down the amount of dark energy and how it evolved over the last billion years, Portsmouth cosmologist Seshadri Nadathur said in a press release. Were making really precise measurements now and the data is going to get even better with new surveys coming online very soon.

READ MORE: Most Precise Tests of Dark Energy and Cosmic Expansion Yet Confirm the Model of a Spatially Flat Universe [University of Portsmouth]

More on the universe: The Universe May Loop Around Like an Old Video Game

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Scientists Claim the Universe Is Actually Flat - Futurism

Were keeping track of the latest news regarding the coronavirus in South Florida and around the state.

Check back for updates on COVID-19 throughout the day.

Post-coronavirus future in Florida is uncertain. Be flexible, futurist Amy Webb says

3 p.m.: With Florida schools reopening in the fall, youth sports and summer camps getting the OK to resume activity and local governments tip-toeing toward a sense of renewed normalcy, many Floridians ask: what should we expect as we look toward a post-pandemic world?

According to noted futurist Amy Webb, we should not only expect more uncertainty, but lean into it.

We expect today will be similar to tomorrow but amplified, she said during a Miami Herald subscriber-only discussion about the future of Florida after COVID-19. Theres a reluctance to see a world in which all decisions are certain.

Webb is a quantitative futurist and a professor of strategic foresight at the NYU Stern School of Business and Founder of the Future Today Institute. She is also the author of The Signals Are Talking: Why Todays Fringe Is Tomorrows Mainstream, which explains how to forecast emerging technology.

Read the full article here.

Cuba announces reopening plan citing fewer cases of COVID-19. Airports to remain closed

1:25 p.m.: Airports will remain closed during the first phase of a reopening plan presented by Cuban government officials. Tourists will be first allowed to book hotels in the Cuban keys, with no nationals on site.

As of Thursday, health authorities reported 2,219 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 84 deaths. No deaths were reported for several days, but the virus seems to be lingering in Havana, where more than 150 people got infected in several local outbreaks.

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Florida reports record high 1,902 new coronavirus cases, one day after previous record

12:25 p.m.: Floridas Department of Health on Friday morning confirmed a new daily record high of 1,902 additional cases of COVID-19 surpassing the previous high of confirmed cases by 204, which was reported just a day earlier.

That put the states total number of confirmed cases at 70,971 since the pandemic began in March.

Twenty-nine deaths were also announced, raising the statewide death toll to 2,877.

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Hard Rock Stadiums COVID-19 testing site is closing early for maintenance, officials say

11:25 a.m.: Hard Rock Stadiums free COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in Miami Gardens will be closing early Friday for maintenance, officials say.

The drive-thru site offers free COVID-19 testing to anyone older than 18, regardless of symptoms and also offers free antibody testing to anyone older than 18.

Officials say the test site will be closing at 1 p.m. Friday for maintenance but wont be closed for long.

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Republican convention COVID-19 precautions yet to be decided, Jacksonville mayor says

10:55 a.m.: Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry discussed details of the citys plan to host President Donald Trumps nomination acceptance speech hours after the Republican National Committee announced it was moving the event from Charlotte to Florida. Precautions to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus in Jacksonville during the festivities will be in place this August, but its not yet decided what that will require, the mayor said Friday morning.

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South Florida casinos, arcades, museums begin reopening but with new COVID-19 rules

10:40 a.m.: A new wave of businesses are reopening or soon will in South Florida as governments relax COVID-19 restrictions, including some casinos like Magic City, museums like Artechouse Miami, bowling alleys and arcades in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

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COVID-19 numbers trending up since reopening

9 a.m.: Known Florida COVID-19 cases are increasing, data shows. Positive test results as a percentage have been rising as parts of the state enter a second phase of reopening and as many people attend protests without wearing masks or practicing social distancing. The numbers are a troubling indicator that the disease could be spreading more quickly.

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CATCH UP TO START THE DAY

9 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on whats happening around South Florida and the state as Friday begins:

? Floridians flattened the COVID curve. Then, amid upbeat talk, the numbers began to rise.

? The Florida COVID-19 data said one thing while Gov. DeSantis sometimes said another.

? 1,698 coronavirus cases, highest reported in a single day, bring Florida total to 69,069.

