Category Archives: Cloning

he most important thing within evolution since the start of this world had been keeping the present species alive and focusing on the future. Almost all species of animals, insects, humans, and so on have reproduced in order to keep their species alive, except one. Oppiella nova is one of the only known species of micro insects that had somehow survived thousands of years through asexual reproduction.

For many years, biologists have been analyzing this insect in order to understand how exactly it reproduce if it does not have sex. At the end of the day, no matter what type of animal we are talking about, sex has always had a strong impact ongenome evolutionand in many cases, it has been debated by researchers that the changes and mutations which take part in genome evolutionare required for any species to surviveas these come accordingly to the way our environment changes.

Oppiella nova is actually one of the many species of soil mites which are very small insects that are usually found in compost heaps or soil as they are attracted to rotting matter which makes up most of their diet. This specific species is actually one of the smallest, measuring around 350 micrometers long and 180 micrometers wide.

They are also called beetle mites because they tend to jump on the backs of beetles in order to move around much more quicker. They are really clever creatures despite their size and are not harmful to organisms around, but they do tend to attract more insects around the soil so that is why people arent really fond of mites.

The species can be found all over the world, it is most likely that there are thousands in your garden, but it took years of analyzing thousands of mites for biologists to discover thatthis species is only made up of females. Although this sort of answered why the species was asexual, it did not really give an answer to how the species managed to reproduce for so many years.

The species is believed to be over 30,000 years old, but a mite would only live around 90 days in most cases, so we know for sure that they arent immortal and even if they were this would still not explain how they reproduce. Based on the biological analyses thespecies do not mate with male mitesfrom other species, but somehow through its curious asexual reproduction system,it had managed to mutate many times.

A very recent study actually discovered the process of reproduction for Oppiella nova and it is quite fascinating. Multiple researchers and biologists within the field havepublished the paper on PNAS(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America), explaining their findings as well as how these species reproduce.

Believe it or not, the species actually manages to clone itself, proving that cloning is actually possible on a natural basis. What is even more interesting is that besides cloning themselves, they somehow manage to develop new genes that have allowed the species to mutate and survive the environmental changes for thousands of years. This is explained by the Meselson effect which in simple terms allows an organism from a species to clone itself creating identical genetic copies, but introducing separate mutations.A diagram showing how the Meselson effect works for plants that tend to mutate (Source:Dave Lunt)

This is something that had been noticed in other organisms suchas plants where the Meselson effect also occurs, however not through the process of cloning. Although this is a significant find as it shows further evidence that genetic cloning is possible, mites are quite simple organisms at a genetic level and they cannot compare to our complex organism, but such small finds push the beliefs in people for a future full of clones.

As mentioned before, it is not just about reproducing to keep the lineage alive, but actually mutating so that future generations can survive the environmental changes. These sorts of mutations can be seen in every type of organism, andthey occur within months or even thousands of years apart. There may be more organisms out there that follow the same reproduction system.

Original post:

How an Ancient Species Survived Thousands of Years Without Reproducing - History of Yesterday

Directed by Yuzo Sato, Exception is really a little bit of an exceptional series, playing off on the cliche storylines of survival and surviving. Only this time round, its not the actual humans who do it, but their reprinted versions. The character design, as such, is not very unique. However, the color palette they chose to follow does make it so. Releasing on October 13th, the series brings in a rather new concept and engages the audience for quite a while. The series encompasses a great deal of reality checks about the world, and the characters behave convincingly as humans. It goes to show how technology has developed in that timeline.

Spoilers Ahead

The story revolves around five crew members, Nina, Patty, Lewis, Mack, and Oscar, who have been chosen for a scheme where they are sent from Earth to find a planet like Earth that will sustain life and also get the humans away from a higher technologically advanced race that has invaded the Earth and kept the humans captive. By borrowing their technology, the crew members are reprinted on the other side of space, where they have found a planet named Planet X-10, which has a similar juxtaposition to Earth. The crew members started experimenting to find out if the planet could sustain Earths life. While waiting for the other crew members to complete reprinting, Nina and Mack start the experiments, along with Patty, who was the first to be reprinted. However, when it was Lewiss turn, there was a solar flare which resulted in Lewis being misprinted. Oscar joined the crew before Lewis, and thus he was saved from the technical malfunction that occurred due to the flare.

They reprinted Lewis and tried to euthanize the other Lewis, which resulted in a failure. But through the misprinted Lewis, lets call him Lewis A, reprinted Lewis, lets call him Lewis B, came to know about a traitor amidst them who had stolen the RA bomb and was keen on botching the entire experiment. With time, they find out it is Patty, and the other crew members try their best to keep Patty from destroying the mission. Nina, the surviving crew member, went on with the mission and made sure that life existed on Planet X-10. Before concluding her experiments, Nina reprinted Katy for Lewis, as she had promised him.

