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We’ve finally spotted a pattern in mysterious radio blasts from space

Strange, powerful blasts of radio waves from space called fast radio bursts sometimes flash repeatedly, but never with any discernible pattern – until now




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Cork-coated spacecraft to be chucked out of the ISS for re-entry test

A spacecraft designed to study re-entry into Earth's atmosphere has a nose coated in cork, a cheap and lightweight alternative to other materials




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Our galaxy’s huge black hole may have created organic molecules

The enormous black hole at the centre of the Milky Way was active millions of years ago, and its intense X-rays may have formed some molecules necessary for life




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Liquid iron rain spotted on super-heated exoplanet WASP-76b

Exoplanet WASP-76b, which is about 390 light years from the solar system, has a strange iron signature in its atmosphere, suggesting the metal is raining down on the planet's night side




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Supermassive stars may have formed by repeatedly eating their siblings

Some black holes are way bigger than we can explain, and they may have come from supermassive stars that formed by devouring the other stars around them




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We may have spotted a parallel universe going backwards in time

Strange particles observed by an experiment in Antarctica could be evidence of an alternative reality where everything is upside down




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Astronomers have spotted the most powerful supernova ever

An explosion 4.6 billion light years away has released 10 times more energy than the sun will put out in its lifetime, making it the most extreme supernova ever found




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A giant raft of rock may once have floated across Mars’s ancient ocean

Mars could have had an ancient ocean in its northern hemisphere, and a large raft of volcanic rock may have floated across it to settle into mounds we can see today




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NASA has selected three lunar landers to bring humans to the moon

NASA has awarded $967 million to three space flight companies – Blue Origin, Dynetics and SpaceX – to build lunar landers that will be part of the Artemis programme to send humans to the moon by 2024




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Weird radio signals spotted in our galaxy could solve a space mystery

Weird blasts of radio waves from space called fast radio bursts have been baffling astronomers since they were discovered, but after finding one in our galaxy we may finally know what creates them




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China just tested a spacecraft that could fly to the moon and beyond

China just tested its biggest rocket yet, along with a new capsule designed to carry humans to its planned space station, the moon and beyond




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AI Agents Startle Researchers With Unexpected Hide-and-Seek Strategies

The OpenAI project demonstrated "emergent behavior" by the AI players, including surfing



  • robotics
  • robotics/artificial-intelligence

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Andrey Markov & Claude Shannon Counted Letters to Build the First Language-Generation Models

Shannon's said: “OCRO HLI RGWR NMIELWIS”



  • robotics
  • robotics/artificial-intelligence

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GTA 6 release date: Rockstar debate splits opinion of gaming's trusted insiders



A public disagreement between a trusted games journalist and the GTA community is showing Rockstar just how eager people are for a GTA 6 announcement




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RPGCast – Episode 249: “Imported Handheld Escorts”

We discover the most appropriate analogy for the current handheld market. Jon decides he’s ready to import a 3DS. Square Enix and Nintendo demonstrate how...




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RPGCast – Episode 380: “Selected Soundtrack”

Ken Staples joins the show and teaches Chris everything he’s doing wrong in The Division. Alice gets back into EVE and explains World War Bee...




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RPGCast – Episode 399: “You Activated My Trap Chocobo”

Square Enix comes up with an incredibly innovative idea to make money. Kickstarter proves itself to be the answer to everyone’s needs once again. And...




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RPGCast – Episode 512: “I Gave Hubert A Teddy Bear And He Burned It”

While Fire Emblem: Three Houses seems to finally be put aside by most folks, a few are still learning the dangerous pitfalls of gift giving. As usual, cats and Robin Williams are discussed. Then someone pre-orders Pantsu Hunter and someone else tries to shove CDs into an iPhone to get monsters.



  • News
  • Podcasts
  • RPG Cast
  • Alundra
  • Cat Quest II
  • Crystar
  • Dragon Quest Builders 2
  • Dragon Quest XI
  • Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark
  • Final Fantasy IV
  • Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  • Judge Eyes / Judgment
  • Lapis x Labyrinth
  • Rebel Galaxy Outlaw

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RPG Cast – Episode 521: “Upsell You to Unlimited Meows”

We figured it would be a short show because there's not a lot of news this time of year. Turns out Alex, Kelley, Peter, Chris, and Anna Marie still had plenty to discuss with their now playing, your feedback, and the upcoming releases including Pokémon.




