Latest News

For over four decades Pat Sajak was synonymous with the beloved gameshow, "Wheel of Fortune." On Friday, the 77-year-old host took his final spin on the iconic show after a stunning 41-year and 8,000- episode run.

“Well, the time has come to say goodbye. I have a few thanks and acknowledgments before I go. And I want to start with all of you watching out there. It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade,” Sajak said in a preview ahead of the Friday broadcast released by the show.

“And I’ve always felt that the privilege came with a responsibility to keep this daily half-hour a safe place for family fun. No social issues, no politics, nothing embarrassing I hope, just a game,” he continued.

What started as a game turned out to mean so much more.

“But gradually it became more than that: a place where kids learned their letters, where people from other countries honed their English skills, where families came together along with friends and neighbors and entire generations.”

In the mid-1920s, two absolute giants in the world of physics, Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein, theorized the existence of a strange quantum state of matter that’d eventually be named in their honor: the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). The 20th century luminaries figured that if particles were cooled to ultracold temperatures—mere fractions of degrees away from absolute zero (-459.67 °F)—and kept at low densities, they’d form an indistinguishable whole.

Fast-forward some 70 years later, scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder proved Einstein and Bose correct. Since then, BECs have been a vital tool for exploring the quantum properties of atoms, and a series of advancements—whether getting the particles even cooler or getting them to form diatomic molecules—have made them more and more useful in the search for the underlying physics that governs the universe.

Now, physicists from Columbia University—in collaboration with Radboud University in the Netherlands—took the next step of this century-long BEC journey by creating a sodium-cesium condensate that’s only five nanoKelvin above absolute zero. While that’s an impressively cold temperature, the most important part of this impressive piece of experimental physics is that the resulting BEC is dipolar, meaning it has both a positive and a negative charge. The team utilized a previously peer-reviewed technique that uses microwaves to cross “the BEC threshold,” according to a press statement. The results of this study were published this week in the journal Nature.

Police in Los Angeles seized more than 2,800 boxes of stolen LEGO sets from a 71-year-old man's home Wednesday, authorities said.

Officers arrested 71-year-old Richard Siegel and his alleged accomplice, 39-year-old Blanca Gudino, after raiding the elderly man's Long Beach home, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The individual boxes have a retail value ranging from $20 to well over $1,000, police said.

Detectives started investigating the case after a retailer in San Pedro identified Gudino as the suspect who had allegedly robbed them several times last December.

One of the major drivers of the exceptional heat building within Earth's atmosphere has reached levels beyond anything humans have ever experienced, officials announced on Thursday. Carbon dioxide, the gas that accounts for the majority of global warming caused by human activities, is accumulating "faster than ever," scientists from NOAA, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of California San Diego found.

"Over the past year, we've experienced the hottest year on record, the hottest ocean temperatures on record, and a seemingly endless string of heat waves, droughts, floods, wildfires and storms," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a press release. "Now we are finding that atmospheric CO2 levels are increasing faster than ever."

The researchers measured carbon dioxide, or CO2, levels at the Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory. They found that atmospheric levels of the gas hit a seasonal peak of just under 427 parts per million in May — an increase of 2.9 ppm since May 2023 and the fifth-largest annual growth in 50 years of data recording.

It also made official that the past two years saw the largest jump in the May peak — when CO2 levels are at their highest in the Northern Hemisphere. John Miller, a NOAA carbon cycle scientist, said that the jump likely stems from the continuous rampant burning of fossil fuels as well as El Niño conditions making the planet's ability to absorb CO2 more difficult.

It’s possible that our universe is the antimatter counterpart of an antimatter universe that existed earlier in time than the Big Bang. So claim physicists in Canada, who have devised a new cosmological model positing the existence of a “antiuniverse” which, paired to our own, preserves a fundamental rule of physics called CPT symmetry. Though many details in their theory still need to be worked out, the researchers claim that it naturally explains the existence of dark matter.

According to standard cosmological models, the universe—which consists of space, time, and mass/energy—exploded into being about 14 billion years ago. Since then, it has expanded and cooled, causing subatomic particles, atoms, stars, and planets to gradually form.

But according to Neil Turok of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario, these models are beginning to resemble Ptolemy’s solar system description more and more because they rely on ad hoc parameters. The brief period of rapid expansion known as inflation, he claims, is one such parameter that can explain the large-scale uniformity of the universe. “There is this frame of mind that you explain a new phenomenon by inventing a new particle or field,” he says. “I think that may turn out to be misguided.”

