Chinese scientists have used CRISPR to create mice with two fathers that survive to adulthood. By editing 20 imprinted genes, they bypassed the developmental abnormalities usually seen in bi-paternal mice. This research offers insights into genomic imprinting and potential reproductive technologies, but highlights significant ethical and safety concerns regarding human applications.
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This website uses the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI) to measure the concentration of user data on decentralized social networks like the Fediverse and Atmosphere. An HHI close to zero indicates high competition, while a value near 10000 signifies a highly concentrated monopoly. The site currently calculates HHI by analyzing the distribution of active users across servers (Fediverse) or data repositories (Atmosphere), aggregating servers controlled by the same entity. Beyond data location, the site highlights other crucial aspects of decentralization, including network structure, identity management, infrastructure, legal jurisdictions, and the distribution of social power. Code and data are available on GitHub.
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TeaVM 0.11.0 has been released, featuring a brand new WebAssembly backend. The old WebAssembly backend, while functional, lacked adoption due to insignificant performance gains and a poor developer experience. The new backend, leveraging the WebAssembly GC proposal, addresses these issues, improving interaction with browser JS APIs and reducing binary file size. While currently slightly less feature-rich than the JS backend, it already supports JSO (Java-to-JS interaction API), aiming for parity in the next release. This release also includes bug fixes in BitSet implementation and adds support for various JS APIs, such as file reading, touch events, the Popover API, and Navigator.sendBeacon.
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New research challenges the long-held assumption that the Bering Land Bridge, the ancient landmass connecting Siberia and Alaska, was a dry grassland. Using sonar and sediment cores, scientists have revealed a much wetter landscape, more akin to a swampy ecosystem with numerous rivers and lakes. This discovery complicates theories of human and animal migration across the bridge, as the watery terrain would have posed different challenges and opportunities for various species. Interestingly, mammoth DNA was found in the sediment, indicating that even in this marshy environment, large animals could thrive and traverse the area. This research offers a revised perspective on how ancient humans populated North America.
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Cory Doctorow's article delves into the reasons behind the degradation of social media platforms, arguing it's not simply due to venture capitalists' pursuit of profit maximization. The article posits that 'enshittification' stems from user lock-in (high switching costs and collective action problems), and a lack of market competition, government regulation, and labor constraints. The solution, Doctorow suggests, lies in breaking user lock-in, increasing regulation and competition, rather than simply rejecting capitalism. The article also analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of emerging platforms Mastodon and Bluesky, advocating for technical solutions (like the Free Our Feeds project) to enhance Bluesky's resilience and lower switching costs for users.
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Microsoft is about to release a new device called Windows 365 Link, essentially a locked-down cloud terminal with no local admin rights, data storage, or apps. The author expresses concern that this gives Microsoft complete control over users' computers, accompanied by hefty monthly fees. This exacerbates existing worries about loss of PC control and predicts mountains of e-waste after a few years of corporate use.
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After selling his company, a former CEO found himself adrift despite immense wealth and freedom. His journey involved forays into robotics, scaling a Himalayan peak, and working for DOGE, ultimately leading him to study physics in Hawaii. This dramatic tale reflects his inner turmoil and search for meaning. He ultimately realized that embracing uncertainty and foregoing grand ambitions is true freedom.
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Quantus is an advanced quantitative trading platform designed to provide professional traders and institutional investors with efficient and reliable trading solutions. It integrates powerful data analytics tools, flexible backtesting capabilities, and a low-latency execution system, enabling users to better capitalize on market opportunities and enhance investment returns. With its robust technology and user-friendly interface, Quantus is quickly becoming a rising star in the fintech landscape.
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Apple has officially launched the iPhone 16E, ditching the iconic home button for Face ID and packing in the latest A18 chip and Apple Intelligence AI suite. Starting at $599.99, the 16E boasts a 6.06-inch OLED display, similar in size to the standard iPhone 16, and adopts a design based on the iPhone 14. While foregoing MagSafe and fast wireless charging, it offers USB-C and Qi wireless charging. A single 48MP rear camera and a customizable Action button are included, though the new Camera Control features of the iPhone 16 series are absent. Significantly, the 16E is Apple's first phone with a self-developed modem. Preorders begin Friday, with shipping on February 28th.
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arXivLabs is a framework enabling collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on the website. Individuals and organizations involved embrace arXiv's values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only partners with those who share them. Have an idea to enhance the arXiv community? Learn more about arXivLabs.