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Ducklings spotted jumping off fifth floor balcony in Glasgow

A family of ducklings were spotted jumping off a flat in Glasgow as they left their nest for the first time.




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Coronavirus in Scotland: People could be isolated before knowing if they are positive

PEOPLE who are not positive for Covid-19 could be told to isolate from their families before test results are issued as a precaution, Scotland’s national clinical director has warned.




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Regularly attending religious services associated with lower risk of deaths of despair, study finds

People who attended religious services at least once a week were significantly less likely to die from 'deaths of despair,' including deaths related to suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol poisoning, according to new research.




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Obesity is linked to gut microbiota disturbance, but not among statin-treated individuals

Scientists set out to investigate a potential role of the gut microbiota in the development of cardio-metabolic diseases. They ended up identifying the common cholesterol-lowering drug statins as a potential microbiota-modulating therapeutic.




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Nearly 90 coronavirus cases reported at Polyus unit in Siberia




ted

Arbery Video Was Leaked by a Lawyer Who Consulted With Suspects

For weeks after Ahmaud Arbery was killed while running down a road in coastal southern Georgia, there were few public developments in the case of a 25-year-old unarmed black man who was shot while being pursued by two white men with weapons in February.Then a graphic video of the shooting surfaced online, spurring widespread outrage.Within days, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation had taken over the case. The video was criticized by celebrities and politicians alike, including President Donald Trump, who called the footage "very, very disturbing," and former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who said Arbery had essentially been "lynched before our very eyes."And in a major turn, the authorities announced Thursday night that they had arrested two suspects in the case and charged them with murder and aggravated assault.The video -- which by Friday officials had described as "a very important piece" of evidence in moving forward with criminal charges -- was first posted by WGIG, a radio station in Brunswick, Georgia, which said it had obtained the footage from an anonymous source.But in a twist emblematic of the small-town politics that have defined the case, that source turned out to be a criminal defense lawyer in town who had informally consulted with the suspects.The lawyer, Alan Tucker, said in an interview Friday that the video had come from the cellphone of a man who had filmed the episode and that he later gave the footage to the radio station. Tucker's role was confirmed by Scott Ryfun, who oversees the station's programming.Asked why he had leaked the video, Tucker said he had wanted to dispel rumors that he said had fueled tension in the community. "It wasn't two men with a Confederate flag in the back of a truck going down the road and shooting a jogger in the back," Tucker said."It got the truth out there as to what you could see," he added. "My purpose was not to exonerate them or convict them."The video, taken from inside a vehicle, shows Arbery running when he comes upon a white truck, with one man standing next to its open driver's-side door and another in the bed of the pickup. Arbery runs around the truck and disappears briefly from view. Then the man standing outside the truck tussles with him, and three gunshots are heard.The authorities identified Travis McMichael, 34, as the person who shot Arbery. His father, Gregory McMichael, 64, a retired investigator at the local district attorney's office, was also charged.Before the charges were filed this week, two prosecutors had recused themselves from handling the case, citing professional ties to Gregory McMichael. Tucker, too, said he had been an acquaintance of McMichael's from their work in legal circles.Reports suggest Tucker had consulted with the McMichael family in some capacity during the investigation, although it is not clear to what extent. Reached by The Washington Post before his arrest Thursday, Gregory McMichael referred questions to Tucker.Tucker declined to comment on his conversations with the McMichaels on Friday, citing attorney-client privilege."I'm not going to tell you what I told them or what they told me," he said, using profanity to say that any conversations -- had they occurred, he said -- were none of the public's business.At times during the interview, a woman could be heard in the background whispering suggested answers to Tucker.By Friday afternoon, Tucker said that it had been decided that he would not be retained as the lawyer for either of the McMichaels, and it was unclear who was representing them.Tucker said he would not be representing anyone else involved in the case, as the authorities announced Friday that they were pursuing a number of leads, including investigating the man who took the video.The man, Roddie Bryan, lives in the neighborhood. He had shared the video with the police before sharing it with Tucker and was cooperating with the authorities, his lawyer, Kevin Gough, said in an interview Friday evening."Mr. Bryan has never tried to hide anything from anybody," Gough said. "If anybody wanted a copy of the video, he would give it to them."But he said the added attention, including the scrutiny from the authorities, had come as a shock to his client, a mechanic who had since lost his job and received threats. "The atmosphere down here is very volatile," Gough said. "People are in fear. That's all a result of the last few days."The latest developments in the case on Friday fell on Arbery's birthday, when he would have turned 26. Thousands of people commemorated the occasion by running 2.23 miles, a nod to Feb. 23, the date he was killed.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company