The spaceship these crew members were on had a system called Womb. This is similar to the Womb of a woman, but instead of a child, the Womb directly produces a clone version of the original body after acquiring the proper biometrics and data for it. Reprinting is another word for cloning. Patty was reprinted first, with Nina and Mack following her after, then Oscar and then Lewis A. They tried euthanizing Lewis A at first, but their incapability pushed them to just create another version, Lewis B.

The reprinted versions were the versions of chosen human beings who were sent by the Planetary Development Agency (PDA) to test out the conditions of the new planet and to make sure that human life could exist on that planet. Their prize for the chosen crew members was to reprint their entire family on the planet once they succeeded. But this mission would definitely cause the living organisms of Planet X-10 to die out. To prevent this, Patty stole the RA bomb before the other crew members got it reprinted and stopped the mission from destroying the organisms. Lewis got misprinted as an anomaly due to the solar flare, only to be treated like a monster. However, only Patty was against euthanizing him among all of the crew members.

Always expect the unexpected. If movies have taught us one thing, then it is that it is usually the innocent ones we should look out for. Years of true crime prepared me for the plot twist, and although Oscar and Nina were a little suspicious, Patty took the crown. She refused to side with the other crew members and euthanize Lewis A even after he murdered Nina. However, the moment Patty started worrying more about the living ecosystem on Planet X-10, the warning bells set off and evidence started piling up against her, causing her to act out. It was a given that shed try to stop the mission because it goes against her ethics to colonize another planet and destroy its living system just so humans could have a habitable place. The only plot twist I didnt foresee was the clone Patty and the sexual tension they both had for each other. A new meaning is added to self-love. Patty and her clone first steal the RA bomb, pin the blame on Lewis A, and then attempt to set it off inside the ship so that they are killed, and the organisms live. She loses her life in the process and also assists in the killing of all the other members as well, with the exception of Lewis A and Nina.

When Patty was reprinted, she first got introduced to her clone and spent her time collecting the biomaterials of the other crew members to get her plans ready to sabotage the mission. While doing so, she gets involved in the process where Lewis turns out to be an anomaly. Patty took extra biomaterial from Lewis to complete her authorization to access the Ra bomb. Before collecting others biomaterials, Patty chose the first tank, which was of Lewis, to gain the material. The Solar Flare created a huge miscalculation on her part because the outer film of the tank protected the biomaterials from radiation, but due to her measures, it exposed Lewis and caused a misprint. The Solar Flare completely destroyed her plans and also left her feeling guilty for her actions. Patty, being a humanitarian, could not fathom such a happening, which is why she was staunchly against Lewis A being euthanized and reprinted as Lewis B. She even apologized and confessed her actions to Lewis A in the last episode.

Before they started the mission, the crew members were promised that they could reprint their family members and loved ones. Lewis A and Lewis B both of them retained their reason to complete their mission. Their reason was Kate and the necklace that belonged to her, and they had her biodata uploaded to that necklace. While fighting with Patty and her reprinted clone, all the crew members except Nina and Lewis A lost their lives. Lewis B lost his life in space, which was seemingly the end of him. Nina and Lewis A continued with their experiments to make Planet X-10 habitable until human beings immigrated and began their life there. Nina, before taking her last breath, makes her journey toward the Womb and reprints Kate, who is later joined by the original Lewis. This Lewis is none of the reprinted versions; he meets with Kate straightaway after the immigrant ships land on the planet to colonize. The series ends on a happy note, with Lewis reuniting with his lover, Kate, and living happily ever after.

The weird and intense intimate energy that Patty and her reprinted clone were giving off was a little unnecessary, I think. I mean, everything was going well; the plot was thickening, New Patty rose, and bam, they were in a relationship. The mythological story of Narcissus repeats itself, only this time, its a clone instead of just a reflection. Patty staunchly believed that it was wrong to kill living organisms, as well as Lewis A. Because she believed this to be equivalent to homicide. Oscar plays the indecisive character, while Mack is the self-righteous character who is ready to sacrifice his life and get printed again just to prove his innocence. Misprinted Lewis and Reprinted Lewis develop trust and work on their shared mission to be reunited with Kate. Nina is the doctor. Her character could do more instead of just using a one-dimensional storyline to define her. A little more information about her backstory wouldve been good. Reprinted Nina really carried out the entire mission and the team. The characters are really one-dimensional and a little bit more detached. This could be because they are reprinted versions of their original selves. Almost human, but not? The Womb did keep their emotional intentions intact, but there is still a sense of detachment. Also, on Planet X-10, the Original Lewis comes out of nowhere, and then it clicks; oh, they were intent on colonizing this planet, too, so the ships must have landed. The sacrifices that they made to get the planet to where it went were simply overlooked after Kate met OG Lewis. It just goes to show how coolly the world moves on, and life just goes on.

