đź”— Articles: Thursday 23.May.2024
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ScienceAlert: Oldest Known Human Viruses Found in 50,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Bones
“To support [this] provocative and interesting hypothesis, it would be necessary to prove that at least the genomes of these viruses can be found in Neanderthal remains,” molecular biologist and senior author of the new study, Marcelo Briones, told New Scientist’s James Woodford. “That is what we did.”
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Briones, along with evolutionary geneticist Renata Ferreira of the Federal University of SĂŁo Paulo in Brazil and colleagues, sampled DNA from the skeletons of two male Neanderthals.
There, amongst the Neanderthal genome, they found snippets of DNA that resembled three modern viruses: adenovirus, which today causes common colds; herpesvirus, the culprit behind cold sores; and papillomavirus, transmitted during sex and causing genital warts.
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The research has been posted to the bioRxiv preprint server ahead of peer review.
The Atlantic: Nikki Haley Surrendered, But Not Her Voters
Most of her supporters voted for Haley as a way to stop Trump. Haley’s announcement today that she intends to vote for Trump won’t raise their opinion of him, it will only lower their opinion of her. When she says, as she said again today, that she wished Donald Trump would “reach out” to her voters, she’s speaking words that may sound like English, but make no sense. The only way Donald Trump could reach out to Trump-skeptical Republicans is by pleading guilty to the many criminal charges against him and vowing to devote the rest of his life to restitution for the victims of his many civil frauds.
TorStar: Minister tables bill to extend citizenship rights to children born abroad
In 2009, the Conservative government changed the law so that Canadian parents who were born abroad could not pass down their citizenship unless their child was born in Canada.
Stephen Harper, you say?
TorStar: Ontario judge compares police officers to sitcom buffoon
“TELL THE TRUTH,” Justice Fergus O’Donnell wrote, addressing police in capital letters in a May 10 decision that details his frustration that a group of Niagara Regional Police officers seemed bafflingly unable to remember what each other was doing during an impaired driving arrest.
When an officer, or anyone else, takes the stand, their sole job is to be truthful, O’Donnell wrote — “Period. Full stop. End of. Unvarnished. Unselective. The truth, the whole truth (this phrase was underlined) and nothing but the truth. It really is that simple.”
TorStar: Susan Delacourt: Liberals paint Poilievre as scary, but many don’t care
Liberals like to say that the large polling gap with the Conservatives will be narrowed when voters stop and take a hard look at what Pierre Poilievre would do to the country.
But a new poll from Abacus shows that many Canadians have no illusions about how much Poilievre could shake up things — beyond just axing taxes — and the Conservatives are still holding a comfortable, 16-point lead in this latest survey. It should be noted that Abacus removes undecided voters from these horse-race results.
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This reminds me of the aftermath of the 2005-06 election, when a newly elected Conservative government followed through on its promise to end the Liberals’ national child care program. Ken Dryden, the minister responsible for that program, said he kept running into people during that campaign who believed they could have both — a Liberal child care program and the Conservatives’ subsidy to parents.
As former prime minister Jean Chrétien was fond of saying, everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die. If the next election comes down to a choice between change and stability, this poll would seem to be an indication that people want both.
Slashdot: Amazon Plans To Give Alexa an AI Overhaul, Monthly Subscription Price
According to CNBC, Amazon plans to enhance its Alexa voice assistant with generative AIand introduce it to customers through a monthly subscription service. While the price point has yet to be determined, sources say it will not be included in the company’s $139-per-year Prime offering.
“Revenue enhancement”.
James Thomson: About by PCalc in Apple VisionPro
About by PCalc for visionOS is now available!
Perhaps the most pointless app on Vision Pro, but still quite fun to play with. This is a complete remake of the original PCalc About screen in VR. It’s basically me experimenting with what’s possible today with RealityKit, over-engineering things as usual, and then for some inexplicable reason actually shipping it. I hope you enjoy it!
apps.apple.com/gb/app/about-by…
James Thomson: About by PCalc in Apple VisionPro
Here are some more screenshots showing the actual About by PCalc interface in action on visionOS. The main controls have virtual joysticks, but there’s a list of gestures you can assign to each hand, including a point and teleport option for people who don’t enjoy fast movement in VR. Gamepads are fully supported too.
You can also just choose between some points of interest and take in the sights. The settings let you tailor things a bit if you want the controls in a slightly different place.
AP: NCAA, leagues sign off on $2.8 billion plan, setting stage for dramatic change across college sports
The NCAA and the nation’s five biggest conferences have agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims,a monumental decision that sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start directing millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as the 2025 fall semester.
The Pac-12 became the final conference to sign off on the proposal Thursday when its university leaders voted to approve, according to a person with direct knowledge of the results.
Guardian: Gavin Newsom signs bill to help people in Arizona get abortions in California
Under the new law, doctors licensed to perform abortions in Arizona could provide abortion care for their patients in California. The legislation offers medical providers an expedited path to getting their credentials in California.
“With SB 233 California offers a lifeline to Arizona doctors to provide the healthcare their patients need without fear of a prison sentence. Once again, California has made it loud and clear we will remain a safe haven for reproductive care,” the California Legislative Women’s caucus said in a statement after lawmakers approved the bill.
Last Updated: 23.May.2024 23:31 EDT