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Reports of the death of the film industry have been greatly exaggerated

Hollywood loves a good comeback, and post-coronavirus will be no exception, writes costume designer Kristin M Burke

  • Coronavirus and culture – a list of major cancellations
  • Coronavirus – latest updates
  • See all our coronavirus coverage
  • Many events have killed the film industry: the 1918 influenza epidemic, the second world war, the invention of television, the invention of VCRs, the invention of the internet, 9-11, strike after strike after strike. And yet, like a phoenix, it rises, every time stronger than before. The appetite for its product is insatiable especially in times of political trouble and uncertainty about the future. People want to escape. They want to be entertained.

    The way we make movies most certainly must change. In the best of circumstances, we are a crew of 75 people jammed into a room with very little ventilation, holding our breath until we hear “CUT”. We are in close contact with one another all day long. We never really thought about it before. All of that is about to change. Film sets usually function as big families, and moving forward, that family unit will take on a stronger, protective meaning. This is how we self-regulate in the post-pandemic era.

    Continue reading...




    ted

    Gladiator at 20: how Ridley Scott's epic rejuvenated the historical blockbuster

    The Oscar-winning sword-and-sandals Russell Crowe vehicle refreshed old cliches, before ushering in a spate of copycats

    “Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?” the creepy pilot asks the small boy in Airplane!. To younger audiences, the joke no longer makes any sense. In Airplane!’s day, sword-and-sandals movies had become an outdated, unwittingly homoerotic joke. But then came Gladiator, and the joke was on us. Released 20 years ago this month, Ridley Scott’s Roman epic gave the old cliches a new lease of life. It was all here: Colosseum action! Rippling man-flesh! Tigers! But Gladiator had its cheesecake and ate it. It served up crowd-pleasing spectacle and airline-ad visuals but also solemn, Oscar-worthy drama (and, in retrospect, a fair degree of camp).

    Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips

    Continue reading...




    ted

    The Willoughbys review – imaginative animated Netflix adventure

    A manic pre-summer caper skirts near dark territory but remains a mostly kid-friendly tale of an unusual family

    A year after Sony’s wonderfully inventive Into the Spider-Verse became the first non-Pixar/Disney/Dreamworks film to win the best animated feature Oscar since 2011, the race was again populated by outliers. Frozen 2 was snubbed and instead Laika crept back into the spotlight with Missing Link (after winning the Golden Globe) and Netflix snuck in with two originals – Klaus and I Lost My Body – marking the streamer’s first time breaking into the pack. While Toy Story 4 might have ultimately won out, the lineup continued to reflect both a widening field and an embrace of more left-field choices, a much-needed jolt of energy in what used to be a two-horse race.