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Castle Game Engine proudly announces the release of its first 3 working web applications! Experience 3D scenes and a 2D game directly in your browser (Firefox, Chrome, etc.)—no installation needed. Powered by WebAssembly and WebGL, the cross-platform code offers a glimpse into future features like data loading, currently under development. Comprehensive documentation is available, even though the web target is still on a development branch.
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This essay distills the author's expertise across multiple fields into a single, potent skill: troubleshooting. The author details their methodical approach, from stepping back for a holistic view of the system to identifying data flows, observing symptoms, isolating the problem, and adapting strategies based on risk. Emphasis is placed on information gathering, including using search engines effectively and leveraging expert assistance. Ultimately, the essay argues troubleshooting is not just a technical skill but a mindset requiring patience, attention to detail, and deep system understanding.
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This article recounts the author's experience with the early GNOME desktop environment included in Red Hat Linux 5.1 from 1998. It was a beta release, significantly simpler than today's GNOME, but boasted remarkably faster boot times. The author details the applications available, such as a basic file manager, the Electric Eyes image viewer, gEdit 0.4.0, and simple games, drawing comparisons to modern versions. This nostalgic look showcases the efforts and ingenuity of the early open-source community.
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A Scavenging Trip is a short, challenging simulation game where you explore an unknown planet, collect samples, and escape in time. Three missions are included, each with three difficulty levels. A speedrun takes 10-15 minutes, while a first playthrough might take 1-2 hours, especially on the hardest difficulty. There's no save feature; missions are unlocked and played without progression. Controls are minimal and rebindable (default WASDQE), with no mouse input needed. System requirements are incredibly low; any modern browser and a Pentium M processor or better will suffice. The game utilizes a custom software renderer and engine written in Rust, with the CPU handling all graphics calculations and the GPU only displaying the final image.
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A provision in President Trump's tax plan has inadvertently reshaped the creator economy. The US Treasury Department now allows digital content creators (podcasters, social media influencers, streamers, etc.) to deduct tip income up to a certain limit. This could significantly alter how creators generate revenue, potentially leading platforms to more prominently feature tipping options. The policy reflects the rise of the creator economy and may incentivize more individuals to join the content creation field.
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This article debunks a long-standing misconception in computer graphics: ternary operators in GPUs are not conditional branches. The author uses code examples and assembly code analysis to show that ternary operators or if statements in GPUs implement conditional move instructions, not branch jumps that alter the instruction pointer. These conditional moves are more efficient, and the supposed 'optimization' using the `step()` function actually reduces performance. The article calls for correcting this 20-year-old misunderstanding.
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TuxRacer.js is an open-source browser-based port/rewrite of the classic penguin-racing game, Tux Racer, and its successor, Extreme Tux Racer. Playable on desktop and mobile browsers, players control Tux using keyboard/mouse (desktop) or touch input (mobile), navigating varied terrains and environments. Multiple courses and environments are selectable, with URL parameters allowing customization. While in early development, the game is already enjoyable.
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The Hearst Newsreel online archive is now live! This website, a collaborative project between the University of California and the Packard Humanities Institute, features a vast collection of newsreels spanning from 1929 to 1967, originally donated by the Hearst Corporation. Users can browse and watch these historical films, offering a unique journey through time. Please note that some newsreels may contain outdated biases and potentially disturbing content.
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Driven by concerns about government surveillance and the perceived coziness between tech companies and the administration, US federal employees are increasingly migrating to encrypted messaging apps like Signal. Fearful of their communications being leaked, they're abandoning platforms like Facebook Messenger and adopting Signal for sensitive conversations, highlighting a growing distrust in both the government and mainstream tech companies. This shift underscores the importance of robust privacy measures in an era of heightened political polarization.
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This article explores the origins, development, and controversies surrounding Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Created by Marsha Linehan, DBT aims to help those at high risk of suicide by improving emotional regulation through skills training and cognitive behavioral techniques. While DBT emphasizes the dialectic of acceptance and change, it's also criticized for oversimplifying complex issues, neglecting the impact of societal structures on mental health, and potentially serving as a tool for self-management under capitalist pressures. The article delves into the connection between DBT and workplace management models, and its limitations in addressing contemporary anxieties and stresses.
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Jakt is a new memory-safe systems programming language currently transpiling to C++. It employs strategies like automatic reference counting, strong typing, and bounds checking to ensure memory safety, avoiding raw pointers. Jakt emphasizes code readability with a flexible module system and clean syntax. It supports structs, classes, enums, pattern matching, generics, operator overloading, and exception handling, along with powerful compile-time features such as compile-time function execution. While still under development, Jakt aims to balance performance, safety, and developer productivity.