Rather, Turok and his colleague Latham Boyle at the Perimeter Institute set out to create a universe model that relies solely on known particles and fields to explain all observable phenomena. They questioned whether the cosmos could naturally extend beyond the Big Bang, the singularity at which general relativity breaks down, and continue on the other side. “We found that there was,” he says.

Later this month, people in Berlin will be able to book an hour with an AI sex doll as the world’s first cyber brothel rolls out the service following a test phase.

Customers will be able to interact verbally with the AI dolls as well as physically.

“Many people feel more comfortable sharing private matters with a machine because it doesn’t judge,” says Philipp Fussenegger, founder and owner of Cybrothel.

“Previously, there was significant interest in a doll with a voice actress, where users could only hear the voice and interact with the doll. Now, there is an even greater demand for interacting with artificial intelligence.”

It's just one of many ways that generative AI is being used by the adult entertainment business.

(CNN) - Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Thursday moved to liquidate his personal assets, agreeing to demands from the families of Sandy Hook victims whom he owes more than $1.5 billion in damages over his lies about the 2012 school massacre.

The seismic move paves the way for a future in which Jones no longer owns Infowars, the influential conspiracy empire he founded in the late 1990s. Over the years, Jones has not only used the media company to poison the public discourse with vile lies and conspiracy theories, but also to enrich himself to the tune of millions of dollars.

Prior to Thursday, Jones had resisted converting his personal bankruptcy into a Chapter 7 liquidation. But facing mounting legal pressure, he reversed course and caved to the demands of the Sandy Hook families, who have still not seen a penny from Jones since juries in Connecticut and Texas found him liable in 2022 for defamation and emotional distress. His lawyers said in a filing that there was “no reasonable prospect for a successful reorganization” and that continuing down the path would only result in additional expenses incurred by Jones.

The legal maneuver ultimately “means [Jones’] ownership in Free Speech Systems is going to get sold,” Avi Moshenberg, an attorney who represents some of the Sandy Hook families, told CNN on Thursday night, referencing the parent company of Infowars.

“Converting the case to Chapter 7 will hasten the end of these bankruptcies and facilitate the liquidation of Jones’s assets, which is the same reason we have moved to convert his company’s case to Chapter 7,” Chris Mattei, another attorney representing Sandy Hook families, told CNN.

Senior author acknowledges manipulated figures in study tying a form of amyloid protein to memory impairment

Authors of a landmark Alzheimer’s disease research paper published in Nature in 2006 have agreed to retract the study in response to allegations of image manipulation. University of Minnesota (UMN) Twin Cities neuroscientist Karen Ashe, the paper’s senior author, acknowledged in a post on the journal discussion site PubPeer that the paper contains doctored images. The study has been cited nearly 2500 times, and would be the most cited paper ever to be retracted, according to Retraction Watch data.

“Although I had no knowledge of any image manipulations in the published paper until it was brought to my attention two years ago,” Ashe wrote on PubPeer, “it is clear that several of the figures in Lesné et al. (2006) have been manipulated … for which I as the senior and corresponding author take ultimate responsibility.”

After initially arguing the paper’s problems could be addressed with a correction, Ashe said in another post last week that all of the authors had agreed to a retraction—with the exception of its first author, UMN neuro-
scientist Sylvain Lesné, a protégé of Ashe’s who was the focus of a 2022 investigation by Science. A Nature spokesperson would not comment on the journal’s plans.

“It’s unfortunate that it has taken 
2 years to make the decision to retract,” says Donna Wilcock, an Indiana University neuroscientist and editor of the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. “The evidence of manipulation was overwhelming.”

While teaching a class to high school students on Wednesday, Burlington police officers staged a surprise demonstration in which a masked gunman burst into the room and pretended to open fire.

The simulation, which occurred at the Burlington police station, was meant to show the unreliability of witness statements. But the lack of warning — and the loud gunshot sounds — sent students diving for cover in fear for their lives.

In response, the Burlington School District apologized to parents and offered counseling services. The Burlington Police Department, meanwhile, issued a statement on Thursday afternoon apologizing to any students “who were upset by the specific scenario and crime scene portion of the presentation.”

“The roll-playing [sic] scenario only involved three department personnel simulating a robbery scenario and was not directed at any students or faculty,” the statement said.

---

It is like an episode of Reno 911, just saying

GameStop (GME) stock rose 47% on Thursday after a YouTube account believed to be tied to investor Keith Gill, also known as "Roaring Kitty" on social media, posted a livestream scheduled for Friday at noon ET.

This would be the first live appearance on the channel since Gill helped ignite the meme stock rally in 2021 via bullish videos and posts about the video game retailer.