The thing about Pattys decisions is that she was not wrong about her opinions, and all the other crew members were acting on what they thought was right too. They were convinced to colonize the planet to make it livable for humans, but in doing so, they never took the living organisms on that planet into consideration. Patty was fighting for the native organisms and was eventually silenced. This kind of draws a parallel between the fight for native citizens and the racism they faced before being silenced. Its very gruesome, but its in history. Although the need for the weird dynamic between herself and the clone cant be explained further. However, except for Oscar, who was clearly trying to survive and keep himself sane, all the other characters had extreme reactions. Mack kills himself voluntarily and gets reprinted to prove his innocence, while Nina gets herself killed when she tries to euthanize the anomaly, misprinted Lewis. Meanwhile, both Lewis A and B capture and lock up the other crew members because of their suspicions. And Patty, her behavior just rivals them all. In comparison, Oscar seems to be the most rational of them all.

They never really expand on what happened to the original bodies and the family members of the crew members. But if Lewis is reunited with Kate, then my guess is that the others would be alive too, and with their families. The ones who died were just their reprinted versions. They also did say in the beginning that their original bodies were dreaming of their reprinted lives, so they must have felt the pain, the grief, and the solitude affecting their psyche too. Well, that could be the reason for them not choosing to land on the planet, or they could just not have been shown. It was good, worth a watch, and kind of draws a parallel on how people treat people a little differently from what theyre supposed to be. Seeing misprinted Lewis be treated like a monster for a long time until he proves his worth kind of shows how the world works. The world is cruelly displayed everywhere now.

Exception is a 2022 Animated Thriller series directed by Yuzo Sato.

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'Exception' Ending, Explained: Why Were The Crew Members Reprinted? Was Kate Reprinted At The End? | DMT - DMT

Cybercriminals cloned the voice of a company director in the U.A.E. to steal as much as $35 million in a huge and complex heist.

In early 2020, a bank manager in the Hong Kong received a call from a man whose voice he recognizeda director at a company with whom hed spoken before. The director had good news: His company was about to make an acquisition, so he needed the bank to authorize some transfers to the tune of $35 million. A lawyer named Martin Zelner had been hired to coordinate the procedures and the bank manager could see in his inbox emails from the director and Zelner, confirming what money needed to move where. The bank manager, believing everything appeared legitimate, began making the transfers.

What he didnt know was that hed been duped as part of an elaborate swindle, one in which fraudsters had used deep voice technology to clone the directors speech, according to a court document unearthed by Forbes in which the U.A.E. has sought American investigators help in tracing $400,000 of stolen funds that went into U.S.-based accounts held by Centennial Bank. The U.A.E., which is investigating the heist as it affected entities within the country, believes it was an elaborate scheme, involving at least 17 individuals, which sent the pilfered money to bank accounts across the globe.

Little more detail was given in the document, with none of the victims names provided. The Dubai Public Prosecution Office, which is leading the investigation, hadnt responded to requests for comment at the time of publication. Martin Zelner, a U.S.-based lawyer, had also been contacted for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.

Its only the second known case of fraudsters allegedly using voice-shaping tools to carry out a heist, but appears to have been far more successful than the first, in which fraudsters used the tech to impersonate a CEO of a U.K.-based energy firm in an attempt to steal $240,000 in 2019, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The U.A.E. case shows how devastating such high-tech swindles can be and lands amidst warnings about the use of AI to create so-called deep fake images and voices in cybercrime.

Audio and visual deep fakes represent the fascinating development of 21st century technology yet they are also potentially incredibly dangerous posing a huge threat to data, money and businesses, says Jake Moore, a former police officer with the Dorset Police Department in the U.K. and now a cybersecurity expert at security company ESET. We are currently on the cusp of malicious actors shifting expertise and resources into using the latest technology to manipulate people who are innocently unaware of the realms of deep fake technology and even their existence.

Manipulating audio, which is easier to orchestrate than making deep fake videos, is only going to increase in volume and without the education and awareness of this new type of attack vector, along with better authentication methods, more businesses are likely to fall victim to very convincing conversations.

Once a technology confined to the realm of fictional capers like Mission: Impossible, voice cloning is now widely available. Various tech startups are working on increasingly sophisticated AI voice technologies, from Londons Aflorithmic to Ukraines Respeecher and Canadas Resemble.AI. The technology caused a stir in recent months with the revelation that the late Anthony Bourdain had his voice synthesized for a documentary on his life. Meanwhile, recognizing the potential for malicious use of the AI, a handful of companies, such as $900 million-valued security firm Pindrop, now claim they can detect synthesized voices and thereby prevent frauds.

If recordings of you speaking are available online, whether on social media, YouTube or on an employers website, there may well be a secret battle going on for control of your voice without you knowing.

UPDATE: After publication, the U.A.E. Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation contacted Forbes to note that the affected bank was in Hong Kong, not within the U.A.E., though the Dubai investigators were leading the probe. The article was updated on October 22 2022 to reflect that.