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The author trained a custom AI image model in under two hours to generate images of themselves in various styles, such as a Superman version. This was achieved using the Flux model and LoRA training technique, leveraging Replicate's easy-to-use GPU cloud service and pre-built tools. With just a few personal photos and Hugging Face for model storage, the process was surprisingly straightforward. Results varied, but were fun enough to justify the low cost (under $10).
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Four volunteers will embark on a year-long Mars mission simulation at NASA's Johnson Space Center, living in a 3D-printed habitat for 378 days. This CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) mission will evaluate the effects of long-duration space exploration on human health and performance, including resource limitations, equipment malfunctions, communication delays, and isolation. The crew will conduct scientific research and operational tasks, such as simulated Mars walks and vegetable gardening. The simulation is a crucial step in preparing for future crewed Artemis missions and the eventual landing on Mars, providing valuable data for human exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
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This article explores unconventional approaches to solving physics problems using simple estimation and dimensional analysis. The author demonstrates the power of these methods by calculating the speed of falling raindrops, the length of the E. coli genome, and the mass of a proton, among other examples. The article suggests this napkin-based approach can greatly enhance physics education and learning. Further techniques like Fermi estimation and random walks are introduced and applied to problems like estimating the E. coli genome length and determining the optimal speed for walking or running in the rain, showcasing their practicality.
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CCState is a lightweight, semantically clear, and flexible state management library designed for medium to large single-page applications with complex state management needs. It's built on three basic data types: computed, command, and state, offering a simple and intuitive API with 100% test coverage. Framework-agnostic, CCState works seamlessly with React, Vanilla JS, and other UI frameworks, boasting blazing-fast performance, outperforming Jotai in various scenarios. The core APIs – `state`, `computed`, and `command` – handle basic value units, derived computations, and side effects respectively. React Hooks like `useGet`, `useSet`, `useLoadable`, and `useResolved` simplify data access and Promise handling. CCState also offers subscription capabilities for reactive updates.
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Google's release of the PebbleOS source code has breathed new life into the Pebble community. The Rebble team is hard at work developing new Pebble watch hardware and software, targeting the nRF52840 chipset. They're open-sourcing all updates and collaborating with factories and suppliers to create a new watch that closely resembles the classic Pebble experience, but with modifiable and improvable open-source software. Developers are welcome to join and contribute to improving PebbleOS, the Cobble app, and the Pebble SDK.
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This article explores the portrayal of cryptanalysis in spy fiction. The author argues that directly describing the cryptanalytic process is difficult to make engaging for readers; successful works focus on characters and plot, not technical details. Using John Buchan and Dorothy L. Sayers as examples, the author analyzes how they cleverly handle cryptanalytic subplots. The article also mentions a few other British novels that touch on intelligence agencies and cryptography, notably recommending Michael Frayn's *The Tin Men* as a satirical take on GCHQ and a pioneering work on AI.
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Lean 4.22 introduces an exciting new feature: a new verification infrastructure for proving properties of imperative programs. The post uses a simple example—determining if a list contains two integers that sum to zero—to demonstrate the feature's use and compares it to similar tools like Dafny and Verus. The new framework, Std.Do, leverages Hoare triples and combines the `mvcgen` and `grind` tactics to greatly simplify the verification process for imperative programs, even those with complex control flow like loops and early returns. Unlike automated systems relying on external SMT solvers, Lean's interactive proving approach offers greater reliability, easier debugging, and better maintainability, making it a compelling choice for real-world program verification tasks.
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Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) virtual disks can bloat over time, consuming significant disk space. This tutorial provides both manual and automated methods to compact WSL virtual hard disks (VHDX), freeing up valuable disk space. The manual method details a step-by-step process using PowerShell and DiskPart commands; the automated method provides a PowerShell script for one-click compaction. Regardless of the method chosen, you can effectively resolve WSL disk space issues and maintain efficient system operation.
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This article details a method for simulating the 'boiling' effect, a common visual style in hand-drawn animation, using SVG filters. This effect creates the illusion of subtle movement by applying slight distortions to image edges. The author explains how to use the feTurbulence and feDisplacementMap filters to generate a noise texture and apply it to an image, and how to animate filter parameters with JavaScript to achieve the boiling effect. Interactive demos allow users to adjust parameters and observe the effect's changes. The author successfully uses simple SVG filters and JavaScript to simulate a realistic hand-drawn animation effect on the web.
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