2020 Miami Herald

Visit Miami Herald at http://www.miamiherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Coronavirus live updates: Here's what to know in South Florida on June 12 - msnNOW

Wider Stance

In an exchange on Twitter this week, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk elaborated on the design tweaks his space company is considering to allow its massive Starship spacecraft to safely land on the Moon.

Were working on new legs, he wrote in a tweet. Wider stance & able to auto-level. Important for leaning into wind or landing on rocky & pitted surfaces.

Responding to YouTuber Tim Dodd, better known as Everyday Astronaut, Musk explained that the atmospheric Starship variant meant to one day make it back to Earth or perhaps land on other planets with an atmosphere such as Mars will have forward thrusters to stabilize ship when landing in high winds.

But the Lunar Starship will be different. If goal is max payload to moon per ship, no heatshield or flaps or big gas thruster packs are needed, he added.

Starship, in its final configuration, will have the ability to launch 100 tons of cargo into space or in a different configuration, 100 passengers at one time.

In fact, why make the long trip back when a pressurized vehicle could double as a place for astronauts to weather the harsh conditions on the Moon? No need to bring early ships back, Musk added in the tweet. They can serve as part of moon base alpha.

The news comes after SpaceXs fourth Starship prototype called SN4 blew up during a fuel test on May 29 though it had already been put through its paces.

SpaceX got a lot further with SN4 than previous vehicles, and SN5 seems about ready to go for testing, senior space editor at Ars Technica Eric Berger wrote in a tweet at the time. They also have begun working on a second launch stand in Boca Chica, [Texas].

READ MORE: SpaceX Starship: Elon Musk Details Tweaks to Support Moon Base Missions [Inverse]

More on Starship: Elon Musk in Leaked Email: Starship Now Top SpaceX Priority

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SpaceX Trying to Figure Out How to Land Starship on the Moon - Futurism

Playing God

A team of scientists believe that theyve recreated the biochemical processes that gave rise to the earliest forms of life on Earth.

Researchers from the University of Duisburg-Essen recreated the harsh conditions deep within the Earths crust as it existed some 3.8 billion years ago, which is where they suspect life began. Under those conditions, they say they managed to create and destroy 1,500 vesicles bubble-like biological structures similar to a cells membrane over a period of two weeks.

The work, described in a book the duo will publish next month, could shed vital new light into exactly how life began and developed if it holds up under scientific scrutiny.

As they continued to generate and destroy vesicles like vengeful gods, the scientists say some generations were able to better survive the harsh pressures and geochemical conditions they were subjected to. Thats because they had absorbed certain biomolecules into their membranes that gave them an advantage, they say, potentially illustrating how biological structures first managed to survive.

We concluded that this way, the vesicles were able to compensate for destructive pressure, Duisburg-Essen chemist Christian Meyer said in a press release. As a survival strategy, if you will.

The question, then, is how tiny biomolecular blobs forming inside the Earths crust led to a planet rich with life. For that, the scientists credit the activity of the planet itself.

We have simulated in time-lapse, billions of years ago, geologist Ulrich Schreiber said in the release, such vesicles might have become stable enough to come to the surface during geyser eruptions.

READ MORE: Potential beginning of life simulated in lab [Universitt Duisburg-Essen]

More on early life: We May Have Just Uncovered the Earliest Direct Evidence of Life on Earth

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Scientists Claim to Have Recreated Earth's First Life - Futurism

Free Falling

Yet again, scientists have validated a major component of Einsteins theory of general relativity.

Specifically, a trio of two white dwarf stars and a collapsed neutron star demonstrated the concept of freefall, according to research published this month in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. Thats the idea, famously illustrated by Galileos Leaning Tower of Pisa thought experiment, that gravity accelerates every falling object at the same rate. The idea has been challenged under extreme conditions, but incredibly precise measurements of the three stars upheld it and with it, Einsteins theory.

Scientists from the University of Manchester identified the unusual instance of freefall among three stars. First, theres a white dwarf star and a pulsar a dead star 1.44 times as massive as the Sun that collapsed into a 15.5-mile-wide sphere that rapidly orbit each other.