In a statement, HE Hamid Al Zaabi, director general of the U.A.E. Executive Office of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing, added: Even with incidents happening outside the U.A.E., we will work closely with law enforcement partners around the world to identify and detect those individuals who knowingly engage in deceptive practices such as imposter fraud. The U.A.E. will then pursue to the fullest extent of the law these individuals, ensuring they are held accountable and brought to justice quickly.

Read this article:

Fraudsters Cloned Company Directors Voice In $35 Million ... - Forbes

Last updated 2022-10-12T23:12:40.5376342+00:00

Projects let you create and manage your deployment processes, releases, and runbooks from the Octopus REST API and Octopus Web Portal.

For each project, you can define a deployment process, runbooks to manage your infrastructure, variables, the environments where the software will be deployed, and releases of your software.

You can manage your projects by navigating to the Projects tab in the Octopus Web Portal:

If you have already created projects, or are joining an existing team, you'll see the existing projects on the projects page.

Before you can define your deployment processes or runbooks, you must create a project:

Now that you've created a project, you can define your deployment process or runbooks.

You can change the projects settings by accessing the settings menu on the project's main page. The settings you can change are:

Customize your project logo to make it easily identifiable amongst other projects.

For custom images, in addition to supporting .jpg and .png files, we also support .gif files. This means you can have an animated icon to add a little flair to your Octopus Deploy instance!

Project groups are a great way to organize your deployment projects. They have many uses; not only do they visually separate the projects, but you can also configure the dashboard to hide/show specific project groups and configure permissions to restrict access to them.

The Default Project group contains all of the projects that have not been added to another group.

When the group is first created and doesn't have any projects associated with it, you will need to click SHOW EMPTY GROUPS on the projects page to see the group.

After you have created a project group there are a number of ways you can add projects to the group:

To edit or delete a project group click the project groups overflow menu (...) and select edit. From there you can edit the groups name or description. If you need to delete the group, click the overflow menu again and select Delete.

For information about project permissions, see managing users and teams.

Projects can be cloned.

After you've cloned a project, you can see details about where your project was cloned from and which projects have been cloned from your project, by navigating to the project's overview page and selecting Settings and looking at the Cloning History section.

The following topics are explained further in this section:

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A Chinese pet-cloning company has announced the birth of the world's first cloned Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos), which was carried to term by an unlikely surrogate mother a beagle.

The cloned female wolf pup, named Maya, and her beagle mother were unveiled to the world in a brief video at a press conference held September 19 by the Sinogene Biotechnology Company in Beijing, according to Chinese news site Global Times.

The video was released 100 days after Maya was born: on June 10 in a laboratory in Beijing, according to Sinogene representatives.

Normally, Sinogene specializes in cloning dead pets, such as cats, dogs, and horses, for private clients.

But the company now wants to use its expertise to help clone endangered species for conservation purposes, Global Times reported.

Maya was cloned using DNA collected from a fully grown Arctic wolf, also named Maya, that died in captivity at Harbin Polarland, a wildlife park in northeast China.

The original Maya, who was born in Canada before being shipped to China in 2006, died due to old age in early 2021, according to Global Times.

Related: Why haven't we cloned a human yet?

The cloning of Maya was successfully completed "after two years of painstaking efforts," Mi Jidong, general manager of Sinogene, said at the company's press conference, according to Global Times.

Sinogene researchers originally created 137 Arctic wolf embryos by fusing skin cells from the original Maya with immature egg cells from dogs, using a process known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).

Of those embryos, 85 were successfully transplanted into seven beagle surrogates. From those transplanted embryos, just one fully developed during pregnancy, according to Global Times.

The researchers used beagle surrogates because there were not enough female wolves in captivity for the scientists' experiments.Luckily, dogs share enough DNA with wolves for the hybrid pregnancy to gestate successfully.

Maya now lives with her surrogate mother at a Sinogene lab in Xuzhou, eastern China, but the wolf pup will eventually be transferred to Harbin Polarland to live with other Arctic wolves.

However, the park's keepers believe she will have to be slowly introduced to the rest of the pack because of her isolated upbringing, according to Global Times.

Sinogene also revealed that a second Arctic wolf clone, created using DNA from an unknown male, was due to be born Thursday, Sept. 22. However, there have been no confirmed reports so far of the pup's birth.

The company also announced a new partnership with the Beijing Wildlife Park to clone more captive species in the future, although no specific projects have yet been announced, according to Global Times.

In 2019, Sinogene was also involved with a project that produced six identical German shepherd clones, which were then inducted into the Beijing police force, according to CBS News.

Despite reports from Global Times and other media outlets, Arctic wolves, which are a subspecies of gray wolves (Canis lupus) are not an endangered species. Instead, they are listed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, though climate change is likely to severely disrupt their food supply in the wild in coming decades, according to WWF.

But endangered species have been cloned by scientists before.

In 2020, scientists from US-based company Revive & Restore successfully cloned an endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes).