"The Roaring Kitty channel and live streams are for educational and entertainment purposes only. I don't provide personal investment advice or stock recommendations during the stream," read the YouTube account's description.

The channel has more than 730,000 subscribers.

A controversy over a waterfall has cascaded into a social media storm in China, even prompting an explanation from the water body itself.

A hiker posted a video that showed the flow of water from Yuntai Mountain Waterfall - billed as China's tallest uninterrupted waterfall - was coming from a pipe built high into the rock face.

The clip has been liked more than 70,000 times since it was first posted on Monday.

Operators of the Yuntai tourism park said that they made the "small enhancement" during the dry season so visitors would feel that their trip had been worthwhile.

"The one about how I went through all the hardship to the source of Yuntai Waterfall only to see a pipe," the caption of the video posted by user "Farisvov" reads.

The topic "the origin of Yuntai Waterfall is just some pipes" began trending all over social media.

It received more than 14 million views on Weibo and nearly 10 million views on Douyin - causing such an uproar that local government officials were sent to the park to investigate.

They asked the operators to learn a lesson from the incident and explain the enhancements to tourists ahead of time, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Libs Of TikTok and others are using Modern Warfare 3's Pride Month camos to push transphobia

A possible Call of Duty bug is causing a new Pride-themed cosmetic to paint the bullets in one version of one of the game’s guns the colors of the transgender flag. Now, right wing rage jockeys are seizing this to peddle transphobic conspiracy theories so idiotic they would be laughable, if not for the real world threats underlining the outrage.

Season 4 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone went live last week. In addition to a host of new content, including Gundam skins that turn players into walking anime mechs, the update also rolled out free Pride cosmetics on June 1. “Call of Duty is for everyone, and we’re proud to celebrate Pride Month by offering seven different Weapon Camo variants, each representing the colors of the different LGBTQ+ flags,” Activision wrote on its website.

One of those camo variants is the transgender flag. When the camo is applied, it paints the players’ gun into a glittery version of the flag’s colors. It also applies the flag’s design to the texture on the ammunition cartridge for one skin on one particular gun: the M4. Call of Duty leaker BobNetworkUK discovered this almost immediately and tweeted a screenshot of it out as a joke. “THEY COVER THE BULLETS ON SOME GUNS,” they tweeted on June 1. “TRANS BULLETS they’re gonna hate this one.”

Canada says $200M in annual fees will support local news and other content.

Canada has ordered large online streaming services to pay 5 percent of their Canadian revenue to the government in a program expected to raise $200 million per year to support local news and other home-grown content. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced its decision yesterday after a public comment period.

"Based on the public record, the CRTC is requiring online streaming services to contribute 5 percent of their Canadian revenues to support the Canadian broadcasting system. These obligations will start in the 2024–2025 broadcast year and will provide an estimated $200 million per year in new funding," the regulator said.

The fees apply to both video and music streaming services. The CRTC imposed the rules despite opposition from Amazon, Apple, Disney, Google, Netflix, Paramount, and Spotify.

The new fees are scheduled to take effect in September and apply to online streaming services that make at least $25 million a year in Canada. The regulations exclude revenue from audiobooks, podcasts, video game services, and user-generated content. The exclusion of revenue from user-generated content is a win for Google's YouTube.

“A diamond is forever,” but perhaps not for the increasing number of consumers spurning the gemstone for lab-grown counterparts, gold and even other colored gemstones.

The slogan was coined by diamond giant De Beers in 1948, capturing the impression of security and romance. But not all relationships withstand the test of time.

The company’s largest shareholder Anglo American plans to divest De Beers as it restructures its business after rejecting a takeover bid from BHP. Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad told the Financial Times that selling De Beers will be “the hardest part” of the company’s radical restructuring.

“Diamonds don’t really fit in anymore despite the strong legacy of De Beers under Anglo,” said independent diamond industry analyst Paul Zimnisky.

Scientists pinpoint driver of IBD and other disorders with work under way to adapt existing drugs to treat patients

Researchers have discovered a major driver of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and several other immune disorders that affect the spine, liver and arteries, raising hopes for millions of people worldwide.

The breakthrough is particularly exciting because the newly found biological pathway can be targeted by drugs that are already used, with work under way to adapt them to patients with IBD and other conditions.

“What we have found is one of the very central pathways that goes wrong when people get inflammatory bowel disease and this has been something of a holy grail,” said Dr James Lee, the group leader of the genetic mechanisms of disease laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute in London.

Lee added: “Even for pure, fundamental immunology this is a really exciting discovery. But to show this is dysregulated in people who get disease not only gives us a better understanding of the disease, it tells us this is something we can treat.”

