Pelican Press

Ukraine rushes to reinforce east amid Russian advances Ukraine rushes to reinforce east amid Russian advances Ukraine says its hard-pressed military is battling 50,000 troops inside Russia’s Kursk region while also scrambling to reinforce two besieged fronts in the east and bracing to meet an infantry ******** in the south. The escalating fighting along a more than 1000-km front line is stretching Ukraine’s already outnumbered troops at a critical moment after Donald Trump won the US election, raising the prospect of possible talks with Russia. Russia occupies a fifth of Ukraine and President Vladimir ****** has said he wants Ukraine to drop ambitions to join the NATO military alliance and retreat from four Ukrainian regions that he partially holds, something officials in Kyiv says is tantamount to capitulation. Ukraine’s armed forces commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi said he travelled to the front in Russia’s Kursk region where a surprise Ukrainian incursion carved out a chunk of land in August that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said could be used as a bargaining chip. “(Russian forces) are trying to dislodge our troops and advance deep into the territory we control,” he said on Telegram. Some US military analysts have questioned the rationale of the Kursk operation, which extended an already long front line, creating more strain for Ukraine. Ukraine says Russia has deployed 11,000 North Korean troops to the Kursk region and that they have already been involved in clashes, urging its allies to respond robustly. Russia has neither denied nor confirmed their presence. Syrskyi said the Kursk operation had drawn in ****** Russian fighters and relieved pressure that would have been brought to bear on several important outposts in eastern Ukraine where Russia has been making gains at its fastest clip since 2022. “These tens of thousands of enemies from the best Russian shock units would have stormed our positions in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhove or Toretsk directions, which would have significantly worsened the situation at the front,” he said. The Ukrainian governor of Donetsk region said a dam at the Kurakhove reservoir had been damaged creating a threat to villagers living near the Vovcha river. He blamed Russian shelling. Zelenskiy said that Ukraine would strengthen positions on the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove fronts where Russia has directed its offensive pressure for months. Russia has been closing in on Pokrovsk, a strategic road and rail hub that has a coal mine. The small industrial town of Kurakhove is home to a major coal-powered thermal power plant. A Ukrainian military spokesperson told Reuters that Russia was also moving trained ******** groups to forward positions in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and that they were preparing to *******. The southern front has had far less fighting since 2023 when Ukraine launched a major counteroffensive that ******* to break through heavily defended and mined lands held by Russia. “(The assaults) could begin in the near future, we’re not even talking about weeks, we’re expecting it to happen any day,” said Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesman for the southern military sector. Although it was not clear if they would involve a single offensive push or separate assaults, intelligence assessed that Russian troops planned to use armoured vehicles and a considerable number of drones, he said. “They are preparing both armoured groups and light vehicles – buggies, motorcycles – to conduct these ******** operations,” he added. Russia has already carried out preliminary reconnaissance and stepped up air strikes in the south by about 30-40 per cent in the last two-three weeks, using ******** and unguided air missiles, he added. Russia has been claiming the capture of village after village as it advances in Ukraine’s east, and has vowed to expel Ukrainian forces from its Kursk region. Reuters was not able to independently verify reports from the front. Source link #Ukraine #rushes #reinforce #east #Russian #advances Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Warhammer 40K Darktide Crossplay Confirmed for PS5 Release Warhammer 40K Darktide Crossplay Confirmed for PS5 Release Two years after its initial release, Warhammer 40K: Darktide is finally making its way to the PS5. It is currently available on both PC and Xbox consoles and supports cross-platform play between the two systems and different PC clients. With the PS5 release date announcement, Fatshark has officially confirmed that the crossplay will be available on the new platform as well. Warhammer 40K Darktide PS5 Crossplay Confirmed Unlike the Vermintide series, Fatshark confirmed on Twitter/X that the PS5 release of Warhammer 40K Darktide will indeed have crossplay support. Oh, and Rejects… There’ll be crossplay on PS5. — Warhammer 40K: Darktide (@Darktide40K) November 8, 2024 Since this is a cooperative title, there isn’t a competitive aspect that pits players against each other which is why queuing up with friends, and other players across different platforms is highly encouraged. Image via Fatshark As of right now, PC players can’t opt out of crossplay, but it is possible for users who are playing on the Microsft Store or Xbox version as there is account-level support for opting out of crossplay features. We expect something similar for the PS5 release as well. Crossplay in Darktide offers the following features: Matchmaking across platforms Adding friends across platforms Joining players from Steam and the Microsoft Store We don’t expect cross-progression on the PS5 with other platforms, unlike the Xbox and Microsoft Store versions which support the Xbox Play Anywhere feature. Warhammer 40K Darktide PS5 Release Date Fatshark has announced that Darktide is coming to PlayStation 5 on December 3, 2024. Pre-Order Warhammer 40K Darktide PS5 Version You can now pre-order the Standard and Imperial Edition of Warhammer 40: Darktide from the PlayStation store at the links below. If you pre-order the Imperial Edition, you will be able to play Darktide six days early. Image via Fatshark Warhammer 40K Darktide PS5 Pro Features In addition to the PS5 release, Darktide also comes with the “PlayStation 5 Pro Enhanced” label and targets the following performance on both consoles. PS5 Model Mode Resolution Framerate PS5 Performance 1440p 60 FPS PS5 Quality 4K 30 FPS PS5 Pro Pro Enhanced 4K 60 FPS Darktide also has DualSense Haptic Feedback support on the PS5, though there isn’t a mention of adaptive triggers. Warhammer 40K Darktide is in an incredible place right now, and many of its issues have been addressed over the past year with major updates. The PS5 release will include all the updated content, fixes, and quality-of-life additions, making it a great version right off the bat. Crossplay works quite well in its current state, and we expect the same for the PS5 version as well. Prima Games is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy Source link #Warhammer #40K #Darktide #Crossplay #Confirmed #PS5 #Release Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A distant planet seems to have a sulfur-rich atmosphere, hinting at alien volcanoes A distant planet seems to have a sulfur-rich atmosphere, hinting at alien volcanoes The potential detection of sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide hint at a molten or volcanic surface. Credit: USGS Photo Today, we know of more than 5,000 exoplanets: planets outside our solar system that orbit other stars. While the effort to discover new worlds goes on, we’re steadily learning more about the exoplanets we’ve already detected: their sizes, what they’re made of and whether they have atmospheres. Our team has now provided tentative evidence for a sulfur-rich atmosphere on a world that’s 1.5 times the size of Earth and located 35 light years away. If confirmed, it would be the smallest known exoplanet with an atmosphere. The potential presence of the gases sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in this atmosphere hint at a molten or volcanic surface. In our solar system, we have two distinct categories of planets—the small rocky ones, including Earth and Mars, and the gas giants, such as Jupiter and Saturn. However, exoplanets span a great spectrum of sizes. Our solar system lacks a planet whose size falls into the range between Earth and Neptune, but it turns out that’s the most common type of planet we have seen around other stars in our galaxy. The ones closer to Neptune’s size are called sub-Neptunes and the ones closer to Earth’s size are called super-Earths. L 98-59 d is a super-Earth, slightly ******* and heavier than the Earth. The composition of the atmospheres of these planets is still an open question, one that we are only starting to explore with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched in 2021. L 98-59 d was discovered in 2019 with Nasa’s Tess space telescope. Most exoplanets, including L 98-59 d, have been detected using the “transit method”. This measures the tiny dips in starlight when the planet passes in front of the star. This dip is more pronounced for larger planets and enables us to figure out the size of a planet. Even JWST can’t separate these tiny planets from their host stars—as they orbit their stars too closely. But there is a way to see the planet’s atmosphere from this entangled light. When a planet passes in front of its star, some of the starlight filters through a planet’s atmosphere, hitting the gas molecules or atoms present there, on its way to us on Earth. Every gas modifies the light in its own signature manner. From the light we receive from that star system, we can infer what the composition of that atmosphere might be. This is called transmission spectroscopy, a proven technique that has previously been used to confirm the presence of CO₂ in an exoplanet’s atmosphere. I am part of an international team of scientists who used JWST to observe one transit of L 98-59 d across the disk of its host star. We then obtained the transmission spectrum of the atmosphere of the exoplanet from these observations. This spectrum hinted at the possible presence of an atmosphere filled with sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. These findings are published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The distant exoplanet might share some similarities with Jupiter’s moon Io. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona This discovery was surprising, as it stands out in stark contrast to the atmospheres of rocky planets in our own solar system, where water vapor and carbon dioxide are much more prevalent. Earth’s atmosphere, for example, is rich in nitrogen and oxygen, with trace amounts of water vapor. Meanwhile, Venus has a thick atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide. Even Mars has a thin atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide. We then used computer models that incorporate our understanding of planetary atmospheres and the light coming from L 98-59 d to come up with a potential picture of the composition of this planet’s atmosphere. The absence of common gases such as carbon dioxide and the presence of SO₂ and H₂S suggests an atmosphere shaped by entirely different processes to those we’re familiar with in our solar system. This hints at unique and extreme conditions on L 98-59 d, such as a molten or volcanic surface. Additional observations will be necessary to confirm the presence of these gases. JWST observations had previously spotted signs of SO₂ on an exoplanet, but this was a gas giant, not a potentially rocky world such as L 98-59 d. Exo-volcanoes? The potential presence of SO₂ and H₂S raises questions about their origin. One explosive possibility is volcanism driven by tidal heating, much like what is observed on Jupiter’s moon Io. The gravitational pull of the host star on this planet stretches and squeezes it as it goes along its orbit. This motion can heat up the center of the planet, melting its interior and producing extreme volcanic eruptions and possibly even oceans of magma. Combined with its close proximity to the star (one year on this planet is seven and half Earth days), truly hellish temperatures can be reached on the surface. If future observations support the presence of such an atmosphere, not only would it be the smallest exoplanet to have a detected atmosphere, but also a crucial step towards understanding the nature of such planets. Detecting atmospheres on small, rocky planets is exceptionally difficult, as the planets are very small compared to the host stars, and also as intense radiation from their host stars often strips the atmospheres away. These observations, while tantalizing, are only from a single transit. That means instrumental noise and other factors prevent us from making statistically strong claims. Future JWST observations will be key in confirming or refuting our analysis. L 98-59 d may not be a candidate for life as we know it, but studying its sulfurous atmosphere and potential volcanism provides valuable insight into worlds around other stars. Extreme worlds like these help us understand the diversity of planetary evolution across the galaxy. More information: Agnibha Banerjee et al, Atmospheric Retrievals Suggest the Presence of a Secondary Atmosphere and Possible Sulfur Species on L98-59 d from JWST Nirspec G395H Transmission Spectroscopy, The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2024). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad73d0 Amélie Gressier et al, Hints of a Sulfur-rich Atmosphere around the 1.6 R ⊕ Super-Earth L98-59 d from JWST NIRspec G395H Transmission Spectroscopy, The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2024). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad73d1 Provided by The Conversation This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Citation: A distant planet seems to have a sulfur-rich atmosphere, hinting at alien volcanoes (2024, November 11) retrieved 11 November 2024 from This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Source link #distant #planet #sulfurrich #atmosphere #hinting #alien #volcanoes Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The game-changing Razer Blade 16 RTX 4090 gaming laptop is now $800 off ahead of ****** Friday – you won’t want to miss this one The game-changing Razer Blade 16 RTX 4090 gaming laptop is now $800 off ahead of ****** Friday – you won’t want to miss this one ****** Friday may still be a few weeks away, but it hasn’t stopped the early deals from flying in – I’ve found an unmissable ***** on the Razer Blade 16 RTX 4090 Mini-LED gaming laptop available for $3,499.99 (previously $4,299.99) thanks to a 19% discount on Amazon. Both performance and immersion are at the forefront of this system, with Nvidia’s flagship laptop GPU present along with the benefits of a mini-LED display. OLED may arguably still be leading as the best display technology available across the board with individually lit pixels, but mini-LED shouldn’t be scoffed at. There’s zero risk of *****-in (unlike OLED) and more often than not, mini-LED displays can offer higher brightness (in this case 1000 nits) in comparison, all while maintaining great contrast and ****** levels due to local dimming zones. Paired with a powerhouse laptop graphics card and an Intel HX chip, framerates in-game at 4K won’t chug along or stutter (especially with Frame Generation and DLSS 3 available on that RTX 4090 GPU), leaving this among the selection of the best gaming laptops on the market. Now I know the price of the Razer Blade 16 may still throw some people off, but if your budget can stretch that far, it’s one you should definitely consider this holiday season. Not in the US? Scroll down to see the best Razer Blade 16 deals in your region. Today’s best Razer Blade 16 deal I think it goes without saying that any system that packs an RTX 4090 GPU instantly ranks among the best gaming devices in terms of raw performance – it doesn’t mean the likes of RTX 4070 or 4080 laptops aren’t great for high-level gaming too, but they’re simply no match for the RTX 4000 series’ monster flagship GPU. The clear downside here is the pricing – since its launch date, the RTX 4090 has been highly sought after, with a notable lack of price drops for the desktop GPU along with 4090-equipped laptops remaining expensive. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is still the case, despite the long-awaited RTX 5000 series reveal no doubt coming soon. Based on this, you should treat the current discount for the Razer Blade 16 as a generous one – there is very little indication that the high prices for high-end gaming laptops like this will drop significantly (even during the ‘actual’ ****** Friday sales), so you may want to lock this one in… More of today’s ****** Friday sales Amazon: TVs, smart home & air fryers from $12.99 Apple: AirPods, iPads, MacBooks from $89.99 Best Buy: $1,000 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones Cheap TVs: smart TVs at Best Buy from $69.99 Christmas trees: top-rated trees from $54.99 Dell: best-selling Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99 Dreamcloud: mattress deals from $349 + free shipping Holiday: decor, lights, Christmas trees & PJs from $10.99 Home Depot: 40% off tools, appliances & furniture Lowe’s: holiday decor, appliances & tools from $17.31 Nectar: up to 50% off all mattresses Nordstrom: 46% off boots, coats, jeans & jewelry Samsung: $1,500+ off TVs, phones, watches & appliances Target: save on furniture, tech & clothing Walmart: cheap TVs, ****** vacs, furniture & appliances Source link #gamechanging #Razer #Blade #RTX #gaming #laptop #ahead #****** #Friday #wont Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

FTX sues Binance and its former CEO for $1.8 billion FTX sues Binance and its former CEO for $1.8 billion LONDON (Reuters) – Collapsed cryptocurrency company FTX is suing Binance and its former CEO Changpeng Zhao, alleging that $1.8 billion was “fraudulently transferred” by FTX management to Binance and its executives. The lawsuit relates to Binance’s ***** of its stake in Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX, which it acquired in 2019 but then negotiated to sell back to FTX in July 2021. According to the lawsuit, FTX’s Alameda Research division directly funded the share repurchase using tokens which had a then fair market value of $1.76 billion. Alameda, the lawsuit alleges, was insolvent at the time of buying the shares and could not therefore afford to fund the transaction and it should not have been allowed to proceed. “By this lawsuit, the Plaintiffs seek to recover, for the benefit of FTX’s creditors, at least $1.76 billion that was fraudulently transferred to Binance and its executives at the FTX creditors’ expense, as well as compensatory and punitive damages to be determined at trial,” the administrators for the FTX estate said in a filing made on Sunday in the U.S. state of Delaware. A Binance spokesperson said: “The claims are meritless, and we will vigorously defend ourselves.” Zhao, known as “CZ”, could not immediately be reached for comment. The lawsuit is the latest battle between FTX and Binance. FTX was one of the largest cryptocurrency firms in the world before it collapsed in late 2022. Arch-rival Binance, then led by Zhao, was set to come to its rescue and buy FTX’s non-U.S. unit as it struggled to stay afloat in November 2022, before Binance withdrew its offer. FTX founder Bankman-Fried was sentenced in March this year to 25 years in prison for stealing $8 billion from customers. He has appealed the conviction. Zhao was sentenced to four months in prison earlier this year, after pleading guilty to violating U.S. laws against money laundering at the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. (Reporting by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes; Editing by Susan Fenton) Source link #FTX #sues #Binance #CEO #billion Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How to Unlock Saug in ****** Ops 6 & Warzone How to Unlock Saug in ****** Ops 6 & Warzone The Saug SMG is one of the first instances of the Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 armory being bolstered in the shooter’s year-long cycle. The **** is sure to be another powerful addition to an already-dominant ******* class, and we have all the details on how to unlock it in BLOPS 6. ****** Ops 6 Season 1 is a monumental occasion for Activision’s newest CoD title. Usually, the player base is at its strongest around the first season, and Treyarch understands the assignment. Nuketown was an early inclusion to ****** Ops 6—pre-Season One—and things only get ******* and better from here on out. The first ****** Ops 6 seasonal update adds another new ******* in the Krig C, the Ransack game mode, and the focus of today’s article—the Saug SMG. How to Unlock Saug SMG in ****** Ops 6 More weapons to level up. Credit to Activision You unlock the Saug SMG by choosing it as your reward from Page 3 of the Season One Battle Pass in ****** Ops 6. The Season One Battle Pass is the first iteration of the revamped pass format in BLOPS 6. Gone is Modern Warfare’s sector-orientated setup, instead, ****** Ops 6 welcomes the “Page” system—explained in a CoD blog. Activision says, “Think of the Battle Pass as a book, with two front pages of Instant Rewards (one BlackCell), then 100 in-game Battle Pass rewards across 14 Pages, and a Completion Page that is instantly unlocked once all other Pages are completed.” The Saug is one of the Battle Pass’ free tiers—to smartly avoid putting weapons behind paywalls—and you need to earn enough Battle Pass XP to reach Page 3. Here, the Saug awaits you; once unlocked, you can throw it into a loadout, and start leveling the SMG up to earn Mastery Camos. Furthermore, advance to Page 11 of the seasonal pass, and an exclusive Blueprint can be unlocked to apply to the ****. What is the Saug SMG in ****** Ops 6? The Saug is described as a “rapid-***** SMG” with top-notch mobility, handling, and a great rate of *****. The Saug’s biggest downside is its “high recoil,” and given the ******* looks like an old-school Uzi, this would be in keeping tradition with the SMG’s history of wildness. It has 39 ******* Levels, comes with four Magazines by default, and has Mastery Badges. Moreover, the Saug has lots of possible attachments, meaning, if it’s anything like ****** Ops Cold War’s launch Uzi (the Milano 821), prepare to add all the recoil-reducing attachments you can! Stay on top of ****** Ops 6 with our latest meta loadout guides: ASG-89, PP-919, and Kompakt 92. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Unlock #Saug #****** #Ops #Warzone Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘King Arthur’s Hall’ is five times older than thought, researchers discover ‘King Arthur’s Hall’ is five times older than thought, researchers discover Credit: Historic England A historic site in Cornwall linked to King Arthur has been found to be 4,000 years older than previously thought after a new survey was carried out by a team of researchers, including experts from the University of St Andrews. The team, including Dr. Tim Kinnaird from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, carried out a survey of the mound on Bodmin Moor, named King Arthur’s Hall, confirming the site dates back to prehistoric times. The monument was previously listed as dating back to the medieval *******, but it is now believed to date back 4,000 years earlier to the Neolithic *******, thanks to a team of specialists from the universities of St Andrews, Reading, and Newcastle. The site consists of a rectangular bank of earth and stone formed with 56 standing stones, some measuring up to 1.8 m, which are either leaning, recumbent or partially *******. It’s protected by Historic England, which listed it as an early medieval animal pen from around 1000AD. However, there had been some speculation that due to integrated standing stones, the mound was much older. Dr. Kinnaird and his team used a technique called optically stimulated luminescence, or OSL—the date the mound to the neolithic ******* making it around 5,500 years old—4,000 years earlier than previously thought. OSL is used to date when sediment was last exposed to light, prior to burial. Dr. Kinnaird said the findings were a “major revelation.” “It’s extremely exciting that we’ve finally been able to date construction of this enigmatic monument, previously grounded in myths and legends.” Cornwall National Landscape’s “A Monumental Improvement” project commissioned