That same year, the company also successfully cloned an endangered Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii), and their technicians are now attempting to revive the extinct passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) using cloning technology.

"Cloning is a drastically underutilized tool," Ben Novak, lead scientist at Revive & Restore, told Live Science in an email. "In the future, it could be a literal lifeline for species that become rarer or worse, go extinct."

The main benefit of cloning endangered species is that it maintains the amount of genetic diversity within a species, Novak said.

If the clones can reproduce with other non-cloned individuals, this gives threatened species a fighting chance to adapt to the selection pressures that are driving them towards extinction, he added.

Another benefit of cloning is that it can be used in conjunction with existing captive-breeding programs, especially when surrogate mothers from other species are used, Novak said.

Rather than taking animals from the wild to create a back-up population in captivity, scientists can take genetic samples from wild animals and create clones in the lab using more readily available surrogates, as they did with Maya and her beagle mother.

These genetic backups can then be introduced into the wild to replenish struggling populations, Novak said.

"For mammals, it appears that two species must share a common ancestor less than 5 million years ago" for the surrogate pregnancy to be successful, Novak said. This opens up the possibility of reviving extinct species by using closely related living surrogate species, he added.

Related: Is it possible to clone a dinosaur?

However, there are also some major limitations to cloning.

One of the main issues is that not all animals can be successfully cloned yet. To date, only mammals, fish, amphibians, and a single insect species have been cloned using SCNT, Novak said.

For birds, reptiles, and egg-laying mammals, like platypuses and echidnas, SCNT does not work because the eggs do not properly develop, he added.

Cloning also has a very low success rate compared with artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilization, Novak said.

As with Maya the wolf pup, researchers often have to create hundreds of embryos and successfully implant them in multiple surrogates for just one animal to be born, which can make cloning an expensive process.

Due to these high costs, the emergence of private companies like Sinogene and Revive & Restore will likely play a key role in the future of conservation cloning. Historically, most cloning research has been done by universities that are underfunded, Novak said.

Therefore, "the partnership of for-profit companies with conservation programs is key to turning cloning from a seldom-researched technique into a valuable conservation tool."

For cloning advocates, the birth of Maya is another step in the right direction for this area of research.

"It's great to see more wildlife cloning work being done," Novak said. "I hope all these recent achievements in cloning show the world that cloning is ready to use as a beneficial tool for wildlife conservation."

Related content:

This article was originally published by Live Science. Read the original article here.

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The World's First Cloned Wolf Has Reportedly Been Born in China, And It's Adorable - ScienceAlert

You know the feeling. Youre busy. Rushed off your feet. Every time you cross something off the to-do list, three things replace it. Its never-ending. You need another pair of hands. You need two of you, in fact. Youre not alone.

During lockdown, Jenn Ashworth found herself mired in just such a scenario. A lecturer and Professor of Writing at Lancaster University, she was working around the clock to ensure her students werent left in the dark whilst also acting as an ad hoc teacher for her young kids and as a source of support for her husband, who works in the NHS.

Then, whilst reading Doris Lessings short story To Room Nineteen, a punchy piece of writing which explored the demands placed on 1960s women, Jenn had an epiphany: nothing had changed. I first read it when I was an undergrad and, at the time, I understood it, she says. But I didnt feel it until I re-read it in lockdown 20 years later.

Heres this young woman who has a great job and a nice house and whos married to a wonderful husband with four kids, Jenn adds of the story. Shes basically got nothing to complain about, but shes totally miserable. She ends up doing all these odd things to get some time to herself away from this perfect family which is driving her insane.

Since I first read the story, Id got a partner, a full-time job, and had children, so I was pretty stretched like a lot of people, Jenn explains. The idea of only existing to meet the demands of others jumped out at me - the story was published 60 years ago, but I thought whats changed? No matter how hard someone works, its never enough, particularly for women.

And, from that, the germ of an idea spawned. Need an extra pair of hands, another one of you? What if that was a realistic possibility? Jenn sat down to write, penning what would eventually become Flat 19, a sharp short story in which Eve, a successful artist, wife, and mother, confronts the impossibility of being all things to all people by cloning herself.

Acerbic, funny, and bleak, the piece was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University.

Born in Preston in 1982, Jenn fell in love with literature from an early age and, when she wasnt reading, she was writing: an early-established habit saw her fill countless fervent pages across 20-odd years of diary-keeping. I always wanted to be a writer, Jenn says simply. From a very young age, words were always going to be a big part of my life.

Going on to read English at Newnham College, Cambridge before completing a Masters in Creative Writing at Manchester University, Jenn then got a job in a prison library. Whilst leading writing workshops, she discovered a passion for teaching, dipping her toe into the world of academia at the University of Central Lancashire before joining the University of Lancaster a decade ago.

And all the while, she wrote.

I finished my first novel as an undergrad but, when I read it back, I realised it was pretty rubbish and I didnt know how to fix it, says Jenn. Id read finished novels at Waterstones and think how?

