Mediterranean sediments are shown to have up to 1.9 million tiny plastic pieces per square metre.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has confirmed in a tweet that the space agency is working with movie star Tom Cruise on a project that involves shooting a film on the International Space Station. Deadline Hollywood reported on Monday that a space movie project involving NASA and SpaceX is in the works, but that "no studio is in the mix at this stage." Bridenstine followed up with a tweet saying that NASA was "excited" to be working with Cruise, and explaining that "we need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make NASA's ambitious plans a… Read More

NASA has awarded the University of Washington a $499,864 grant to develop a competition that calls on students to turn a simulated lava tube into a habitat suitable for harboring humans on the moon or Mars. The exploration and habitation skills competition will be funded as part of NASA's Artemis Student Challenges program, which plays off the themes of the Artemis moon program to inspire the next generation of explorers and engineers. The competition will involve navigating a rover through a facsimile lava tube and surface structures, generating maps, identifying valuable resources and deploying an airtight barrier to seal the… Read More

Two gems from the wizard of recreational maths

UPDATE: Puzzle solutions can be read here.

Today’s column is a celebration of John Horton Conway, the legendary British mathematician, who died of coronavirus earlier this month, aged 82.

Conway was an inspirational, iconoclastic genius who invented and studied countless puzzles and games, in addition to his more highbrow work in group theory, number theory, geometry, topology and many other fields.

The answers to today’s puzzles

Earlier today I set you two puzzles that the late John Horton Conway suggested for this column:

1) The Miracle Builders

With false information linking the coronavirus to 5G telecoms or Chinese labs being widely shared on social media, Ian Sample speaks to social psychologist Dr Daniel Jolley about why the pandemic is such fertile ground for conspiracy theories

Exclusive: report criticising government lockdown proposals heavily redacted before release

• Coronavirus – latest updates
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Government scientific advisers are furious at what they see as an attempt to censor their advice on government proposals during the Covid-19 lockdown by heavily redacting an official report before it was released to the public, the Guardian can reveal.

The report was one of a series of documents published by the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) this week to mollify growing criticism about the lack of transparency over the advice given to ministers responding to the coronavirus.

‘Challenge’ studies would deliberately give coronavirus to healthy volunteers

• Coronavirus – latest updates
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Controversial trials in which volunteers are intentionally infected with Covid-19 could accelerate vaccine development, according to the World Health Organization, which has released new guidance on how the approach could be ethically justified despite the potential dangers for participants.

So-called challenge trials are a mainstream approach in vaccine development and have been used in malaria, typhoid and flu, but there are treatments available for these diseases if a volunteer becomes severely ill. For Covid-19, a safe dose of the virus has not been established and there are no failsafe treatments if things go wrong.

Danish Chagani was excited when the lawyer who lived down the hall from his Toronto condo wanted to rent his unit after he bought a house for his young family. But the first-time landlord says the feeling was short-lived.

Alberta's police watchdog have released new details about an armed confrontation that left one person dead and a police officer seriously injured.

The mother of a newborn wants to see her own mother cuddle the baby, while adult children must rely on virtual connections with their elderly mother. COVID-19 proves challenging physically and emotionally for many this Mother's Day.

The beat against Congress has always been that its members are out of touch with average Americans. The result is a wide and deep imprint on the same Congress charged with helping a traumatized nation. “Everyone by now knows someone that had it," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., whose husband, John Bessler, recovered from a frightening coronavirus infection that sent him to the hospital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Victory Day, the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, in a ceremony shorn of its usual military parade and pomp by the coronavirus pandemic. In neighboring Belarus, however, the ceremonies went ahead in full, with tens of thousands of people in the sort of proximity that has been almost unseen in the world for months. Victory Day is Russia’s most important secular holiday and this year’s observance had been expected to be especially large because it is the 75th anniversary, but the Red Square military parade and a mass procession called The Immortal Regiment were postponed as part of measures to stifle the spread of the virus.

The back-and-forth continues.The Department of Homeland Security said Friday the United States will shorten the visa length for Chinese journalists working for non-American news outlets to 90 days. Previously, journalists with Chinese passports were granted open-ended visas. They can apply for extensions under the new rules, but renewed visas will also last just 90 days. The new limit won't apply to reporters from Hong Kong Macau, or to mainland Chinese citizens who hold green cards.It's the latest development in a media war between Washington and Beijing that has intensified during the coronavirus pandemic. American officials said the rules were meant to counterbalance the "suppression of independent journalism" in China, whose government expelled journalists from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post in March. Before that, the U.S. reduced the number of Chinese citizens employed by multiple state-controlled Chinese news organizations to work in the country. The New York Times notes the move wasn't unexpected; U.S. intelligence officials have long believed some journalists at Beijing-run outlets are spies, and the Trump administration has designated some Chinese news agencies foreign government functionaries.The heightened tensions between the world's two biggest powers didn't just show up in the media world Friday. U.S. lawmakers wrote to nearly 60 countries asking them to support Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization, a move that likely won't sit well with China. And Washington also blocked a United Nations security council resolution calling for a global ceasefire during the pandemic because it indirectly referenced the WHO, which the U.S. has blamed in conjunction with China for failing to suppress the outbreak.More stories from theweek.com Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is running for Congress, and her launch video looks like a spy movie trailer 7 scathing cartoons about America's rush to reopen Trump says he couldn't have exposed WWII vets to COVID-19 because the wind was blowing the wrong way

Auto-pay compounded Comcast error, leading to a year of $50 monthly overcharges.

"Comcast's excuse simply does not add up," three US senators say.

About this Episode On Episode 109 of Voices in AI, Byron speaks with Frank Holland about the nature of intelligence and…

About this Episode On Episode 110 of Voices in AI, Byron speaks with Didem Un Ates, the Senior Director of AI…

About this Episode On Episode 111 of Voices in AI, Byron discusses the nature of intelligence and Artificial Intelligence within the…

About this Episode On Episode 112 of Voices in AI, Byron speaks with fellow author and technologist David Weinberger about the…

Thanks to them, everyone from Vancouver immigrants to Langley labourers are staying well fed and cared for. 

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• For Chinatown Seniors, Survival Means Staying in Touch (in News)
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Australian scientists also working to evaluate extent of immunity to virus among public

The remote working stakes have just gone up a notch

Researchers say evidence from China 'may demonstrate the huge scale of testing and contact tracing that's needed to reduce the virus spreading'

'We propose that Sars-Cov-2 may have the potential to be transmitted via aerosols,' researchers say

Users will receive a prompt from the UK government with a link to accurate information

Stop the Wildlife Trade: 'I think this is a wake-up call to be more responsible about farming methods, so we can reduce the risk of outbreaks of problematic pathogens in the future,' say scientists

Uplay+ service, with access to + 100 games is is 50% off for the 1st month!  Members can get unlimited access to + 100 games for $6.99
https://store.ubi.com/us/uplayplus/
 
Free shipping and +50% off on all physical games until April 19th. There's merch on sale as well.
https://store.ubi.com/us/free-shipping-sale/

Quantum Conundrum $0.89 @ Fanatical.com

https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/quantum-conundrum

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Xbox-One-X-1TB-Black-Console-as-is-for-repair-or-parts-only/264227168298

YMMV obviously--I ordered two of these a month ago and they have been running fine for me.  All I had to do was reinstall the newest system update and they have both been fine with no issues.  One system's issue noted was "freezes" and the other was "no video". 

It says he has only 2 in stock, but I bought two a while back and the listing has remained active for the entire time with stock available, so he probably leaves the number low to keep demand going. This is probably a bulk buyer who doesn't extensively troubleshoot the systems.  I am not affiliated with the seller.  Cosmetically, the systems are nice enough to trade in without taking a refurb fee when stores re-open for business.

Microsoft Xbox One X 1 TB Console - Black - $229.99 - Free shipping for Prime members https://electronics.woot.com/offers/microsoft-xbox-one-x-1-tb-console-black-1?utm_medium=share&utm_source=app

Before the pill was approved by the FDA on May 9, 1960, there were few contraceptive options available to young women. It revolutionized family planning and the sex lives of millions of Americans.

Doctors are worried that with routine operations cancelled or postponed - and people frightened to come near hospitals - serious conditions could go untreated or undiagnosed.

In this article, we want to evaluate the pros and cons of starting a farming business. Farming is a go-to line of business which is always strategic no matter the time and place. People will always want to eat so starting a farming business is clearly a perfect fit for aspiring entrepreneurs. However, there are […]

The post The Pros And Cons Of Starting A Farming Business in 2020 appeared first on Chart Attack.

Both companies said privacy and preventing governments from using the system to compile data on citizens was a primary goal.

Police have no suspects in connection with the fires.

In addition to the QAnon accounts, Facebook also removed accounts linked to VDARE, a U.S. website known for posting anti-immigration content.

Alberta is currently the only Canadian jurisdiction to have a contact-tracing app available to download, but several other provinces, including Ontario, B.C. and New Brunswick, have said they are investigating this technology.

1. India Raises Borrowing Limit by Over 50% to Rs 12 Lakh Crore as Virus Grips Economy  The Wire
2. Raghuram Rajan says monetisation neither a game changer nor catastrophe  Livemint
3. Need for non-collateralized reverse repo operations: SBI Report  Economic Times
4. View: Why a new 'Bad Bank' when there are 28!  Economic Times
5. Indian government had Rs 1.66 lakh crore outstanding loans from RBI in May 1 week  Moneycontrol.com
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. ICICI Bank tags $100 mn Singapore Hin Leong exposure as NPA, makes provisions  Moneycontrol.com
2. ICICI Bank Q4 net up 26% at ₹1,221 cr but misses estimates on virus provisions  Livemint
3. ICICI Bank Q4 Results: Profit Rises 26% Even As Provisions Nearly Triple  BloombergQuint
4. ICICI Bank Q4 profit grows by 26%, misses estimates on COVID-19 provisions; NPAs dip  Moneycontrol.com
5. ICICI Bank Q4 net profit likely to jump to ₹3,510 crore  Livemint
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. Explained: How government’s extra Rs 4.2 trillion borrowing will affect you  Moneycontrol
2. Government to borrow 54% more than estimate, fiscal deficit may hit 5.5%  Times of India
3. Government Sharply Increases Borrowing To Rs 12 Lakh Crore  NDTV Profit
4. Centre to borrow Rs 12 lakh crore in FY21: 10 key questions answered  Moneycontrol
5. Chidambaram welcomes Centre's decision to borrow additional 4.2 lakh cr  Economic Times
6. View Full coverage on Google News

Thames Valley Police is appealing for help in locating a missing man from Oxfordshire.

The Nation

The post Conversations With ‘The Nation’: Zephyr Teachout appeared first on The Nation.

Alex Ronan

The post Just Because It’s Natural Doesn’t Mean It’s Moral: A Conversation With Alan Levinovitz appeared first on The Nation.

MONTREAL - Quebec's public health institute says deaths could spike in the greater Montreal area if physical distancing measures designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 are lifted. New projections posted to the institute's website show deaths could rise to 150 a day by July in the city and its...

"It is the collective wisdom of the marketplace that there is action and we will move with speed. That improves the confidence level of industry."

Newly discovered documents have revealed the first telegraph messages and joy when England was linked for the first time with India on 23 June, 1870.

Based on evidence provided by customer receipts, the investigation confirmed that the pricing of several food items exceeded the 10-per cent increase allowed during a state of emergency, with some prices being as much as 200 per cent more.

The app will ask people about their symptoms and offer guidance on whether they may have COVID-19, the potentially lethal illness caused by the coronavirus, said Bernardo Mariano, chief information officer for the WHO.