    Related: Trolls World Tour review – eyeball-frazzling sequel offers same again

    Continue reading...




    ted

    Ousted Scientist Tears Up While Ripping Trump Coronavirus Response: 'We Could've Done Something And We Didn't'

    Trump administration whistleblower Rick Bright teared up while ripping the Trump's response to the coronavirus: "We could've done something and we didn't."




    ted

    Video Games Are a Great Way to Pass the Time and Keep You Connected. Here’s How to Get Started

    Tips and game suggestions for gaming first-timers and veterans alike




    ted

    Raptorial Dinosaurs Did Not Hunt in Coordinated Packs, Paleontologists Say

    An analysis of the fossilized teeth of Deinonychus antirrhopus, a species of wolf-sized dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived between 115 and 108 million years ago (Cretaceous period) in what is now the United States, adds to the growing evidence that this and other raptors were not complex social hunters by modern mammalian standards. The image of [...]




    ted

    Fortnite hosted a psychedelic Travis Scott concert and 12.3M people watched

    The idea of an in-game Travis Scott concert might seem a little silly — particularly if, like me, you’re not really a Fortnite player. Yes, the popular multiplayer game has hosted other promotional events for movies and music. But even if all this COVID-19 imposed isolation has left you hungry for live performances, why not […]




    ted

    Trump has not had contact with infected Pence staffer recently: official

    U.S. President Donald Trump has not been in contact recently with a member of Vice President Mike Pence's staff who was found to be infected with the coronavirus, a senior administration official said on Friday.




    ted

    U.S. moves to drop case against Trump ex-adviser Flynn, who admitted lying to FBI

    The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday abruptly asked a judge to drop criminal charges against Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn following mounting pressure from the Republican president and his political allies on the right.




    ted

    U.S. watchdog agency says coronavirus whistleblower should be reinstated

    A U.S. government watchdog agency has recommended the temporary reinstatement of a whistleblower who says he was removed as director of a government research office because he raised concerns about coronavirus preparedness, his lawyers said on Friday.




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    New York governor says 5-year old died from rare COVID-related complications

    A 5-year old boy has died in New York from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, highlighting a potential new risk for children in the pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday.




    ted

    Lockdown-affected 'Divyangjan': MP NGO writes to CJI for help




    ted

    Greta Thunberg says she may have had covid-19 and has self-isolated

    Greta Thunberg says she and her father, Swedish actor Svante Thunberg, appear to have been infected by the coronavirus, though they have not been tested as their native Sweden is only doing so for severe cases




    ted

    Will the spread of covid-19 be affected by changing seasons?

    The factors that cause flu to decline in spring might apply to covid-19 too. But we don’t know yet if warm weather can curb the spread of the coronavirus




    ted

    Estimates of the predicted coronavirus death toll have little meaning

    With all the unknowns about covid-19, any numbers you hear about death tolls or how long restrictions will last should be taken not just with a pinch of salt but with a sack of it




    ted

    Three new Ebola cases detected in Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Fresh cases of Ebola have been detected just days before the deadly epidemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo was to be declared over




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    Toddlers born with Zika virus seem to be affected in multiple ways

    Thousands of babies were born with severe brain damage after the 2015 Zika outbreak. New findings could tell us which therapies could help them most




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    Electrical devices implanted in the brain may help treat anorexia

    In a small trial, implanting electrodes into the brain helped women with severe anorexia gain weight and feel less anxious and depressed




    ted

    We must act quickly to avoid a pandemic-related mental health crisis

    We are already seeing the pandemic's effects on mental health, and we need to act urgently to avoid a full-blown crisis, says Sam Howells  




    ted

    Are you more likely to die of covid-19 if you live in a polluted area?

    A number of studies have found a link between air pollution and increased covid-19 deaths, but it isn't clear why. Both attack the lungs, but it could just be that more people live in polluted areas




    ted

    Mysterious inflammatory syndrome in children potentially linked to COVID-19 reported in Montreal

    As Quebec prepares to reopen schools, doctors are poring over 15-20 cases of children with what seems to be the same illnesses reported in U.S. and Europe




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    Keep your knickers on. Study finds COVID-19 could be transmitted sexually

    Patients in China were found to have evidence of COVID-19 in their semen several days after they stopped displaying symptoms of the coronavirus




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    ‘Sacrificed in the name of COVID patients’: Tens of thousands affected by surgery cancellations

    Almost 200,000 surgeries and other procedures were shelved indefinitely, as hospitals braced for a deluge that never quite materialized




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    Gary Neville picks Paul Pogba to win Ballon d'Or for Manchester United




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    Bruno Fernandes adds 'extra dimension' to Manchester United: Jaap Stam