Polishing her work during her Masters, that first novel eventually became A Kind of Intimacy, which was published by Sceptre in 2009 and which won a Betty Trask Award. Four more novels - Cold Light (2011), The Friday Gospels (2013), Fell (2016), and the Portico prize-shortlisted Ghosted: A Love Story (2021) - have since followed.

Novelists have to be good at two things, says Jenn. The first is self-discipline, because as much as people talk about being creative, its mostly about turning up and doing the job for years, even on days when you dont feel like it. Thats what being a grown-up is about: teachers and doctors dont get to say Im not quite feeling it today.

The second thing is being good at the complete opposite - being gentle with yourself, she adds. You have to have a caring attitude towards your work because you cant write the final draft first time and it can be a mess for years. The author Ann Patchett says she starts each day by forgiving the work for not being perfect - that's the only way to get anything done.

Its about patience, because writing can take a really long time to get right and that doesnt mean youre a bad writer, its just how it is, continues Jenn. But I enjoy the process. I love that one moment a day when you think thats the exact right phrase. Theres real pleasure in that, whereas thinking Im 1,000 words closer to finishing just doesnt motivate me.

Youve also got to enjoy sitting on your own in your pyjamas typing, otherwise its not the job for you. The exciting bits like people saying they enjoy your work and maybe even awards only happen in flurries. Then its back to your room for another three years!

Or at least back to the classroom.

Im really lucky in that I love teaching and, while it can be tricky getting the balance between writing and teaching right, thats life - everyone with a full-time job has to juggle things somewhat and artists arent exempt from that, Jenn says. Some writers resent teaching because they have to do it because their books dont make enough money to live off, but I love my job.

Teaching is as much of a calling as writing is - theyre both about interesting relationships with people based around language and stories, she adds. And teaching helps me as a writer; it helps me understand something instinctive and theres something very inspirational about becoming immersed in how somebody else sees the world.

It can be uncomfortable, illuminating, funny, frightening; its about different perspectives, Jenn continues. That just shows how powerful writing is. Its just so exciting to be around.

The news that Flat 19 had been shortlisted for one of the UKs most prestigious literary awards came like a bolt out the blue. In the intervening time, the piece has been published in an anthology released by Comma alongside the other nominees and has been read aloud on the radio by two-time BAFTA nominated Shameless actress Maxine Peake.

But, regardless of whether she takes home the 15,000 prize, Jenn says she hopes Flat 19 will get people thinking. I had a lot of fun with it, she says of the piece, which was first published in the anthology Close to Midnight by Flame Tree Press and edited by Mark Morris. Initially, I thought Id bloody love it if I could clone myself - I could just do nothing!

Then I started thinking about what would happen when you go back to being that person who wasnt enough, Jenn adds. During lockdown, there was hope that itd change how we live, but talk soon went back to getting back to normal. But normal was awful! I wrote the story with the current climate in mind, but its not about Covid, its about how we feel.

With the winner of the BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University to be announced live on BBC Radio 4s Front Row on Tuesday October 4th, I ask Jenn what shell do if she wins. In my story, Eve wins a prize and uses the money to clone herself, but I can safely say that, if I win, I wont be doing that! she says. Ill probably go on holiday, though!

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Lancashire novelist Jenn Ashworth talks cloning herself, national awards, and having her work read by Maxine Peake - Lancashire Evening Post

Wilmington, Delaware, United States, Transparency Market Research Inc. Technologies and techniques in global gene synthesis market are methods in synthetic biology. Gene synthesis technique is used for the creation of the artificial genes in a clinical setting. Method in the global gene synthesis market is derived from solid phase DNA synthesis and it differs from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and molecular cloning.

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Some of the key factors boosting the growth in global gene synthesis market include increasing number of startup companies working in the field, rising investments for research and development regarding the gene synthesis techniques, and advancements in technology. However, lack of skilled professionals and stringent and time consuming approval processes can restrict the growth of global gene synthesis market in coming years.

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On the other hand, rising implementation and adoption of gene synthesis in creation and development of personalized medications is anticipated to further the growth of the global gene synthesis market in coming years. Growing life sciences industry is also expected to bolster the growth of the market in the near future. Technological advancements pertaining biomedical and healthcare sectors can offer promising opportunities for the market.

Global Gene Synthesis Market: Analysts Estimations

The first synthesis of an artificial gene dates back to 1970, achieved by Nobel Prize winner Har Gobind Khorana. The India born MIT professor had showcased that large molecules in cells are constituted with genetic information and can be detected via chemical synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins. In the past half a century since the discovery, the concept of gene synthesis has been harnessed furiously and now has turned into a highly robust as well as flexible molecule engineering tool for chemical DNA synthesis. In the recent past, DNA sequencing, automation, and amplification have become an integral part of clinical research pertaining to life science domains such as neuroscience, cancer biology, antibody engineering, genetics, and biochemistry.