the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) to carry out archaeological investigations on the site to define a clear chronology of the monument, understanding its use and relationship in the wider context of the landscape as well as understanding the longer-term conservation needs of the monument. Dr. Kinnaird said, “The first insight into the construction of the monument came much earlier though. Myself and my colleague Professor Sam Turner from Newcastle University visited the excavations undertaken by the Cornwall Archaeological Unit. “We were able to demonstrate that the ******* soil beneath the bank was ********** at construction—resetting the luminescence signals, and providing the opportunity to date the monument. “Given that the monument is now 4,000 years older than first thought, we now need to consider the monument within the context of Bodmin Moor’s prehistoric landscape, and the other structures on the moor that might have been significant at the time. “This all alludes to a rich Neolithic landscape, evidencing an active community on the Moor, which requires further investigation.” Provided by University of St Andrews Citation: ‘King Arthur’s Hall’ is five times older than thought, researchers discover (2024, November 11) retrieved 11 November 2024 from This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Source link #King #Arthurs #Hall #times #older #thought #researchers #discover Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review: a gaming dynamo with new, unexpected suprises AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review: a gaming dynamo with new, unexpected suprises AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D: Two-minute review This generation of processors has been a mixed bag at best (and disappointing at worst), so it makes sense that Team Red would go all out to ensure the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivered something that exceeded expectations. In that regard, the 9800X3D is a smashing success, delivering substantially better gaming performance than the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D that it replaces, though at a slightly higher $479 / £449.99 (about AU$700) price point. For gamers though, most will happily pay a bit more for a roughly 15% increase in gaming performance on average. The chip isn’t without faults, though. It isn’t the absolute best processor for gaming in terms of framerates (that title belongs to the Intel Core i9-14900K over several games, averaged out), but where the last-gen Intel flagship simply threw raw wattage to get to the top, AMD’s latest gaming processor uses substantially less power to come within 6% of the 14900K’s overall gaming performance, a difference that is so close to being within the margin of variance and test setups that if I reran all my tests next week, the 9800X3D might beat it outright. But, honestly, it doesn’t need to do that. Intel’s 14900K is overkill for anyone not running creative workloads like video editing, and the power cost is simply too high to justify getting an extra 6% overall gaming performance in synthetic tests. The Ryzen 9800X3D, meanwhile, will get you effectively identical actual performance and at a lower cost, both in MSRP terms, but also reduced power consumption and indirect savings like not needing to shell out for a 360mm AIO cooler to get the most out of the chip. For that, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is indisputably the best processor for gaming you can buy right now, and it cements 3D V-Cache as the second most impressive innovation for gaming hardware after AI upscaling and it’s something that Intel just doesn’t have an answer for it. AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D: Price & availability (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler) How much is it? Its MSRP is $479 / £449.99 (about AU$700) When is it out? It went on ***** November 7, 2024 Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, ***, and Australia The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is available now in the US, ***, and Australia for $479 / £449.99 / AU$799, respectively. This is a bump up from the price of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D it replaces, which launched at $449 / £439 / AU$779. I would have loved to see the price remain the same, of course, but the last-gen chip wasn’t exactly a cheap processor to begin with, and both chips are very much targeted at an enthusiast market where the price bump here isn’t exactly going to be a dealbreaker—so long as the performance increase justifies the bump in price. In terms of Intel’s competing offerings right now, on the performance side, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (and Intel Core i9-14900K, for that matter) is $110 / £100 / AU$300 more expensive to get the same kind of gaming performance. As for in-class silicon, the 9800X3D is about 15-20% more expensive than the competing Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, and is roughly 33% more expensive than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X. Essentially, the 9800X3D is a specialist chip for gamers, and while it isn’t a performance slouch, at this price it’s really only for PC gamers who want the best overall gaming processor and don’t much care about stellar performance elsewhere. For those who need more than just a gaming chip, other options from AMD and Intel will be a better fit for the price. AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D vs AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Row 0 – Cell 0 AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Price $479 / £449.99 / AU$799 $449 / £439 / AU$779 Architecture AMD Zen 5 (TSMC N4X) AMD Zen 4 (TSMC N4) Cores 8 8 Threads 16 16 Base clock 4.7GHz 4.2GHz Boost clock 5.2GHz 5GHz DDR5 memory support 5600MHz 5200MHz L3 cache 96MB 96MB TDP 120W 120W Motherboard socket AM5 AM5 AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D: Features & chipset (Image credit: AMD) The fundamental specs of the 9800X3D aren’t much different from the 7800X3D. They both sport the same 8-core/16-thread setup as the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, but like the 7800X3D, the 9800X3D has an additional 64MB L3 cache while the Ryzen 7 9700X only has 32MB L3 cache. This 3D V-Cache in the Ryzen 7 9800X3D has been redesigned from the previous two generations of AMD X3D chips. This second-generation 3D V-Cache, as AMD calls it, fundamentally changes how the 3D V-Cache **** interfaces with the main processing ****, which addresses some of the main complaints of the previous two generations of X3D chips. In the first iteration of 3D V-Cache, the extra cache **** was stacked on top of the main processing cores, but with 2nd-generation V-Cache, the extra cache **** is underneath the main ****, leaving the main processing cores free to directly interface with the CPU cooler. This is a big deal, since the processing cores are where all the heat is being generated, so having an extra layer of silicon between it and the CPU cooler had a lot of implications for what the chip could do. Thermals had to be carefully managed, so clock speeds had to be kept in check and there was no ability to overclock the chip. By moving the 3D V-Cache **** underneath the main processor core complex, the thermal restraints around clock speeds and voltage no longer apply, so the 9800X3D is the first 3D V-cache chip to feature full overclocking support, allowing precise voltage controls at the same voltage limits as the rest of the Ryzen 9000-series lineup. Compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, then, the 9800X3D benefits from noticeably faster base clock and boost clock speeds out of the box, and overclockers can now tinker with their CPUs without too much concern that they’ll brick the chip (though with overclocking, that is always possible and can void your warranty, so use caution). Beyond that, the only major change from the previous generation is faster DDR5 memory support, from 5200MHz with the 7800X3D to 5600MHz with the 9800X3D, though both chips support AMD EXPO memory overclocking for even faster memory speeds. AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D: Performance At the end of the day though, all that fancy new tech wouldn’t amount to much if the chip’s performance didn’t deliver, and thankfully, it does – though not universally. In the synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D showed very strong single-core performance on par with the rest of the Ryzen 9000-series lineup. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D, meanwhile, lags behind its Ryzen 7000 siblings noticeably, owing to the need to control thermals by limiting clock speeds. The Ryzen 9800X3D does not have this problem. Likewise, its multi-core performance is also unconstrained, running ahead of the Ryzen 7 9700X across the board. On the creative front, this is generally not going to be a chip for creatives to concern themselves with – though there is one exception. If you’re a photographer or graphic designer who does a lot of work in Adobe Photoshop or its alternatives, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s extra cache is going to be a serious benefit for your workflows, beating out even the Intel Core i9-14900K in PugetBench for Adobe Photoshop be a few hundred points. Everyone else though, this chip is not going to do much for you. On the gaming side, this is where the 9800X3D really shows off, though there’s a bit of a caveat to that. In games where the main CPU bottleneck is game logic, such as Total War: Warhammer III or Civilization VI, the extra 3D V-Cache isn’t necessarily going to help your game performance. In that instance, you’re going to want something with the fastest clocks possible to plow through all those AI decision trees or physics calculations before a game frame is even drawn. As such, Intel’s last-gen (and even current-gen) chips have an advantage in some games like Returnal (where complex bullet and geometry physics are the main CPU workload) or Total War: Warhammer III (where a lot of individual actors need to have their logic calculated quickly) because these gaming workloads benefit from faster clock speeds. Where 3D V-Cache really benefits gaming is when there’s data being communicated from the CPU to the GPU, like texture files or model geometry, and that additional cache memory can retain these smaller-but-not-tiny files in the fastest possible memory that can hold it. This mitigates the latency introduced when drawing a new game frame when the CPU has to go back to RAM to fetch a file because it didn’t already have it in its much closer cache memory. Games like F1 2023 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderland benefited mightily from the extra available cache. In the case of the former, the Ryzen 9800X3D just wallops the Intel Core i9-14900K, and in the case of the latter, runs a very close second to it. Taken all together, the Intel Core has a slight advantage just given the mix of games I used to test these chips, but for most gamers, the odds are good that the thing you’re going to be looking for is a processor that works with your graphics card the best most of the time, and in this case, that’ll be the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. Overall, then, with performance that comes in neck-and-neck with the best Intel processors in gaming workloads on average, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D would already be an incredible chip. But I simply can’t get over the fact that the 9800X3D can do this with just 53% of the power of the Core i9-14900K. Add to that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s impressive single- and multi-core performance, surprisingly great Photoshop performance, and gen-on-gen performance gains at very little power or monetary cost, and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is easily one of the best AMD processors ever made. Should you buy the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D? (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler) Swipe to scroll horizontally AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D scorecard Value While not the most expensive processor out there, it’s not cheap either, and I’m not thrilled about the price increase. 4 / 5 Features The redesigned, 2nd-gen 3D V-Cache empowers higher clock frequencies and unlocks the ability to overclock the chip. 4 / 5 Performance While not every game will benefit from 3D V-Cache, those that do will see noticeably better performance at higher quality settings and resolutions. 5 / 5 Final score Between the better gaming performance, strong general performance, overclocking capacity, and other improvements over its predecessor, this is unquestionably the best processor release of the year. 4.34 / 5 Buy the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D if… Don’t buy it if… Also consider Originally reviewed November 2024 Source link #AMD #Ryzen #9800X3D #review #gaming #dynamo #unexpected #suprises Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This other Elon Musk proxy is up more than 200% since the election This other Elon Musk proxy is up more than 200% since the election The election victory of Donald Trump is sparking a huge rally for investments tied to Elon Musk , even indirectly. The Destiny Tech100 Fund — a closed-end fund that trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DXYZ — surged again on Monday, trading above $40 per share. The fund is now up more than 200% since Election Day. The fund holds shares in privately held tech companies, most notably Musk’s SpaceX. The one position accounts for more than a third of the fund’s portfolio, according to its website . Other notable holdings include Axiom Space, Epic Games and OpenAI. DXYZ 5D mountain This closed-end fund has rallied sharply since the election. The rally is not too surprising given that Musk campaigned with the president-elect and that Tesla has also rallied sharply since the election. However, the price of the Destiny fund could give some investors pause. The latest unaudited financial report for the fund showed net asset value per share of $5.15 as of June 30. That means that the fund is now trading at a premium of roughly 700% above that valuation. To be sure, investors may be ******** SpaceX and other holdings are worth more now than they were on June 30. DXYZ launched in March, but this isn’t the first time that the fund has traded at an eye-popping premium . The fund traded as high as $105 per share during the April 8 trading session, but was back below $10 per share in August. While it is not uncommon for closed end funds to trade at a gap to their net asset value, the difference for the Destiny fund is unusually large. Additionally, it is more common for the funds to trade at a discount than a premium. DXYZ currently holds positions in 22 companies, according to its website, though the plan is to build out a portfolio of 100, Destiny XYZ CEO Sohail Prasad told CNBC in April. The fund has a management fee of 2.5%. Source link #Elon #Musk #proxy #election Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Tesla shares pop 8% as post-election rally continues Tesla shares pop 8% as post-election rally continues Elon Musk embraces *********** presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5, 2024. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images Tesla shares popped 8% on Monday, continuing to ride a postelection rally as President-elect Trump, closely allied with CEO Elon Musk, begins to set up his presidential cabinet. Analysts at Wedbush reiterated their “outperform” rating on the stock, joining earlier sunny outlooks reacting to Tuesday’s results. Tesla recently reclaimed its $1 trillion market cap after surging nearly 30% last week. “We are raising our price target on Tesla to $400 from $300 as we believe the Trump White House win will be a gamechanger for the autonomous and AI story for Tesla and Musk over the coming years,” the Wedbush analysts wrote. Musk’s wealth rocketed past $300 billion in the days since Trump’s decisive electoral win, further cementing his place as the richest man in the world and joining the wave of gains across the technology and crypto sector since post-election trading began. It’s unclear whether Musk, who spent at least $130 million on Trump’s campaign, will receive an official title in the second Trump White House or will influence policy decisions from his inner circle. Either way, Musk stands to earn potentially billions from new government contracts with his companies, on top of the $19 billion SpaceX has already been awarded. Some or all of the 19 known ongoing federal lawsuits and investigations into his companies may begin to wind down entirely. “It is difficult to judge how Elon Musk’s increasingly close public relationship with President Trump could benefit Tesla, but this needs to be monitored closely,” analysts from Bank of America wrote in a note last week, raising their TSLA price target from $265 to $350. Trump has said previously he may cut the federal $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit, and those credits have historically helped to drive sales of Tesla vehicles. At one of his final campaign rallies, Trump suggested Musk could be put in charge of “government efficiency,” and he was present on Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy two days ago. — CNBC’s Michael Bloom, Annie Palmer and Lora Kolodny contributed reporting. Source link #Tesla #shares #pop #postelection #rally #continues Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Xbox is seemingly teasing plans to bring Spyro to Game Pass Xbox is seemingly teasing plans to bring Spyro to Game Pass Xbox Game Pass is seemingly teasing plans to bring Spyro to Microsoft’s subscription service. A post on the Xbox Game Pass X account, which was accompanied by an image of a Spyro chest, reads: “Hey uhh who left this chest here?” The official Spyro account then replied to the post with eye emojis, which are often used to draw attention to something. It was claimed this summer that Activision titles Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 were being lined up for Game Pass. Following Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Diablo 4 became the publisher’s first Game Pass title when it hit the service in March. It has since been followed by the likes of ****** Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Call of Duty games Modern Warfare 3 and ****** Ops 6. Most recently, StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft II: Campaign Collection joined Game Pass last week. Developed by Toys for Bob, Spyro Reignited Trilogy was released for PS4 and Xbox One in 2018, before making its way to Nintendo Switch and PC the following year. The collection includes remakes of the first three series entries: Spyro the Dragon (1998), Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! (1999) and Spyro: Year of the Dragon (2000). Xbox will publish the next game from Spyro, Skylanders and ****** Bandicoot studio Toys for Bob, which split from Activision this year. Source link #Xbox #seemingly #teasing #plans #bring #Spyro #Game #Pass Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Children aren’t reading for pleasure according to new research—here’s how you can help them love books Children aren’t reading for pleasure according to new research—here’s how you can help them love books Credit: CC0 Public Domain The National Literacy Trust’s annual literacy survey 2025 reveals that one in three children and young people do not enjoy reading, with only 35% of eight to 18-year-olds stating that they enjoy reading in their spare time. This is the lowest figure recorded since 2005 when the National Literacy Trust started to gather this data. This report reveals that children and young people’s enjoyment of reading is now at a crisis point. Many literacy researchers like me are just not surprised by this data. Given the lack of funding and closure of our local libraries. Not to mention the narrow approach to the curriculum for reading in schools, which is targeted specifically at struggling readers. This includes the systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) scheme, which teach children to read by breaking words down into their individual sounds and is pushed too early. As well as the dreaded phonics screening check, which tests your child’s phonics knowledge, standardizing testing. The joy of reading, alongside the awe and wonder from engaging in meaningful reading activities is slowly being taken away from our children in schools with overcrowded timetables and an overreliance on reading books matched to systematic synthetic phonics schemes. In addition, it now appears that reading at home seems to have become a luxury we can’t afford. Why is reading for pleasure important? The report found that, when children engage in reading for pleasure (creating time and space to read at home or in school), children feel happy and relaxed, learn new things, learn about other cultures and begin to understand the views of others, which in turn develops their confidence. These are all wonderful reasons to read. My research highlights that reading is a complex activity, with many aspects to consider—enjoying stories, reading images on screen, experimenting with patterns of language, which include music, rhyme, rhythm and steady beat. When reading is meaningful, young children make connections with what they read, learn something new, understand ideas in context to form their own critical viewpoint. It is important to consider that reading is not just focused on print-based books or learning phonics from a phonics scheme in isolation. When teachers and parents start to separate these important components and focus on one aspect (such as phonics), the joy of reading is lost. We now live in a world full of digital resources, with most children having access to these at home. Therefore, we do need to consider authentic literacy practices using digital technology and the opportunities these activities offer our children alongside printed books. Recent research reports that most under three-year-olds already engage in valuable communication, language, literacy activities at home. This could also be considered to be reading for pleasure. Supporting your child’s reading Let’s not panic though. We can support our young children with lots of reading activities to bring back the joy of reading. Settings and schools can build in time for children to read freely and to read what they choose to read. This could include a larger variety of books, for instance information books, rhyming books, comics and poetry. They could also consider including magazines and annuals in this, Nursery settings need to focus more on early reading activities and stop teaching phonics. Communication, language and the ability to express themselves are key priorities here). Primary schools can widen the scope of their reading materials and try to declutter the curriculum to support children’s reading. Reading is not a tick-box exercise and one size does not fit all. When reading or telling stories to children, make this a joyful experience that does not involve stopping to ask questions lots of times. Given that secondary school children disclosed the steepest decline in reading enjoyment in the study, there is significant work to do here. My suggestions would be to make time in the busy day for children to read what they are interested in and widen the scope of reading materials offered to include the list above. At home, parents, caregivers and families can support their children with reading through a range of tactics. Again, diversifying what you read with your children could help. Try reading online or branch out into magazines, comics, leaflets and information books. If you want to make reading more active why not try taking photographs and making your own photograph books together. You could also play rhyming games. Or, you could simply spend time sharing stories with each other and telling stories as well as reading stories (in print and online). BBC Musical Storyland is a wonderful resource and full of visual retelling of ****** and folk tales. It can be found online and features music from the BBC Philharmonic for families to share together. Representation matters for reading. If children do not see themselves in books or other reading materials, why would they enjoy reading at all. We all have a duty to choose resources that are inclusive for all children and all communities. Provided by The Conversation This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Citation: Children aren’t reading for pleasure according to new research—here’s how you can help them love books (2024, November 11) retrieved 11 November 2024 from This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Source link #Children #arent #reading #pleasure #researchheres #love #books Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

India’s luxury airline flies into the sunset India’s luxury airline flies into the sunset Getty Images Vistara will become fully integrated with Air India starting Monday Indian full-service carrier Vistara will operate its last flight on Monday, after nine years in existence. A ****** venture between Singapore Airlines and the ***** Sons, Vistara will merge with *****-owned Air India to form a single entity with an expanded network and broader fleet. This means that all Vistara operations will be transferred to and managed by Air India, including helpdesk kiosks and ticketing offices. The process of migrating passengers with existing Vistara bookings and loyalty programmes to Air India has been under way over the past few months. “As part of the merger process, meals, service ware and other soft elements have been upgraded and incorporates aspects of both Vistara and Air India,” an Air India spokesperson said in an email response. Amid concerns that the merger could impact service standards, the Tatas have assured that Vistara’s in-flight experience will remain unchanged. Known for its high ratings in food, service, and cabin quality, Vistara has built a loyal customer base and the decision to retire the Vistara brand has been criticised by fans, branding experts, and aviation analysts. The consolidation was effectively done to clean up Vistara’s books and wipe out its losses, said Mark Martin, an aviation analyst. Air India has essentially been “suckered into taking a loss-making airline” in a desperate move, he added. “Mergers are meant to make airlines powerful. Never to wipe out losses or cover them.” To be sure, both Air India and Vistara’s annual losses have reduced by more than half over the past year, and other operating metrics have improved too. But the merger process so far has been turbulent. The exercise has been riddled with problems – from pilot shortages that have led to massive flight cancellations, to Vistara crew going on mass ***** leave over plans to align their salary structures with Air India. There have also been repeated complaints about poor service standards on Air India, including viral videos of broken seats and non-functioning inflight entertainment systems. Getty Images Vistara’s demise leaves a vacuum in India’s skies for a premium, full-service carrier The Tatas have announced a $400m (£308m) programme to upgrade and retrofit the interiors of its older aircraft and also a brand-new livery. They’ve also placed orders for hundreds of new Airbus and Boeing planes worth billions of dollars to augment their offering. But this “turnaround” is still incomplete and riddled with problems, according to Mr Martin. A merger only complicates matters. Experts say that the merger strikes a dissonant chord from a branding perspective too. Harish Bijoor, a brand strategy specialist, told the BBC he was feeling “emotional” that a superior product offering like Vistara which had developed a “gold standard for Indian aviation” was ceasing operations. “It is a big loss for the industry,” said Mr Bijoor, adding it will be a monumental task for the mother brand Air India to simply “copy, paste and exceed” the high standards set by Vistara, given that it’s a much smaller airline that’s being gobbled up by a much larger one. Mr Bijoor suggests a better strategy would have been to operate Air India separately for five years, focusing on improving service standards, while maintaining Vistara as a distinct brand with Air India prefixed to it. “This would have given Air India the time and chance to rectify the mother brand and bring it up to the Vistara level, while maintaining its uniqueness,” he adds. Beyond branding, the merged entity will face a slew of operational challenges. Shutterstock The biggest task for the merged arline would be offering customers a uniform flying experience “Communication will be a major challenge in the early days, with customers arriving at the airport expecting Vistara flights, only to find Air India branding,” says Ajay Awtaney, editor of Live From A Lounge, an aviation portal. “Air India will need to maintain clear communication for weeks.” Another key challenge, he notes, is cultural: Vistara’s agile employees may struggle to adjust to Air India’s complex bureaucracy and systems. But the biggest task for the merged carrier would be offering customers a uniform flying experience. These are “two airlines with very different service formats are being integrated into one airline. It is going to be a hotchpotch of service formats, cabin formats, branding, and customer experience. It will involve learning and unlearning, and such a process has rarely worked with airlines and is seldom effective,” said Mr Martin. Still, many believe Vistara had to go – now or some years later. A legacy brand like Air India, with strong global recognition and ‘India’ imprinted in its identity, wouldn’t have allowed a smaller, more premium subsidiary to overshadow its revival process. Financially too, it makes little sense for the Tatas to have two loss-making entities compete with one another. The combined strength of Vistara and Air India could also place the Tatas in a much better position to compete with market leader Indigo. The unified Air India group (including Air India Express, which completed its merger with the former Air Asia India in October) “will be ******* and better with a fleet size of nearly 300 aircraft, an expanded network and a stronger workforce”, an Air India spokesperson said. “Getting done with the merger means that Air India grows overnight, and the two teams start cooperating instead of competing. There will never be one right day to merge. Somewhere, a line had to be drawn,” said Mr Awtaney. But for many Vistara loyalists, its demise leaves a void in India’s skies for a premium, full-service carrier – marking the third such gap after the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways. It’s still too early to say if Air India, which often ranks at the bottom of airline surveys, can successfully fill that void. Source link #Indias #luxury #airline #flies #sunset Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Modern Warfare 3 Producer Predicted a Sad Truth About Video Games That is Still Happening Today Modern Warfare 3 Producer Predicted a Sad Truth About Video Games That is Still Happening Today For the longest time, video games have faced a kind of paradox in the world of entertainment; despite their cultural acceptance, they’re often scapegoated for the atrocities of our reality, and game developers seem to understand this more than anyone else. An ********* Soldier in Modern Warfare 3 – Image Credit: Treyarch. For instance, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the franchise at its absolute peak, the game’s producer, Mark Rubin, essentially predicted what would happen in the future: Video Games would continue to remain the quintessential scapegoat for real-world *********. Games Like Modern Warfare 3 Getting the Blame for ********* Is a Debate That Just Shouldn’t Exist The starting sequence of Postal 1 – Image Credit: Running With Scissors Unfortunately, blaming games for real-world ********* has become part of a cycle, cropping up after every major tragedy. From ***** in the 1990s, Grand Theft Auto in the 2000s, to Spec Ops: The Line and Modern Warfare 3 in the 2010s public outcry has pointed fingers at popular games as the supposed catalyst for horrific acts. School shootings, in particular, have sparked this debate repeatedly, with the same old accusation that games have desensitized and normalized the young members of society to *********. However, the complexity of such behavior often points to deeper, systemic issues that games simply don’t create. Back in 2011, Modern Warfare 3 was riding a wave of unprecedented success, yet even then, Rubin recognized this cycle, saying in an interview that: “We’re not trying to make a statement, the game is not socially conscious, we’re not promoting any political direction. We’re making stories. And, you know, it’s quite simple. These are ‘guys in wars’ stories, they’re like the WWII films we’ve all watched, the space war films we’ve all watched… the human spirit wins. That’s what it is. The press does tend to point at the games industry, but well, fifty years ago it was rock-‘n-roll, before that there were book burnings. There’s always someone to point at.” Those final words Rubin spoke then resonate now more than ever, underlining a distinction that is often ignored: the difference between a medium used for storytelling and as a way to express the very real issues that drive *********. Plus, when you think about it, his reflection wasn’t just prophetic; it highlighted how video games are the “current thing” to serve as a convenient sidestep and a way to avoid the more challenging conversations about why such ********* occurs and what’s at its core. There Is a Distinction to Be Made Between Politics Being Blamed for Real-World ********* With Games A player using the M240 in Modern Warfare 3 – Image Credit: Treyarch. At the end of the day, the problem is ******* than video games, and focusing on them as a cause distracts from addressing more profound issues like mental health care, **** regulations, and social isolation. After every tragedy, rather than examining systemic shortcomings, society often turns to familiar scapegoats—now video games—when the real answers are more complex. This is a crucial distinction that is often overlooked. Blaming games is simple; fixing the root issues is not. Remember: people would rather build schools that are “built to withstand *********” and condemn such acts on video games than help a person heal. What’s equally important is that video games do indeed reflect our society’s larger narratives. Games like Call of Duty do shape perspectives, crafting images of heroism, conflict, and morality that have deep cultural resonance. While some games, like Spec Ops: The Line, critically examine the psychology of ********* and war, Call of Duty leans into patriotic tropes that, intentionally or not, often reinforce specific ideologies. In this sense, games can influence society’s lens on global issues and offer simplified portrayals of complex conflicts. But they’re hardly unique in this; many forms of media and art reflect societal values and even critique them. Just as movies, music, and books once faced accusations of corrupting the youth, video games today are scapegoated as a misguided shortcut to explaining societal *********. Considering all that, all we can hope for, then, is that one day, we will finally begin addressing the challenging questions at the heart of these tragedies instead of finding the next scapegoat, as Rubin predicted all those years ago. With all that said, what are your thoughts on Rubin’s words? Do you agree with him that people always find scapegoats to blame for ******* issues? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Modern #Warfare #Producer #Predicted #Sad #Truth #Video #Games #Happening #Today Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Lights on surfboards and wetsuits could deter shark attacks Lights on surfboards and wetsuits could deter shark attacks A great white shark attacks a ****** seal during an experiment where lights were used to deter shark attacks Nathan Hart, Macquarie University Installing lighting on the underside of surfboards, kayaks or wetsuits could prevent the majority of great white shark attacks on humans. It has long been known that sharks often ******* humans because they mistake their silhouettes at the surface for prey, such as seals. Now, researchers have conducted an experiment to see what happens if they break up the silhouette by illuminating the underside of a decoy seal to disguise its shape. Laura Ryan at Macquarie University in Sydney and her colleagues spent nearly 500 hours towing seal-shaped decoys around Mossel Bay in the Western Cape region of South *******, where great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) gather and hunt in large numbers. The team tested multiple light treatments: covering the underside of the decoys with dim, intermediate and bright LED lighting and strobe lighting, as well as horizontal and vertical strip lighting. After each tow with one of the light treatments, they immediately towed a control decoy seal without any underside lighting. As an extra experiment, they did paired tests where the unlit control ****** was towed 3 metres away from the illuminated ******. The unlit decoys were attacked or followed by sharks more than any of the illuminated decoys. The brightest light seemed to be most effective, with zero predator incidents seen when the decoy’s illumination was most radiant. Vertical strip lighting was less effective than the horizontal strips, possibly because it broke the silhouette into longer sections that could still be identified as a seal, says Ryan. The strobe lighting was less effective than continuous lighting, perhaps because the sharks could still see the silhouette of what they thought was prey between flashes. Ryan says the team expected it would be important for the lighting on the decoys to match the background light, to ensure it wasn’t brighter than ambient underwater conditions, but this wasn’t the case. “The most critical thing was that the brightness on the decoy had to be brighter than or equal to the background light,” she says. “As long as the lighting stopped the silhouette from looking ******, it seemed to work.” The team has now developed a prototype lighting array to be used as a great white shark deterrent. “We are now moving from research into providing protection for swimmers and surfers,” says Ryan. “We have taken the approach of understanding these animals’ sensory system and how they see the world, and their behaviour.” Ryan cautions that the illumination deterrent hasn’t been tested on other species known to ******* people, such as tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) and bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), which have different hunting strategies. David Booth at the University of Technology Sydney does a lot of field research off the Sydney coastline where sharks, including great *******, are common. Based on these findings, he says he will definitely be ordering a counter-illuminated wetsuit when they are available. “I’d have thought that background-matching, lower illumination would be most effective, so I was surprised to see that ‘disruptive camouflage’ worked better,” he says. “These results apply to white sharks only and for this feeding mode only, so it’s unclear how widely applicable they are at present.” Topics: Source link #Lights #surfboards #wetsuits #deter #shark #attacks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AMD Ryzen 9000 pricing freefalls, hits all-time lows — Micro Center slashes up to 28% off Zen 5 AMD Ryzen 9000 pricing freefalls, hits all-time lows — Micro Center slashes up to 28% off Zen 5 AMD’s Ryzen 9000 (codenamed Granite Ridge) series, among the best CPUs, has dropped to its lowest-ever prices at Micro Center—listed for up to 28% lower than their launch prices, which should increase AM5 adoption rates. The market initially ignored Zen 5 at launch owing to lackluster gains in performance value and the lack of an incentive for existing AM5 owners. However, retailers seem to be pulling out all the stops to encourage new PC builders to choose Zen 5 over Intel’s Core Ultra 200S (codenamed Arrow Lake) CPUs. One of the largest retailers in the U.S., Micro Center has the entire Granite Ridge family offering juicy price cuts following AMD’s early holiday promotions. The Zen 5 flagship Ryzen 9 9950X is now available for $569 – $80 cheaper than MSRP. Following is the Ryzen 9 9900X, which sees a large 28% drop in price, now available for just $359. That does leave a large $210 delta between AMD’s 12-core and 16-core offerings, making ample room for Intel’s Core Ultra 7 265K to shine. Swipe to scroll horizontally Next up is the Ryzen 7 9700X—at $309 for a 14% discount—still overshadowed by the 9900X’s steep price drops. As a customer with $300 on hand, it will be tempting to purchase the Ryzen 9 9900X for just a bit more. If this trend continues, the hexa-core Ryzen 5 9600X is now creeping close to the $200 price point and may soon supersede the last-generation Ryzen 5 7600X ($190). AMD will make hay when the sun is shining as Intel’s Core Ultra 200S non-K CPUs are expected to arrive by no sooner than CES 2025 – leaving the entire holiday season open for Team Red. While these price cuts might not incentivize enough for Zen 4 owners, they may usher in a wave of new Zen 5 adopters. Motherboards are relatively affordable because this is the second generation of AM5. AMD does lag in the memory department since Ryzen 7000’s sweet spot is DDR5-6000, which was recently upped to DDR5-6400 with Ryzen 9000. AMD promised support for AM5 into 2027; hence, we could see Zen 6 arrive on the same platform; the same cannot be said for Intel’s new LGA1851 socket, which is heavily rumored to only support Arrow Lake. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #AMD #Ryzen #pricing #freefalls #hits #alltime #lows #Micro #Center #slashes #Zen Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bristol festival worker to become Antarctic postmaster Bristol festival worker to become Antarctic postmaster George Clarke will run the most southerly post office in the world A man whose usual job involves setting up big tops at music festivals is preparing to run the world’s most southerly post office in Antarctica. George Clarke, 34, from Bristol, who has never worked in a post office, said: “I’m used to working away, working abroad in crews, but nothing like this.” The interview process involved “lots of weird and wonderful tasks”, he said, including having to put up a tent while blindfolded and wearing oven mitts. Mr Clarke will spend five months living with four other workers on Port Lockroy, alongside the resident Gentoo penguin colony. Mr Clarke told BBC Radio Bristol he had always had an interest in the outdoors, but added: “This is in a league of its own. It’s a brand new adventure.” He applied for the role after reading an article about last year’s Antarctic postmaster. “I thought, ‘Wow, what a great opportunity that sounds’ and then it just clicked in my head, why not give it a go?” he said. Helen Annan The group will share a communal dorm in a Nissen hut, each with a strictly limited box of luxuries His team of five will be staffing the world’s most southerly museum and post office on the football-pitch-sized Goudier Island, off the Antarctic peninsula below South America. While there is internet on the base, Mr Clarke said they had decided as a group to embrace the remote location and not use it much. Jerome Viard The site offers some of the most dramatic mountain and glacier scenery on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula “Part of the joy about going to such a remote location is being slightly cut off from the world. “So I certainly don’t think we’ll be scrolling on our phones every evening.” He added: “I’m a keen artist, I draw. I know we’ve got people bringing down knitting needles and puzzles, and there’s a small library on the base where people can bring books. “So we’ve all decided to bring one of our favourite novels, one of our favourite non-fiction books, and swap those around.” Jerome Viard One of the jobs on the island is counting the penguins Mr Clarke said working in a post office was “going to be a bit of a learning experience”. His role will be processing the letters and postcards left by those who stop at the tiny wooden museum from up to two cruise ships a day. “So I’ll be sorting through the mail, cancelling the stamps, and then sending them on via passing cruise ships,” he said. Jerome Viard The full-time residents of Port Lockroy are a colony of Gentoo penguins The team, which also consists of wildlife monitor Maggie Coll, base leader Lou Hoskin, museum manager Aoife McKenna and shop manager Dale Ellis, will soon leave the *** and travel to Argentina, where they will spend a few days before taking a boat through the rough waters of the Drake passage. A few days later they will arrive at Port Lockroy, where they will spend five months among freezing and near-constant daylight. Mr Clarke said: “It’s not like anything I’ve done, so how prepared can you be for such a new, a unique experience? I’m going in with an open mind.” He said he was most looking forward to enjoying his morning coffee overlooking the Antarctic landscape and “hopefully seeing a whale or two”. Source link #Bristol #festival #worker #Antarctic #postmaster Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mythology’s Role in Ancient Politics and War Mythology’s Role in Ancient Politics and War In ancient times, people often viewed the world through the lens of their beliefs and traditions. Mythologies of ancient cultures were much more than collections of old stories and legends – they were the core of a nation’s identity, and the foundation of their political power and social structure. Across time and through many civilizations, myths and old tales were closely entwined with political ideologies, doctrines, military efforts, and society’s belief in authority. In many ways, the myths became instrumental for legitimizing great conquests, wars, and regime changes. They promoted unity in a society and strengthened the position of a ruling class. So, in many ways, our history is founded upon myths. But what role exactly did it play? War Justified Through Myth From the beginning of the earliest of world civilizations, myths abounded in them. And it was to them that ancient leaders frequently turned to when needing to justify conquest and war. In this sense, they often legitimized war as a “divine” right. This means that they placed the gods and heroes of their pantheon into an active role within these wars, and thus created an imperative for their people to ****** in them as well. For example, in Mesopotamia, religion and mythology were closely connected to wars and expansions, as well as political legitimacy. The rulers of Akkadia and Sumeria often invoked the will of their pantheons, in a way to justify their expansionist campaigns. Most notable was the famed King Sargon of Akkad (~2334 to 2279 BC), who attributed his successes in war to the favor of the goddess of war and love, Ishtar (Inanna). Being endorsed by a deity was not just symbolic, as it implied that the gods too “willed” the expansion of Akkad. This justified the wars of Sargon and gave them the backing of a higher power. Bronze head of an Akkadian ruler, likely of Sargon the Great, from Nineveh. (Eric de Redelijkheid / CC BY-SA 2.0) Read more… Top image: An Akkadian General strategizes with his advisors. Source: JustLight / Adobe Stock By Aleksa Vučković Source link #Mythologys #Role #Ancient #Politics #War Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Deep ***** Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Deep ***** In an exclusive interview, Axel Torvenius, the creative director of MachineGames, delves into the creative journey behind Indiana Jones and The Great Circle. With over 43 years of lore to explore, Torvenius and his team face the challenge of bringing something fresh to the beloved franchise while staying true to its iconic roots. From the narrative-driven design to the careful crafting of puzzles and character dynamics, Torvenius shares insights into how MachineGames is redefining the Indiana Jones experience. Source link #Indiana #Jones #Great #Circle #Deep #***** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pediatricians say sharing books with children is the best holiday gift of all Pediatricians say sharing books with children is the best holiday gift of all Credit: Andy Kuzma from Pexels A book can inspire joy and stir the imagination. Even better this holiday season is the gift of sharing that book with your child. Turning the pages of a high-quality, print book filled with colorful pictures and rich, expressive language is best. While touchscreens and other electronic devices may be popular, they are typically passive or solitary experiences for children and do not offer the same benefits of interactivity and relationship building. Starting from infancy, reading aloud helps build the foundation for healthy social-emotional, cognitive, language and literacy development. Sharing books helps with language development and vocabulary, and gets them ready to listen and learn in school. And over the past decade, research has found that reading together helps foster positive interactions, strengthening the safe, stable and nurturing relationships young children must have to thrive. The ********* Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading to your child every day, even if only for a few minutes, and making it part of the bedtime routine. Each evening, set aside 20 to 30 minutes with screens off for sharing books. Remember that the experience should be fun. You don’t have to finish a story if your child loses interest. Let your child choose the book, even if it means reading the same book over and over. You can invite your child to “read” to you from a familiar book that they have memorized. Ask about the illustrations or what your child thinks will happen next. You can say, “Can you find all the blue things?” or “Show me all the things that can fly.” Point out colors, shapes, numbers and letters and respond with enthusiasm to your child’s questions and comments. Local libraries offer a wide variety of children’s literature, including ****** tales, poetry and nursery rhymes, as well as nonfiction books on subjects children love, such as the ocean or dogs. Follow your child’s interests in choosing books. Children’s librarians can help you with high-quality book selections on a wide range of topics. And during the holidays, consider building your home library and reinforcing the value of great books by giving them as gifts. By age 4, a child can typically tell you which books they want to share with you, pretend to read a favorite book aloud to you, and tell you how a story is like things they have seen or done. They may ask you questions about books you are enjoying together or “correct” you if you skip a word or page in a favorite book. As children grow older, reading can help develop character and values that are important to your family. In fact, a really great book has the power to counterbalance negative outside influences and teach children important lessons as they grow. It might be a book on kindness after your child experienced or witnessed cruelty. It might be a book on expressing emotions after your child saw or heard scary news coverage, or maybe a book on understanding differences after your child saw someone who looked different than they expected. Books are great conversation starters. They are also just a lot of fun and can help create wonderful memories, particularly during the holidays when you’re spending extra time together. A shared reading experience, as a tender, magical and loving time spent with your child, is truly a gift. It speaks to the heart of what parenting is. The AAP and Reach Out and Read have compiled a list of books—organized by age and topic—to help you raise children who are aware of the world around them, curious, brave, kind and thoughtful. 2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Citation: Pediatricians say sharing books with children is the best holiday gift of all (2024, November 11) retrieved 11 November 2024 from This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Source link #Pediatricians #sharing #books #children #holiday #gift Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Raspberry Pi 5 overclocked to 3.6 GHz by ScatterBencher — but exotic cooling didn’t help push clocks any faster than air Raspberry Pi 5 overclocked to 3.6 GHz by ScatterBencher — but exotic cooling didn’t help push clocks any faster than air Expert overclocker Pieter-Jan Plaisier, AKA ScatterBencher, has again turned his focus to the humble Raspberry Pi. In a recent video walkthrough, the ********* tech enthusiast prepared a Raspberry Pi 5, alongside a plethora of advanced hardware and software tools, to try and push our favorite single board computer to 4 GHz or beyond. Sadly, ScatterBencher didn’t really achieve what he set out to do, as with all his esoteric cooling craft and lashings of liquid nitrogen he still hit a wall at 3.6 GHz – which had been achievable on a stock device with air cooling. 3.6 GHz Pi 5 | World’s Fastest Raspberry Pi 5 8GB – YouTube Watch On ScatterBencher’s Raspberry Pi 5 overclocking efforts had previously plateaued at 3.0 GHz on air. Since that time, the expert overclocker consulted with Tom’s Hardware presenter and editor Les Pounder on the Pi Cast. This conversation led him to Jeff Geerling’s guide on the NUMA (Non-Uniform Memory Access) Emulation Patch, which we have also discussed on the site, here. With software alone – the latest Raspberry Pi OS and the NUMA patch, ScatterBencher saw much better results than he had previously achieved. Early in his video, he shows that it was a cinch to move past 3.0 GHz, using only the latest software and simple air cooling. A graph shows he could get the Raspberry Pi to run nearly 30% faster than stock with appropriate air cooling. The Raspberry Pi 5’s Broadcom BCM2712 SoC runs at a stock frequency of 2.4 GHz. Satisfied with the software side of things, ScatterBencher naturally anticipated some further steps up the overclocking ladder, setting up at Elmor Labs Taipei office. The first step was to run the Pi with liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooling. Due to the topography of components on the Pi PCB, some LN2 pots that ScatterBencher was familiar with weren’t suitable. However, a thin, tall **** was found which sat nicely on the SoC. A quick test run saw the LN2-cooled Pi SoC achieve 3.2 GHz on LN2, and it could run Geekbench, with no issues. The overclocking expert gradually increased clocks but found a barrier at 3.6 GHz, after which the Pi would lock up / ******, whatever he did. ScatterBencher adjusted the LN2 cooling down to around -90 degrees Celsius and didn’t get any better results, complaining of a lack of temperature scaling. Below this temperature a Raspberry Pi will exhibit other issues, explained the overclocker, so it is kind of a hard limit in cooling the SBC. Turning attention to power delivery, ScatterBencher decided to use the Elmor Ample-X1 power card. First, he removed some inductors, added thicker power wires, and then checked everything was still OK. Now, with the Ample-X1 connected and stronger power delivery in place, ScatterBencher could increase voltages above 1.2V – moving the needle up to 1.55V – but again no scaling was achieved… ScatterBencher pondered why he saw no scaling with lower temperatures, or higher voltages – two of the best tools in an overclocker’s toolbox. He mused whether there was a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) locking issue, or if there were other components in the SoC that were being unintentionally upclocked but hitting limits. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. However, there was still an avenue that had been left unexplored. The standard Raspberry Pi 5 crystal runs at a fixed 54 MHz. This was removed with hot air and replaced with an Elmor Labs ECB (external clock board). Sadly, even with the oscillator adjustments available, ScatterBencher hit the same ‘frequency wall’ of 3.4 GHz for benchmarking, and 3.6 GHz for just running the OS without significant load. In summary, ScatterBencher found that 4 GHz is a frequency too far for the Raspberry Pi 5. Even with the best tools at his disposal (LN2, power, oscillator mods etc) – only 3.6 GHz was achievable. That’s the same limit he saw with ambient cooling, he said. Nevertheless, the skilled overclocker was happy with the journey – learning more about the Pi, Arm, and Linux on the way. Source link #Raspberry #overclocked #GHz #ScatterBencher #exotic #cooling #didnt #push #clocks #faster #air Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Shigeru Ishiba wins new term as PM in parliament run-off Shigeru Ishiba wins new term as PM in parliament run-off ********* Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has won a run-off vote in parliament to stay in his post, after an election setback last month that saw his coalition lose its majority in the lower house. Ishiba, 67, took over as prime minister from Fumio Kishida, who stepped down in September amid a series of scandals that rattled public trust in the ******** Democratic Party (LDP) party. In an extraordinary parliament session on Monday, Ishiba defeated Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the main opposition party Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Ishiba will now have to navigate hostilities within his party, economic woes and a ******* of flux in international relations. As the leader of a ********* government, he also faces the challenge of having to heed to demands from the opposition bloc for any future bills or budget to pass – with fears of potential political gridlock in a hung parliament. A former defence minister, Ishiba gained a reputation in ********* politics for being openly critical of figures in his party, including Kishida and Japan’s longest-serving leader Shinzo Abe. That reputation scored him points among voters, even as it ruffled feathers within his own party. Ishiba was named the leader of Japan’s ruling LDP – and consequently the country’s prime minister – on 1 October, following a tight race among LDP candidates. Days after taking office, he called a snap election for the parliament’s lower house in an attempt to consolidate his mandate. The election gamble *******, however, as the LDP lost its parliamentary majority in its worst result in over a decade. “The ********* people expressed their strong ******* for the LDP to do some reflection and become a party that acts in line with the people’s will,” Ishiba told national broadcaster NHK after that election. Ishiba’s cabinet will mostly remain the same, but the members who have lost their seats in the election will be replaced. The long-ruling party has become increasingly unpopular as Japan finds itself in the throes of economic challenges including soaring inflation, a sluggish economy and a weak yen. In recent years, the LDP has also come under scrutiny over political scandals including its ties to the controversial Unification ******* and allegations that its politicians had concealed millions of dollars in fundraiser donations. When Kishida announced in August that he would step down as prime minister, he cited both cases as reasons for the party’s crisis of trust. Ishiba faces another challenge on the foreign policy front, as Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election could mean more of his protectionist policies and potential new trade tariffs, especially on ********* steel. Ishiba previously vowed to reform the LDP, revive the economy and double defence spending. He had also voiced support for socially ******** policies, including marriage equality and allowing couples to have separate surnames – though he has since called for further discussion on the issues, in line with the LDP’s more ************* stance. Source link #Shigeru #Ishiba #wins #term #parliament #runoff Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Study Shows Mysterious Denisovans Interbred with Humans Multiple Times Study Shows Mysterious Denisovans Interbred with Humans Multiple Times The mysterious Denisovans, perhaps the most elusive of all the archaic hominin species, emerged following their divergence from Neanderthals approximately 400,000 years ago. Like Neanderthals, these extinct cousins of modern humans made important contributions to the human genome, which helped shape our evolution and make us what we are today. But as new research has revealed, the story of the Denisovan genetic exchange with early humans was more complex than previously known. In a new study just published in the journal Nature Genetics, two scientists affiliated with Trinity College Dublin’s Smurfit Institute of Genetics, lead author Dr. Linda Ongaro and her colleague Dr. Emilia Huerta-Sanchez, reviewed all the existing literature on Denisovan and human interbreeding, and were able to identify three separate periods when Denisovans were breeding with early humans regularly. They also found that the Denisovans had split into two distinct populations at some point, but that both of these had interbred with human ancestors, adding yet another layer of complexity to these interactions. Chart showing migration patterns and evolutionary history of Denisovans (and other ancient hominins). (John D. Croft/CC BY-SA 3.0). As Dr. Ongaro explained in a Trinity College Dublin press release, genetic experts have been able to figure all of this out through the in-depth study of the human genome. “By leveraging the surviving Denisovan segments in modern human genomes, scientists have uncovered evidence of at least three past events whereby genes from distinct Denisovan populations made their way into the genetic signatures of modern humans.” The complex and surprisingly frequent interactions between Denisovans and early humans are intriguing, given the scarce nature of the recovered Denisovan ******** (only a few individual bones or pieces of bones and teeth have been found). It is known that the Denisovans first appeared in Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch, because of these few fossils, but beyond that the genetic fingerprint they left in the human genome is the only real evidence that reveals anything about their existence. The Denisovans Live On, Inside the Human Genome Based on all the research Drs. Ongaro and Huerta-Sanchez reviewed, it seems that at their peak of population the Denisovans inhabited an extensive geographic area, extending from the frozen climate of Siberia to the high altitudes of the Tibetan Plateau, and likely to the east and down into Southeast Asia and Oceania as well. The diversity in their range and the climates they inhabited suggests they may have been quite adaptable, and they are known to have passed some of that adaptability along to the human evolutionary line, through interbreeding with early humans and some of their archaic ancestors. What is known for sure now is that before they all disappeared about 50,000 years ago, there were two distinct Denisovan populations. One of them lived in the Altai Mountains of Siberia (among other places), where the Denisova ***** (the site where most Denisovan fossils have been discovered) is located. The second lived on the Tibetan Plateau and left behind one striking fossil—part of a jawbone with two molars still embedded—in that region’s Baishiya Karst *****, and they developed separately from the more well-known group that lived in Siberia. Denisova *****, located in Altai Mountain region of Siberia. (Демин Алексей Барнаул /.CC BY-SA 4.0.). Each of these groups left their mark in the human genome, Dr. Ongaro noted. For example, the Tibetan group had a high level of tolerance to low-oxygen conditions, which would have been common at high altitudes. They passed that along to humans to at least some extent, through the lasting contributions they made to humanity’s collective gene pool. Meanwhile, the Siberian population that endured extreme cold developed a heightened immune response and a more efficient capacity for burning **** for calories, and the Denisovan genes associated with the latter have been found in Inuit populations that survive in the Arctic. These are just some of the ways that Denisovan DNA has benefited humans. Previous research has found that Denisovan genetic material is most common in Aboriginal Austalians, Papuans, Near Oceanians, Polynesins, Fijians, Eastern Indonesians, and the Aeta people from the Philippines. Anywhere from two to six percent of the DNA of these groups can be traced back to the Denisovans, and it likely confers various benefits that have yet to be discovered. A Complex Picture of Human Evolution Emerges While the primary focus of her research was on the Denisovan-human connection, Dr. Ongaro believes this is only one part of a much more complex picture. These interactions actually occurred within the context of a broad and inclusive pattern of archaic hominin interbreeding, she asserts, that saw Denisovans, Neanderthals, early ***** sapiens, and possibly other archaic species exchanging genetic materially quite liberally. “It’s a common misconception that humans evolved suddenly and neatly from one common ancestor,” she said. “The more we learn, the more we realize interbreeding with different hominins occurred and helped shape the people we are today.” It is possible that some human populations contain bits and pieces of Denisovan DNA that has yet to be detected. This situation could change with more extensive research into the human genome, but archaeology also has an important role to play in learning more about who the Denisovans were, how they lived, and where and when they would have been most likely to interact with humans. Denisovan molar recovered from Denisova *****, Siberia. (Thilo Parg/CC BY-SA 3.0). “Integrating more genetic data with archaeological information—if we can find more Denisovan fossils—would certainly fill in a few more gaps.” Dr. Ongaro acknowledged. The spread of Denisovan DNA through various human populations certainly shows they traveled farther than just Siberia and the Tibetan Plateau, and if archaeologists are eventually able to discover more ******** in other locations it could go a long way toward solving the mystery of who the Denisovans really were. Top image: Piece of Denisovan jawbone with two attached molars, recovered from Baishiya Karst ***** on Tibetan Plateau. Source: Dongju Zhang/CC BY-SA 4.0. By Nathan Falde Source link #Study #Shows #Mysterious #Denisovans #Interbred #Humans #Multiple #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This Shin Megami Tensei board game features 72 intricate ****** figurines This Shin Megami Tensei board game features 72 intricate ****** figurines The popular Shin Megami Tensei video game series . A ********* company called Icrea is behind the effort and is on November 12 to raise funds for the project. SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI THE BOARD GAME (the company asked us to use all caps) is a “full-scale board game project” complete with 72 “high quality and detailed ****** figures.” Collecting demons and adding them to your party is a major part of the game, so these figurines should help with immersion. It’ll also help with getting random ****** figurines lost in the couch. Icrea/Atlus There’s a board with various locations from the franchise and plenty of series-specific cards to rifle through. The company says a game should take anywhere from three to four hours. The title has already generated a fair amount of excitement at both Gen **** and the most recent Tokyo Game Show. We don’t know exactly when this will be available for purchase. You know how Kickstarter timelines work. There are going to be a bunch of stretch goals, however, should the company reach the initial financial threshold. It’s a Shin Megami Tensei board game with dozens of cool-looking ****** figurines. It shouldn’t have any trouble finding financial backers. For the uninitiated, Shin Megami Tensei first came out in 1992 for the Super Famicom in Japan. There have been plenty of sequels throughout the years. Shin Megami Tensei V , but has since received a full-featured refresh called Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. To view this content, you’ll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the “Content and social-media partners” setting to do so. The Persona series is also a spinoff of the franchise. This leads to a very serious question. Persona board game when? I want to wander around a fake high school and eat ramen with a motley crew of characters. Source link #Shin #Megami #Tensei #board #game #features #intricate #****** #figurines Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Optimism and uncertainty as Middle East awaits Trump’s return Optimism and uncertainty as Middle East awaits Trump’s return Frank Gardner Trump had a warm relationship with Saudi Arabia during his first term in office As leaders of dozens of ***** and Islamic nations gather in the Saudi capital for a summit, there is widespread speculation about what a second Trump presidency will mean for the region. In sharp contrast to the fears voiced in Europe about Donald Trump’s famous unpredictability, Gulf ***** countries tend to view him as a force for stability. Writing in the officially approved ***** News opinion column, the prominent UAE business leader Khalaf al-Habtoor says: “In a Middle East where security is paramount, Trump’s focus on strengthening alliances and curbing extremist forces offers a way forward.” Here in Saudi Arabia, Trump is viewed much more favourably than Joe Biden. Trump chose Riyadh for his first overseas trip as President in 2017, an idea reportedly brokered by Rupert Murdoch. Through his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Trump enjoys warm relations with the de facto Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known by his initials, MBS. The crown prince has never forgiven or forgotten Biden saying that Saudi Arabia needed to be made a pariah for its attitude to human rights. Reuters Trump’s previous administration brokered the historic Abraham Accords between ******* and several ***** League states Trump’s record in office is a mixed one when it comes to the Middle East. On the one hand he pleased ******* and upset the ***** world by recognising Jerusalem as *******’s capital as well as *******’s annexation of the occupied Golan Heights. But he also secured the Abraham Accords in 2020 which saw the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco establish full diplomatic relations with ******* and Sudan agree to do so. Trump was, and is, hawkish on Iran. In 2018, he pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal, the so-called ****** Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Calling it “the worst deal in history”, he shared the views of many governments in the region that the deal, aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, ******* to tackle Iran’s ballistic missile programme while enriching the Revolutionary Guards with money then used to fund proxy militias around the region. In 2020, to Iran’s fury but to the satisfaction of many in the Gulf ***** states, Trump ordered the ************** of Qasem Soleimani, the leader of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force. But today’s Middle East is not the same as the one when Trump left the White House. ******* is at war with ****** and Hezbollah, and exchanged blows with both the Houthis in Yemen and their backers in Iran. Under the Biden administration US influence in the region is seen to have waned with a White House largely ineffective at restraining its close ally, *******, as it wages war in Gaza and Lebanon. Reuters Regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic ties last year Trump’s return to the White House is thought likely to give ******* a freer hand to strike targets in Iran – like oil and nuclear facilities – that the Biden administration said were off limits. “His staunch support for ******* and aggressive stance towards Iran’s destabilising efforts made him a key ally in the region, and his return to power is expected to intensify efforts to limit Iran’s influence,” former ******** intelligence officer Joshua Steinrich says. But something else has changed in the region. Brokered by China, Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to put aside their differences, ending seven years of hostility, characterised most visibly by the war in Yemen where the Saudi air force bombed Iran-backed Houthi rebels. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s military chief flew to Tehran to meet his Iranian counterpart, with both countries now talking about deepening their co-operation on defence and security. Ever since Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni ***** neighbours in the region have viewed Iran as a major threat to their security. But the surprise 2019 drone strike on Saudi oil facilities, attributed to Iran-backed militants in Iraq, was an uncomfortable reminder to the Gulf ***** states as to just how vulnerable they were to ******* by Iran. So today, with an ***** and Islamic summit calling for an end to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, there is both optimism and a degree of uncertainty about what a second Trump presidency will mean for the Middle East. Source link #Optimism #uncertainty #Middle #East #awaits #Trumps #return Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]