Both also orbit another white dwarf, similar to how the Earth and Moon orbit both the Sun and one another. This presented an unusual opportunity: while astronomers could perform similar experiments on our solar system, scientists have speculated that objects held together by their own gravitational pull like pulsars might violate the universality of freefall.

Such a violation would also violate general relativity, which assumes a constant gravitational acceleration across all scenarios.

But by tracking the three stars positions down to the nanosecond, the Manchester team found that the first white dwarf and the pulsar were both accelerating toward the second white dwarf at the exact same pace validating general relativity yet again.

READ MORE: Astrophysicists confirm cornerstone of Einsteins Theory of Relativity [University of Manchester]

More on general relativity: New Theory Could Solve Universes Biggest Paradox

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Collapsed Star Proves Another of Einstein's Theories - Futurism

Tesla Semi

According to a leaked email obtained by Reuters, Elon Musk has ordered the company to bring its commercial semi truck into volume production.

The news comes after the carmaker resumed production after a forced lockdown during the growing coronavirus outbreak.

Production of the battery and powertrain will take place at Giga Nevada, Musk wrote in the email, referring to the companys Gigafactory 1 in Nevada.

According to Teslas Q3 2019 earnings report, Teslas Semi was anticipated to be produced in limited volumes in 2020, as Electrek reported at the time.

The company first revealed its Semi during a flashy announcement event in November 2017. The truck will allegedly be able to rocket from 0 to 60 in 25 seconds,even with a load something that takes your average diesel truck a whole minute and carry 80,000 pounds for 500 miles.

The drivers seat inside the futuristic cockpit is centered, allowing for access to multiple touchscreens not unlike the controls in the Crew Dragon module built by Musks other venture, SpaceX.

Many companies have already placed orders for Teslas semi truck, including UPS, Walmart, Pepsi, and DHL.

Other carmakers like Volvo have already beaten Tesla to the punch by bringing fully electric trucks to the market.

READ MORE: Leaked email from Elon Musk reveals Tesla plans to start volume production of its electric semi truck [Reuters]

More on the truck: STARTUP TRANSFORMS TESLA SEMI INTO BEAUTIFUL MOTORHOME CONCEPT

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Elon Musk: Teslas Semi Truck is Officially Going Into Production - Futurism

Circling Back

While they were waiting out the pandemic lockdown, a team of astronomers revisited a pivotal discovery from the 1980s and walked away with new tools that could help them uncover the secrets of dark matter.

In 1987, scientists directly observed an Einstein ring a distant celestial object that appears to be a circle because of the way it warps spacetime and light around it for the first time. But critical information about the ring, formed by the quasar MG 1131+0456, was missing, according to Ars Technica. And by filling in the gaps, the unusual ring could be a powerful resource for studying the universe.

The team was able to dig back through public data collected over the years by NASA and various observatories in order to analyze the quasar, which has largely been neglected its discovery. In doing so, they were able to finally measure the rings distance from Earth 10 billion lightyears according to research published last week in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

As we dug deeper, we were surprised that such a famous and bright source never had a distance measured for it, NASA researcher Daniel Stern said in a press release. Having a distance is a necessary first step for all sorts of additional studies, such as using the lens as a tool to measure the expansion history of the universe and as a probe for dark matter.

READ MORE: Astronomers have finally measured the distance of first observed Einstein ring [Ars Technica]

More on Einstein rings: For the First Time, Physicists Accelerated Light Beams in Curved Space in the Lab

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This Quasar Warps Itself Into a Ring by Distorting Spacetime - Futurism

Iron Man might be a one-of-a-kind hero in the Marvel Universe, but several major Justice League heroes have some striking similarities to the Avenger.

Thanks in no small part to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man has become one of the most popular superheroes in the world. While the DC Universe have characters like Batman or other members of the Justice League who share several qualities with Tony Stark, none of them are exactly the same as Iron Man.

After all, as a genius inventor, billionaire playboy, bleeding edge futurist and hi-tech superhero, Tony Stark has it all--but he's far from the only hero to which those titles could apply. Now, we're taking a look at some of the DC Universe's closest Tony Stark counterparts and what makes them similar to the Armored Avenger.

Related:Who Is The Silver Sorceress, DC's Answer To Scarlet Witch?