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As per the findings of this business and commerce report, the demand in the global gene synthesis market will expand at a notable compound annual growth rate during the forecast period of 2018 to 2026. Compiled by an experienced healthcare research professional, the report focuses on representing the commerce of the market for gene synthesis, providing qualitative and quantitative data in terms of US dollar million.

Developed by following proven market research methodologies, the report segments the market into smaller aspects, gauges the potential of demand showcased by different regions and countries, and profiles a number of leading players in a featured chapter on the competitive landscape.

This gene synthesis market report has been prepared to act as a credible business tool for targeted audiences such as pharmaceutical and drug manufacturers, biotechnology companies, chemical and biofuel industries, academic and government research institutes, and venture capitalists and investment banks.

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Global Gene Synthesis Market: Drivers and Restraints

Increased emphasis on clinical research to understand the biological systems at the core molecular level is anticipated to drive the demand in the gene synthesis market in the near future. The growth of the life science research is also a reflection of recent technological advancements that have led to the creation of well-designed products and services such as microchip based gene synthesis, molecular separation, and protein purification.

Moreover, gene synthesis has proven its worth as an efficient and cost-effective alternative to classical cloning and mutagenesis procedures. These reliable and time-efficient solutions are prompting federal funding in the developed countries for numerous academic research projects and driving the market. On the other hand, factors such as cut-throat competition that is enticing price reduction and technical limitations across the production process are expected to curtail the prosperity of gene synthesis market in the near future.

Global Gene Synthesis Market: Segments

Based on product type, the market for gene synthesis can be segmented into gene library synthesis and custom gene synthesis. Application-wise, the market can be bifurcated into research and development including industrial and academic, therapeutics, and diagnostics. End user categorization of the gene synthesis market can be done into contract research organizations, academic and research institutes, and biopharmaceutical companies.

Geographically, North America and Europe continue to be the regions that are producing most prominent chunk of the total demand for gene synthesis. However, Asia Pacific is anticipated to turn into a lucrative region in the near future owing to increased investment by governments and private organizations.

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Global Gene Synthesis Market: Competitive Landscape

Major companies operating in this market are strategically strengthening their supply chain and expanding across different regions by opening production facilities. There are a number of well-established players in the gene synthesis market, such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Genewiz, Eurofins Scientific, ATD Bio Ltd., OriGene Technologies, Inc., Bioneer Corporation, Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., GenScript Biotech Corporation, and Eurogentec. These leading players focused on purity and are expected to hold onto their consolidated position throughout the aforementioned forecast period of this research report.

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Gene Synthesis Market: Growing life sciences industry is Expected to Bolster the Market Growth - BioSpace

By Catherine Thorbecke, CNN Business

Over the years, Facebook has used Instagram to compete with rivals like Snapchat and TikTok by cloning their signature features. Now, a newer, fast-growing service appears to have caught the companys attention: BeReal.

Instagram is testing a feature called IG Candid Challenges that appears strikingly similar to the core concept ofBeReal, an app that has been dubbed the anti-Instagram for its focus on more authentic posts. On BeReal, users receive prompts at one random time each day to, you guessed it, BeReal. Then they have two minutes to snap and post an unfiltered front-and-back photo of what they are up to at that moment.

Similarly, the Candid Challenges option prompts Instagram users everyday at a different time to share a photo to their Stories within a two-minute time frame, according tophotos of the new feature shared on social media. It also appears to use dual-camera shots a selfie and a rear-camera photo at the same time which is one of BeReals hallmark features.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed to CNN Business that the IG Candid Challenge feature is being tested internally, without offering any additional information on it. This feature is an internal prototype, and not testing externally, said Christine Pai, a Meta spokesperson.

Instagram, Facebook apps track users data without explicit consent, analysis finds

BeReal launched in late 2019 but gained immense popularity earlier this year. The app has been downloaded 43.3 million times since its launch, with more than 40 million of those installs happening in 2022, according to datafrom Apptopia. This summer, BeReal earned the top spot on Apples App Store in the United States. It was founded by an entrepreneur in France, but Apptopia data indicates the United States is its top market.

BeReal did not immediately respond to CNN Business request for comment.

Instagram previously appeared to mimic one of BeReals popular features earlier this summer, with thelaunch of an option dubbedDual. The feature lets users record using the phones front and back cameras simultaneously.

In recent years, Facebook and its parent company Meta have come under criticism from lawmakers and some users for attempting to beat back competition by cloning core features. Just last month, Instagram faced a backlash from users, includingmembers of the Kardashian family, who expressed frustration that the app was becoming too much like TikTok. Instagram eventuallywalked back some of its changes.

In going after BeReal, Meta may be battling to hold on to younger users, who seem to have flocked to the newer service. But Meta must also confront the reasons why some find the app enticing. One BeReal user and Georgetown University studenttold CNN earlier this yearthat he believes the app is popular because its an antidote to the pressures to look perfect online.

The-CNN-Wire & 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Read more from the original source:

Instagram could be cloning another rival - this time it's BeReal - WRAL TechWire

THE driver of this smart luxury car in Hereford had a shock when they were surrounded police with dogs.

Officers believed the white Range Rover had been 'cloned' an illegal practice in which criminals copy the identity of another vehicle by stealing or duplicating their registration plates.

Sometimes will then use the cloned vehicle in further crimes or to avoid speeding or parking fines.

OTHER NEWS:

As it turns out, the driver had bought the car believing it to be genuine.

Officers from Hereford's operations patrol group and West Midlands police dogs were involved in the operation.

They said: "The driver got quite a shock. Enquiries are ongoing."

According to the RAC, 1,105 motorists contacted the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in March 2020 to object that their vehicle had been wrongly linked to offences almost twice as many cases as the 656 seen in April 2019.

The DVLA says: Any motorist who believes they have been a victim of number plate cloning should contact the police.

"They should also contact the issuing authority of any fines or penalties they receive with appropriate evidence that shows their vehicle was not in the area at the time.

DVLA enforcement officers assist the police and trading standards in their enforcement against number plate suppliers, including those who trade illegally using the internet.

The rest is here:

Innocent driver's shock as police swoop on 'cloned' car in Hereford - Hereford Times

Image: Fast Travel Games / Flat Head Studios

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Have you ever wanted to clone yourself or travel through time? We Are One offers just that, making it our favorite VR game of Gamescom 2022.

Gamescom 2022 had some interesting VR games to offer. Especially big productions like the graphics powerhouse Hubris or The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners 2 stood out. But there were also small gems like the charming diorama puzzler PathCraft or the successful Quest 2 implementation of Maskmaker.

One of our last play dates at the game fair took us to the booth of the publisher Fast Travel Games. For over two hours, we were able to fight our way through waves of enemies, experience sword duels and explore space in various VR games. However, the most fun VR experience we had was as a small plant sapling in the virtual forest.

Austrian developer studio Flat Head Games introduced us to a VR game with a special twist: We Are One is a co-op single-player game. Thats right you play in a team with yourself. This is made possible by a clever time-loop mechanic.

As an offspring of Mother Nature, I fight against evil machines and harmful giant beetles. Every action I perform in one of the time loops is exactly reproduced by a clone in the next loop.

So to solve any of the puzzles, I have to plan ahead and remember well what I did in the past, when and how. Once I have rehearsed an action with a clone, I can observe it as it acts in the loop. This way I check if what I entered makes sense and how I can use it to plan the next actions for the next clone.

If Im smart about it, I orchestrate a team of clones to defeat the seemingly overpowering enemy using time jumps and time loops.

Im standing in a forest under attack by nasty logging robots. Between me and the saw-blade spitting logging machines lies only a tree trunk for cover. Along the trunk are several fixed points where I can sprout my plant clone from the earth.

To beat back the robots, I have to think ahead. Weapons and ammo are unevenly distributed across the five spawn points. In each time loop, I have to make sure that the clone after me is supplied with a shooting club and ammo.

So I start first at the action point in the middle of the trunk. There I find the seeds that serve as ammunition for my plant guns but the guns are on the left, at the other end of the cover.

I wait for the pause between whirring saw blades and throw the ammo to the spawn points of my future clones where the weapons are lying around. In doing so, I have to estimate when these clones should appear at each point and how much ammo each clone will need.

With all these thoughts and actions, I dodge the saw blades flying around my woody head.

I finish programming the first clone and look at my first iteration from the starting point. Knowing what I just did, I now move outside to a position with the plant cannons. Once there, my first clone begins its actions: He ducks away under the saw blades and then throws the ammunition in my direction.

In stylish Superhot VR fashion, I catch the ammo, load the gun, quickly duck out from under a saw blade, and finish off the robots on my side. Then I throw the gun over to one of the still unused cloning spots.

No sooner have I placed myself at this spot than the groundhog greets me: all previous clone actions continue while I physically crouch behind virtual cover and wait for the gun to be thrown to me. The rest is a formality.

With a little skill and practice, I can literally choreograph my clone army and end up with a stylish puzzle dance. However, the teamwork in the time loop doesnt always work out smoothly: depending on how stupid I am in the clone programming, I end up without ammunition or a weapon and have to correct my mistake(s).

But be careful! I can only repeat the last loop. If I screw up twice in a row, I have to restart the level and plan better.

Besides the incredibly fun gameplay, We Are One also convinces with a smooth presentation and a charming comic look. Well see if the developers can maintain that standard throughout the entire game early next year when We Are One is released for PC VR and Meta Quest 2. If you already want to get an idea, you can find playable demos on SteamVR or Metas App Lab.

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Excerpt from:

We Are One is our gaming highlight from Gamescom 2022 - MIXED Reality News