Nvidia, Wall Street’s favorite artificial intelligence darling, is continuing to swell to staggering heights.

The AI chipmaker’s market capitalization rose to $3.019 trillion on Wednesday, nudging slightly past Apple’s also $2.99 trillion market cap and making it the second-largest publicly traded company in the US by that measure, just behind Microsoft’s market cap of $3.15 trillion.

Nvidia is now the third company in the US, behind Apple and Microsoft, to cross that $3 trillion mark.

Shares of the Santa Clara-based chipmaker rose 5.2% to about $1,224.4 a share, while Apple shares ended the session up 0.8% at $196.

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday a death was caused by the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with a subtype of avian influenza.

WHO said the 59-year-old resident of Mexico had died on April 24 after developing a fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea and general discomfort.

This was the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with A(H5N2) subtype of bird flu reported globally and the first H5 virus infection in a person reported in Mexico.

The victim had no history of exposure to poultry or other animals, WHO said. Cases of A(H5N2) subtype of the bird flu have been reported in poultry in Mexico.

The person had multiple underlying medical conditions and had been bedridden for three weeks, for other reasons, prior to the onset of acute symptoms, WHO said.

Source:

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized Monday for massive cheating on certification tests for seven vehicle models as the automaker suspended production of three of them.

The wide-ranging fraudulent testing at Japan’s top automaker involved the use of inadequate or outdated data in collision tests, and incorrect testing of airbag inflation and rear-seat damage in crashes. Engine power tests were also found to have been falsified.

Toyota Motor Corp., based in Toyota city, central Japan, suspended production in the country of the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross. The deceptive tests were also found on discontinued models.

The company said the wrongdoing does not affect the safety of the vehicles already on roads, which include the Corolla subcompact and Lexus luxury vehicles.

“We sincerely apologize,” Toyoda told reporters, bowing deeply and holding the position for several seconds, as is customary in Japan at news conferences where companies apologize for misbehavior.

A Japanese government investigation into Toyota began in January. The issue does not affect Toyota’s overseas production.

Also Monday, Toyota's Japanese rival Mazda Motor Corp. reported similar irregular certification testing, and halted production of two models, the Roadster and Mazda 2. It said incorrect engine control software was used in the tests.

/u/unit156 said:

The headline focuses on Toyota, but the article also mentions cheating by Mazda and Honda.

Here’s a list of the affected models:

Toyota: Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, Yaris Cross

Mazda: Roadster, Mazda2

Honda: Accord, Odyssey, Fit

Click to expand...

/u/Unlucky-Carpenter-69 said:

Toyota was caught for falsifying crash test results and engine power levels.

Mazda was caught for falsifying engine power results.

Honda was caught for falsifying noise levels.

Click to expand...

A study has found that software projects adopting Agile practices are 268 percent more likely to fail than those that do not.

Even though the research commissioned by consultancy Engprax could be seen as a thinly veiled plug for Impact Engineering methodology, it feeds into the suspicion that the Agile Manifesto might not be all it's cracked up to be.

The study's fieldwork was conducted between May 3 and May 7 with 600 software engineers (250 in the UK and 350 in the US) participating. One standout statistic was that projects with clear requirements documented before development started were 97 percent more likely to succeed. In comparison, one of the four pillars of the Agile Manifesto is "Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation."

According to the study, putting a specification in place before development begins can result in a 50 percent increase in success, and making sure the requirements are accurate to the real-world problem can lead to a 57 percent increase.

Dr Junade Ali, author of Impact Engineering, said: "With 65 percent of projects adopting Agile practices failing to be delivered on time, it's time to question Agile's cult following.

"Our research has shown that what matters when it comes to delivering high-quality software on time and within budget is a robust requirements engineering process and having the psychological safety to discuss and solve problems when they emerge, whilst taking steps to prevent developer burnout."

BOSTON - A driver was killed in a horrifying crash in Boston Wednesday morning as their burning SUV smashed through a chain link fence and fell 40 feet onto a road below.

It happened around 10 a.m. in Widett Circle near Interstate 93. The car was on fire when it went through a fence on the Massachusetts Avenue connector and landed on the exit 16 off ramp from the expressway, according to Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke.

"We're fortunate that there was no car underneath when it came down from the overpass, that it didn't hit another vehicle," Burke said, adding that "there's nothing left" of the SUV.

"The entire thing was engulfed in flames, so you could barely tell it was a car," said Michael Tobin, who came upon the SUV when it was on fire. "It's bad because, you know, someone was in that car."