Debuting in 1939s Detective Comics #27 by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, it's hard to think of Batman as filling any archetype other than the one that he originated. But upon closer inspection, its not hard to see the similarities between the Caped Crusader and Iron Man. After all, both characters are genius, billionaire playboy, philanthropists with a knack for inventing all sorts of crazy gadgets, and the similarities between them is especially apparent in their respective cinematic outigns.

Batman has even developed a few of his own Iron Man-esque suits for all sorts of occasions, like the Justice Buster seen in Endgame during Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, and Danny Miki's Batman run, or the Hellbat armor that debuted in the Robin Rises story arc of Batman and Robin by Peter Tomasi, Pat Gleason, and Mick Gray. Though, with Batman's more extensive history, an argument could be made that Iron Man could be Marvel's version of the Dark Knight.

Even though he starred in his own movie, one of the lesser known entries on this list isJohn Henry Irons, a.k.a. Steel, created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove in Adventures of Superman #500. Much like Tony Stark, Irons is a genius-level engineer and former weapons designer who became disillusioned with the damage his inventions caused on innocent lives.

After his life was saved by Superman, he saw it as his duty to make his life mean something, especially in the wake of Supermans death at the hands of Doomsday. Designing a state of the art suit of armor, including homages to both the Last Son of Krypton and his own namesake, the legendary John Henry, this Man of Steel used his tech to protect his community and the world many times over, both on his own and as a member of the JLA.

Related: Justice League: Who Is Lord Havok, DC's Doctor Doom?

Created by Steve Ditko and first appearing in Charlton Comics Captain Atom #83 in a backup story by Ditko and Gary Friedrich, Ted Kord is the second character to operate as the Blue Beetle in comics history. While the other holders of the Blue Beetle mantle may have fantastic powers of their own, Ted is one of the smartest characters in the DC Universe and a self-made hero who used his intelligence and his wealth to make it as a crime-fighter.

Like Iron Man, Ted is an incredible inventor with a genius-level intellect that is often said to at least equal, if not surpass, that of Batman himself. His company, Kord Enterprises, is also one of the most prominent R&D companies in the DC Universe, rivaling other corporations like WayneTech or S.T.A.R. Labs. Plus, his bromance with Booster Gold could give the the MCU's Science Bros a serious run for their money.

The only non-genius on this list, Green Arrow, created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp in 1941s More Fun Comics #73, earned his spot as a worthy inclusion more for his personality and motivations than anything else. Like Tony Stark, Oliver was a selfish billionaire industrialist who went through a traumatic period of isolation--on an island, not a cave--that inspired him to make a difference in the world.

Related:Green Arrow: DC May Be Setting Up Oliver Queen's Arrowverse Fate in Comics

Using a bow and high-tech arrows as opposed to a suit of armor, there is also something to be said for Green Arrows ingenuity when it comes to designing his weapons. And while the playboy schtick may only be an act for other characters, its an aspect of Olivers personality, much like Iron Man, that has gotten him into trouble more time than he can count.

The second man to call himself Mister Terrific, Michael Holt, created by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake in The Spectre #54, is an Olympic decathlete, a self-made multi-millionaire, and the third smartest man on the planet. As a Tony Stark-level polymath with 14 different degrees in engineering, physics, mathematics, and more, Holts intellect makes him one of the most formidable heroes in the DC Universe and one of the JSAs most valuable members.

While he may not use that intellect to build suits like Iron Man or some of the other entries on this list, his skills as an inventor should not go unstated. His T-Spheres are so advanced that even Batman once stole his designs and the state-of-the-art mask of his own invention renders him completely undetectable and unrecordable to all times of machinery, which is an achievement that would even impress Tony Stark.

KEEP READING:Who Is Thunderer, DC's Answer To Thor?

Small Favors Is The Most Adorable 'Adult' Comic About a Woman and a Fairy

Tristan Benns is a freelance writer, grad student, and lifelong geek. He's worked as a tutor, an editor, and even a salesman in a comic book store. If he isn't asking you about your feelings on the Oxford comma, he's probably asking you to name your favorite Green Lantern. Then he'll tell you why it should be Hal Jordan.

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Justice League: Who Is the DC Universe's Tony Stark? | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources