This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. AI can now create a replica of your personality Imagine sitting down with an AI model for a spoken two-hour interview. A friendly voice guides you through a conversation that ranges from your childhood, your formative memories, and your career to your thoughts on immigration policy. Not long after, a virtual replica of you is able to embody your values and preferences with stunning accuracy. Thats now possible, according to a new paper from a team including researchers from Stanford and Google DeepMind. They recruited 1,000 people and, from interviews with them, created agent replicas of them all. To test how well the agents mimicked their human counterparts, participants did a series of tests, games and surveys, then the agents completed the same exercises. The results were 85% similar. Freaky.Read our story about the work, and why it matters. James ODonnell Chinas complicated role in climate change But what about China? In debates about climate change, its usually only a matter of time until someone brings up China. Often, it comes in response to some statement about how the US and Europe are addressing the issue (or how they need to be). Sometimes it can be done in bad faith. Its a rhetorical way to throw up your hands, and essentially say: if they arent taking responsibility, why should we? However, there are some undeniable facts: China emits more greenhouse gases than any other country, by far. Its one of the worlds most populous countries and a climate-tech powerhouse, and its economy is still developing. With many complicated factors at play, how should we think about the countrys role in addressing climate change?Read the full story. Casey Crownhart This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things energy and climate.Sign upto receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. Four ways to protect your art from AI Since the start of the generative AI boom, artists have been worried about losing their livelihoods to AI tools. Unfortunately, there is little you can do if your work has been scraped into a data set and used in a model that is already out there. You can, however, take steps to prevent your work from being used in the future.Here are four ways to do that.Melissa Heikkila This is part of our How To series, where we give you practical advice on how to use technology in your everyday lives. You can read the rest of the series here. MIT Technology Review Narrated: The worlds on the verge of a carbon storage boom In late 2023, one of Californias largest oil and gas producers secured draft permits from the US Environmental Protection Agency to develop a new type of well in an oil field. If approved, it intends to drill a series of boreholes down to a sprawling sedimentary formation roughly 6,000 feet below the surface, where it will inject tens of millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide to store it away forever. Hundreds of similar projects are looming across the state, the US, and the world. Proponents hope its the start of a sort of oil boom in reverse, kick-starting a process through which the world will eventually bury more greenhouse gas than it adds to the atmosphere. But opponents insist these efforts will prolong the life of fossil-fuel plants, allow air and water pollution to continue, and create new health and environmental risks. This is our lateststoryto be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which were publishing each week onSpotifyandApple Podcasts. Just navigate toMIT Technology Review Narratedon either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as its released. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 How the Trump administration could hack your phone Spyware acquired by the US government in September could fairly easily be turned on its own citizens. (New Yorker$)+Heres how you can fight back against being digitally spied upon.(The Guardian)2 The DOJ is trying to force Google to sell off ChromeWhether Trump will keep pushing it through is unclear, though. (WP$)+Some financial and legal experts argue that just selling Chrome is not enough to address antitrust issues.(Wired$)3 Theres a booming AI pimping industryPeople are stealing videos from real adult content creators, giving them AI-generated faces, and monetizing their bodies. (Wired$)+This viral AI avatar app undressed mewithout my consent.(MIT Technology Review)4 Heres Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy plan for federal employeesLarge-scale firings and an end to any form of remote work. (WSJ$)5 The US is scaring everyone with its response to bird flu Its done remarkably little to show its trying to contain the outbreak. (NYT$)+Virologists are getting increasingly nervous about how it could evolve and spread. (MIT Technology Review) 6 AI could boost the performance of quantum computers A new model created by Google DeepMind is very good at correcting errors.(New Scientist$)+But AI could also make quantum computers less necessary.(MIT Technology Review)7 Biden has approved the use of anti-personnel mines in UkraineIt comes just days after he gave the go-ahead for it to use long-range missiles inside Russia. (Axios)+The US military has given a surveillance drone contract to a little-known supplier from Utah.(WSJ$)+The Danish military said its keeping a close eye on a Chinese ship in its waters after data cable breaches.(Reuters$)8 The number of new mobile internet users is stallingOnly about 57% of the worlds population is connected. (Rest of World)9 All of life on Earth descended from this single cell Our last universal common ancestor (or LUCA for short) was a surprisingly complex organism living 4.2 billion years ago. (Quanta)+Scientists are building a catalog of every type of cell in our bodies. (The Economist$)10 What its like to live with a fluffy AI petTry as we might, it seems we cant help but form attachments to cute companion robots. (The Guardian)Quote of the day The free pumpkins have brought joy to many. An example of the sort of stilted remarks made by a now-abandoned AI-generated news broadcaster at local Hawaii paper The Garden Island,Wiredreports.The big story How Bitcoin mining devastated this New York town GABRIELA BHASKAR April 2022 If you had taken a gamble in 2017 and purchased Bitcoin, today you might be a millionaire many times over. But while the industry has provided windfalls for some, local communities have paid a high price, as people started scouring the world for cheap sources of energy to run large Bitcoin-mining farms. It didnt take long for a subsidiary of the popular Bitcoin mining firm Coinmint to lease a Family Dollar store in Plattsburgh, a city in New York state offering cheap power. Soon, the company was regularly drawing enough power for about 4,000 homes. And while other miners were quick to follow, the problems had already taken root.Read the full story. Lois Parshley We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.) + Cultivatinggratitudeis a proven way to make yourself happier. + You cant beat ahot toddywhen its cold outside.+ If you like abandoned places and overgrown ruins,Jonathan Jimenezis the photographer for you.+ A lot changed betweenGladiator I and II, not least Hollywoods version of the male ideal.

The government is considering exempting newly-built council housing from the Right to Buy for a set period after completion, in one of several proposed reforms of the policy designed to help local authorities protect their stock.Angela Rayner has likened fixing the housing crisis without reforming the Right to Buy to trying to fill a bath when the plugs not in.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has today published a consultation paper outlining several ways the policy could be reformed. This follows Labours election manifesto pledge to increase protections on newly-built social housing.In todays paper, MHCLG is calling for views on whether newly-built social housing should be exempt. Currently council tenants can buy a home with a discount as soon as three years after they move into a property. The MHCLG paper says this disincentives councils from investing in new housing.MHCLG said stipulating any home built after a given date is exempt would be simple to understand and give councils greater confidence to build. However, it said this would remove the ability of a tenant from ever being to exercise their statutory Right to Buy, while the homes would not rationally be defined as new after a given period.>> Also read:Was Angela Rayner right to buy?Instead, it suggests newly-built social housing could be excluded for a set period of time, such as 10 or 20 years. The paper seeks feedback on what this time period should be.At-a-glance: Right to Buy consultationThe government is proposing an overhaul of the Right to Buy and is seeking feedback on proposals. The key measures include:Increasing the three-year minimum tenancy period for tenants to be eligible to apply under the scheme.Reviewing the current exemptions to the scheme and whether newly built social homes should be exempt for a given period of time (such as 10 or 20 years) to encourage council investment in new homes. MHCLG is also asking whether homes that have been improved through council investment to a high standard should also be exempt.Seeking views on the replacement of homes with an emphasis on more social rent homes and if there should be a target to replace all future sales on a one-for-one basis.Increasing the period in which councils have the right to ask for repayment of all or part of the discount received when a property is sold from five to ten years.From tomorrow:Discounts will be reduced to pre-2012 levelsThe cost floor protection period, under which discounts can be limited to avoid the price falling below what has been spent on building, repairing and maintaining properties,will be increased from 15 to 30 yearsThe paper asks for views on how council investment in retrofitting or improving homes to a high standard can be protected, and whether there should be an exemption for these homes.The government is also considering increasing the minimum amount of time a tenant has to have lived in a property in order to qualify for the Right to Buy from its current level of three years.It said: In order to deliver a fairer scheme that represents better value for money, the government thinks that the length of time someone needs to have been a public sector tenant should increase; a tenant occupying a property for three years is extremely unlikely to have paid rent that equates to the available discount.It asks for feedback on whether this period should be extended to five years, 10 years or more than 10 years.The consultation paper also seeks views on whether replacement homes should be for social rent, whether they should be the same size and in the same area and whether there should be a target to replace all future Right to Buy sales on a one-for-one basis.MHCLG is also asking whether the time period in which a council has the right to ask for repayment of discount upon sale of a property by a Right to Buy tenant should be increased from five to 10 years.The consultation is proposing changes to the minimum and maximum discounts as a percentage of the property value and applying the same rules to both houses and flats. It is also suggesting simplifying the receipts system to make it easier for councils to use this money to buy and build more social homes.The government has already taken steps to change some aspects of the policy, with some changes coming into effect tomorrow.This includes Right to Buy discounts returning to the levels they were at before the David Cameron-led coalition government increased them in 2012. Officials have estimated this will lead to Right to Buy sales falling to 1,700 a year, down from the 6,000 registered in 2023/24 and the average of 11,000 a year seen between 2014 and 2018.The government from tomorrow also increases the cost floor protection period from 15 to 30 years under which discounts can be limited to avoid the price falling below what has been spent on building, repairing and maintaining properties.Angela Rayner, deputy prime minister and housing secretary, said: Too many social homes have been sold off before they can be replaced, which has directly contributed to the worst housing crisis in living memory.We cannot fix the crisis without addressing this issue its like trying to fill a bath when the plugs not in. A fairer Right to Buy will help councils protect and increase their housing stock, while also keeping the pathway to home ownership there for those who otherwise might not have the opportunity to get on the housing ladder.The consultation closes on 15 January.Sector reactionAdam Hug, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA) said:The LGA has long-called for reform to Right to Buy as the system in its current format does not work for local authorities and those most in need of social housing.Steps taken by government already this year to amend the scheme are positive, and the measures set out today in this consultation will help further in supporting the replacement of sold homes and to stem the continued loss of existing stock.Councils are keen to deepen our collaboration with the government to increase affordable housing and help people on council housing waiting lists and record numbers stuck in temporary accommodation.Tracy Harrison, chief executive at Northern Housing Consortium said:With more than 420,000 households on social housing waiting lists in the North, more social homes are desperately needed, and we must protect those that we already have. Weve been consistently calling for reform to Right to Buy , so these changes are very welcome. They will help stem the loss of social homes and support local authorities to replace those that are sold.We particularly welcome the proposals to exempt newly build homes from the Right to Buy as this will help councils build with confidence. The confirmation that Right-to-Buy will not be extended to housing associations is also long overdue.Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) said:The CIH has been very concerned that there are now some 220,000 fewer homes available at social rents than there were a decade ago. The reforms announced today will help to turn this around. We have already welcomed the decision that councils can reinvest all their receipts from sales, and todays proposal for further measures to protect newly built homes from the Right to Buy will also help. The outcome from the various measures the government is taking should mean that the Right to Buy is a much more sustainable scheme than it has been since 2012.Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation (NHF) said:At a time when 4.2 million people are in need of social housing in England, we strongly support the governments aim to protect the countrys social housing and welcome confirmation that Right to Buy will not be extended to housing associations.Social housing is the only housing that is affordable to families on low incomes. Last year there were only 700 net new social homes due to sales through Right to Buy, whilst over 150,000 homeless children spent the night in temporary accommodation. We support peoples ambitions to own their own home and agree that routes to affordable ownership are important, but they must not come at the expense of our social housing which is a vital and increasingly scarce resource.Alongside these reforms, we look forward to working with the government on the long-term housing strategy that is needed to deliver its housing ambitions and build a generation of new social homes.

A survey of nearly 900 professionals found more than a third had experienced insults relating to protected characteristicsThe research found more than a third of all architectural professionals had experienced insults, stereotypes or jokes relating to protected characteristics.New research published by Arb has revealed staggering levels of discrimination and sexual misconduct experienced by architecture professionals in the workplace.A survey of 898 architecture professionals found higher levels of discrimination and sexual misconduct than in other sectors which publish similar research, including academia and parts of the medical profession.One in four female professionals have experienced unwelcome sexual advances and nearly two in five had experienced unwelcome sexual comments, while more than a third of all architectural professionals had experienced insults, stereotypes or jokes relating to protected characteristics, according to the survey.This number was found to be higher for women, at 53%, while 46% of both ethnic minorities and people with disabilities reported similar experiences.Despite the prevalence of workplace misconduct uncovered in the research, it found a third of all professionals would not feel confident raising concerns if they experienced or observed misconduct due to fears that it would not be taken seriously or would impact their career.The research was carried out by independent agency Thinks Insight & Strategy, which was appointed by Arb following concerns raised by architecture professionals during the regulators survey on its education reforms.Arb chair Alan Kershaw said the body had been appalled at the findings of the research, which included detailed interviews with 15 survey participants.He said: Architects play a vital role in society. The public rely on their competence and need them to behave ethically, to treat people with respect, and to raise concerns should they have any.The vast majority of architects are good professionals who behave ethically. But we are appalled to learn that many of them suffer higher levels of discrimination and sexual misconduct than some other professions.There is a clear need for leadership here; all professionals in the built environment sector need to support a better culture for a better built environment.In response to the findings, Arb now plans to set firmer professional standards for architects through its new code of conduct and practice and include supplementary guidance on leadership and inclusion.The regulator said it will also provide tools to support professionals in raising concerns and challenging unethical behaviour, and collaborate with other sector leaders to promote changes in behaviours and conduct.Examples given by participants indicate issues of workplace misconduct span the wider built environment sector, with some professionals reporting inappropriate behaviours on construction sites or in client meetings, with others sharing experiences which started at university.RIBA president Muyiwa Oki said the evidence made it clear that the entire profession must act.RIBA is deeply concerned by the findings of ARBs research, which reveals widespread discrimination and sexual misconduct in the profession. This type of behaviourcannotand will notbe ignored, Oki said.He added that championing workplace wellbeing was a priority for RIBA, which is preparing to publish findings of its own investigation, and that the institure was ready to take bold steps.Mark Thompson, managing partner at Ryder Architecture, said the research starkly illustrates the failures of our sector and the importance of embedding a tangible shift in mindset.The architectural community needs to wake up to the damage it is causing to its people, quality of work and reputation through the persistence of toxic behaviours, he said.

Danny Campbell - Hoko founder with Hoko blue bricks (September 2021) Source:&nbsp Jeff HolmesScottish celebrity architect Danny Campbell said he had learned lots after being reprimanded by the ARB over a conflict of interest at his architecture company, Hoko Design The BBC Scotland Home of The Year host says he has scaled back his business after being handed the sanction at a hearing of the ARBs professional conduct committee, held between 28 and 30 October in Glasgow.The committee concluded that Campbell failed to appropriately manage a conflict of interest at his 2016-founded architecture firm, Hoko Design, which arose over a property development project in Giffnock, in Scotlands Central Lowlands, between 2020 and 2022.The hearing heard how the client on the project selected a second company, also owned by Campbell, Hoko Build, to be contractor on his project without understanding the conflict of interest between the companies. The client, who later terminated the contract, said he only realised the extent of the conflict of interest after the project had fallen well behind schedule.AdvertisementCampbell was director and majority shareholder for both companies, as well as a third company, Hoko Shop, which were all separate legal entities but were collectively intended to provide a one stop shop for clients seeking design, build and shopping resources for small domestic projects. The self-billed Uber of architecture was featured in the AJ in 2020.The ARB concluded that Campbells actions breached the standards of the Architects Code on three counts, including failing to recognise a conflict of interest, and failing to adequately supervise the Hoko Design employee who was overseeing the project.However, the panel concluded that Campbell's failings were not deliberate. It stated: This was not a wilful disregard of regulatory obligations but was an error from an architect at the start of his career.Moreover, the ARB said Campbell has since shown empathy towards the client, been reflective of his practice, and had taken corrective steps, including closing Hoko Build.The panel said it was satisfied that Campbell had set up his company with an intention to create a better service for clients, and that profit, while an inevitable goal, was not intended to be at the expense of clients interests.AdvertisementIt said this was demonstrated by Hoko Designs tendering method, which was deliberately designed to prevent [Hoko Design] from having an unfair advantage by knowing the value of competitors tenders.The committee chose to impose a reprimand as its sanction against Campbell, which it said is appropriate for cases at the lower end of seriousness.Responding to the outcome, Campbell told the AJ that he took full responsibility for the project in question, and had since scaled back his businesses to operate solely as Hoko Design, which now outsources all construction work.The architect said: While it was not a project I was involved in, and there was sufficient oversight with six architects within the team at that time, I take full responsibility as the owner of the company. Its important to note this was during a period marked by the pandemics significant project backlog and challenges in securing tradespeople.Hoko has worked with more than 1,000 homeowners and this is the first time weve had a dealing with the ARB and we've learned lots from the process that is making the business better.Hoko Design and Hoko Build, though part of the same ownership structure, operated as distinct entities managing different aspects of projects. The oversight of these structures followed standard industry practices designed to streamline operations and make the process more seamless for homeowners.Being faced with the logistical barriers of making this a reality, we have scaled back our operations and Hoko design is now the sole entity of the business. We now fully outsource building on every project.2024-11-21Anna Highfieldcomment and share

The Kent-based architects' proposals for a new 1,439m2 workshop and museum for rocking horse maker the Stevenson Brothers has secured approval from Ashford Borough Council. Councillors unanimously backed the plans.Hollaway submitted two applications for the site in Bethersden, High Halden: one for a new museum, a workshop and 22 homes south of the village; and a separate application for nine homes to replace existing work spaces.The new workshop and museum includes a caf, farm shop and views of the rocking horse making process.AdvertisementThe existing workshop in the village, south west of Ashford town centre, will be demolished to make way for nine affordable one and two-bed flats in two three-storey buildings on a 0.1ha plot.The practice told the AJ that the 6.8 ha museum and workshop site was an opportunity to demonstrate [the] genuine craftmanship of the 40-year-old firm, which made rocking horses for the late Queen.Hollaway added that the housing provision would enable the redevelopment of the Stevenson Brothers workshop. The scheme also brings all parts of the manufacturing process together on one site alongside new homes and associated landscaping, biodiversity gains and landscaping improvements.Hollaways schemes were recommended for approval by Ashford council ahead of committee, with planning officers saying they would deliver an addition to the councils 5 Year Housing supply, which it cannot currently demonstrate.The planning report added the homes represented a social benefit that would contribute to the governments target to significantly boost the supply of homes [and] Such homes would be affordable which would address the needs of groups with specific housing requirements.AdvertisementLast year, Hollaway Studios 17 million F51 skatepark in Folkestone was crowned the best new building in the RIBAs South East region.

Visual effects supervisor Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser discusses the collaborative effort to make Alien fans scream once more.By Dan Brooks(Credit: 20th Century Studios)Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser remembers it well. It was summer 1979. He was 12 years old. Two years prior, Star Wars: A New HopeAlien and he was dying to see it, though he was too young to buy a ticket and his parents refused to take him. As such, Sepulveda-Fauser did what any underage cinema-obsessed kid would: he snuck in to see it at Los Angeles vaunted Egyptian Theatre.I remember the impact that it had on me, he tells ILM.com. It was the first movie that I saw where I said, Oh my God, thats what a real alien movie is about.Cut to 2024, and Sepulveda-Fauser is now a visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic, having led the companys Sydney studio in work on Alien: Romulus. For him, Alien will always be about the feeling of Ridley Scotts original film and, thankfully, Alien: Romulus director Fede lvarez thought the same.When Fede described his idea of making it like the original, it was just one of those realizations where its like, man, I get to recreate that childhood moment, in a way, Sepulveda-Fauser says. The result was a 40-year full circle for me.Alien: Romulus arrived in theaters August 16 and quickly became a bona-fide box-office hit; as the movie continued its impressive run, Sepulveda-Fauser spoke with ILM.com about his approach to Romulus visual effects and the secrets behind some of its most memorable sequences.Concept art by Amy Beth Christenson (Credit: ILM & 20th Century Studios)Back to basicsThe seventh film in the Alien series, Alien: Romulus takes place between the events of the original film and Aliens (1986), and follows a group of young Weyland-Yutani colony workers eager to abscond to a better life. At the heart of Alien: Romulus are Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her adopted brother, Andy (David Jonsson), who just happens to be a kind-hearted but damaged robot. A chance at escape leads the crew to an abandoned spacecraft, but instead of freedom they find unexpected terrors including our old friend, the xenomorph.Romulus leans into the series horror roots and, from the beginning, lvarez and Sepulveda-Fauser were in alignment on how it all should look.From the get-go, from the day that I met him, one of the very first things that he said was, I dont want this thing to feel CG. I want this creature to feel real. If it doesnt feel real, its not going to be scary. So the goal was to get as many practical elements in camera as we could. Everything else that we needed to build in computer graphics had to work around that, and integrate into photography seamlessly. This would be a stark contrast to 2017s Alien: Covenant, the last film in the series, which relied heavily on digital effects and creatures. For Romulus, Legacy Effects was on board to handle the practical elements, with ILM and Weta FX creating the visual effects for various sequences.Director Fede lvarez. Photo by Murray Close. (Credit: 20th Century Studios)Under this ethos, the main challenge for Sepulveda-Fauser, as well as production visual effects supervisor Eric Barba, was matching ILMs visual effects to Legacys practical work; if they were successful, audiences would not be able to tell where one stopped and the other started. This includes not just creatures, but sets and starships. lvarez had the model shop create miniatures of the Corbelan ship, research center, and the EV, which Sepulveda-Fauser used to create digital replicas for the movie. The tricky part was keeping the character of a practical model in the close-ups, he notes.First and foremost, however, was bringing the xenomorph back to life.Bigger ChapWhen it came to realizing the xenomorph, Alien: Romulus used just about every trick in the book. There was a man-in-a-suit version, a bunraku puppet, and an electronic build. Scenes requiring more fluid movement, however, meant ILM would have to work its magic.The Legacy puppets are beautiful up close. They hold up really well. But as soon as we have to incorporate specific body movements, we have to jump in with visual effects, Sepulveda-Fauser says. When the xenomorph is in motion, we cant get a practical creature of that size to perform some of the movements required for an action sequence. In the elevator shaft sequence, for example, when hes getting shot or when he catches Rain or hes coming toward her, those scenes are a blend of our wide and medium close-ups with practical effects. We had to match the xenomorph model perfectly so we could have closeups cut between practical and CG.(Credit: 20th Century Studios)Still, Sepulveda-Fauser and his team took care not to overdo it, always looking at the original Big Chap, as the xenomorph was called during production of Alien, as a guide, as well as those in James Camerons Aliens for reference.Fede always said, I want this alien to be creepy. He didnt want over-exaggerated motion on the creature, Sepulveda-Fauser explains. His concern was that as soon as it moves too much or too fast, we take the audience out of the movie. We start feeling that CG on the screen. He wanted creepier movements. Thats why theres the slow crawling on the walls. The slower movements make it feel creepier, strange. The creature is doing something impossible its crawling on a wall yet we had to make it feel possible, ominous, and weird.Ultimately, having Legacys new builds proved to be the best reference.I mean, seeing a practical creature on set is inspiring. Youre seeing it under real, live conditions and in real action, he says. You see it and think, We know exactly what this xeno needs to look like, and we did. We replicated it as faithfully as we could to a real living creature.Facehugger strollOne of the more tense sequences of Alien: Romulus finds Rain, Andy, and friends tip-toeing through a frigid corridor, hoping to avoid the attention of the crafts resident Facehuggers. Throughout, the creepy crawlies move slowly, tapping their finger-like appendages, before finally becoming alert to their guests presence and launching a spine-tingling attack.Thats funny, because that sequence was shot in a couple of different spots, Sepulveda-Fauser notes. I shot a lot of that second unit, and that was in conjunction with some puppet work for the Facehuggers. There were Facehuggers that were set up in crates by the Weta puppeteers and the actors performed through the rest of the set imagining the CG huggers that we would fill in. When you look at that sequence, its a combination of, again, jumping from practicals to all CG. The Facehugger was another creature that we had to match absolutely perfectly.Animating the Facehuggers is one case where ILM broke a bit from the original films, feeling the creatures could use a bit more fluidity to satisfy Fedes vision.In some cases when we saw that action of the Facehugger on set, it was obvious that it was a puppet. Although that was desirable in many cases, after a while the director realized this sequence was not going to be super exciting with things on wheels rolling along chasing these guys, Sepulveda-Fauser says. So we had to work out different Hugger run cycles for the chase. That took some time and experimentation, because it needed to both look like a mechanical thing, so it could pass as practical, and also it needed to follow this very specific action that the director wanted. We went through tons and tons of experimentation on how to make that work and, finally, we landed on something that Fede was really happy with, because they still look like they could be animatronic. We always kept it to some grounded reality.The x-rayFeatured prominently in the movies trailer is a particularly disturbing scene: the crews pilot, Navarro, uses an x-ray wand to scan her own chest, and finds something alive inside. Its a clever spin on the series classic chestburster scenes of old and, to work, it had to look both believable and creepy.When the creature guys came on to do the chestburster, everybody was really excited because they were doing tests on the side and it was the first time we were seeing something so iconic to Alien in a scene, recalls Sepulveda-Fauser. It was a good feeling, Were going to do it like they did in the original. When Fede came up with the idea of the x-ray, it was even more exciting because weve never seen what this looks like from the inside. How exactly do we do that? So we digitally-built all of Navarros skeletal, muscular, circulatory structure, as well as organs. We researched the look of an x-ray, and we worked up the ideas in compositing, with animation to match the original puppet, broke some ribs, and popped it through. It was a quick moment but pretty neat.Considering its heavy use in promoting Alien: Romulus, I submit to Sepulveda-Fauser that this scene played a large role in getting fans new and old excited for the movie.It was a new take on the chestbuster and he made it terrifying in a different way, Sepulveda-Fauser says. I remember the original movie. You didnt know what was going to happen, then all of a sudden, blam! This guys on the table and the alien pops out of his chest and everybody in the audience goes bonkers. You couldnt do that again. If you recreate it, its not going to be as effective. So setting it up with Navarro, again feeling sick, you kind of know whats going to happen, but you actually dont know whats going to happen. The reveal of the creature from the inside was a great idea. That was the scary moment. Understanding this thing is ready to pop out. We werent repeating the original, were scaring you in a slightly different way, and I thought that was really cool.Zero-G journeyIn a movie filled with action set pieces, this might be the standout. Following a shootout with a xenomorph swarm, Rain must navigate from one end of a hall to another all in zero gravity while the creatures acid blood floats dangerously around her. Initially, however, it was meant to be a much smaller sequence.That was an interesting one because Fede had a really specific idea of what he wanted, explains Sepulveda-Fauser. In the beginning when we were first understanding the effect, it was a lot more subdued. It was going to be some alien blood in zero-g. But its a big action sequence and Rains had this big fight. There was a lot going on. The acid effect needed to have more character and quickly developed into, No, the acid is an actor in this scene. This is a very, very scary moment. Its got to be something else, it needs to be frightening, turbulent, its got to be an immediate danger that they cant pass. And it needs to perform with intensity and visual impact.To achieve the intensity of the redesigned sequence, Sepulveda-Fausers Sydney team worked closely with ILMs San Francisco studio.We worked hard with the team in San Francisco to put all this together, he says. There were a lot of requirements there. We were in zero-g, it needed to be terrifying, it needed to come toward our actors, to look impassable, but they still needed to be able to somehow make it through. We also needed a moving air current to affect the acid swirling in zero-g. So there was a lot of choreography needed. It took a lot of development and experimentation to get the recipe for realism so that it didnt feel magical as in a Harry Potter movie. It was easy to go into a fantasy world really quick with this effect. We finally came to a setup that I believe was successful, so that it sold the idea that this was possible as kind of a funnel of real acid happening within the set.Signing offThanks to the success of Alien: Romulus, now the highest-grossing horror film of the year, the future seems bright for the xenomorph and our favorite space horror franchise. Though its gratifying for Sepulveda-Fauser, the reward is in the work on-screen.It makes me really proud to say that the Sydney team put this together, Sepulveda-Fauser concludes. Im a little older now. Ive been at ILM for 20 years and in the industry for 30-plus years. A lot of the people that I worked with are of course a bit younger and very, very excited about what we do. To see that new generation of talent embracing traditional methods of filmmaking and adding to it is inspiring. This was one of those shows where youre looking back at film history, looking back at a historic movie, and having to produce something new that still touches back to that with fidelity. This team really put in a thousand percent to make that happen. We achieved something memorable, hopefully for the audiences but even more so for us as big fans. It was a difficult task and it was an easy thing to not get right. But the crew got it right. They worked so hard and put so much care and love into it, that it worked. I really am proud of this work. Its likely one of the best projects that Ive ever worked on.Dan Brooks is a writer who loves movies, comics, video games, and sports. A member of the Lucasfilm Online team for over a decade, Dan served as senior editor of both StarWars.com and Lucasfilm.com, and is a co-author of DK Publishings Star Wars Encyclopedia. Follow him on Instagram at @therealdanbrooks and X at @dan_brooks.

When to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns?Thursday, Nov. 21, at 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT).Where to watchThe Steelers-Browns game will stream live on Amazon Prime Video and for free on Twitch. Fans in the home markets of each team can also watch on their local channel. See at Amazon Thursday Night Football each week, for $9 a month Amazon Prime Video See at Amazon See more details See at YouTube TV Carries ABC and NBC for $73 a month YouTube TV See at YouTube TV See more details See at Hulu Plus Live TV Carries ABC and NBC for $83 a month Hulu Plus Live TV See at Hulu Plus Live TV See more details See at DirecTV Stream Carries ABC and NBC for $87 a month DirecTV Stream See at DirecTV Stream See more details See at Fubo Carries ABC and NBC for $92 or $95 per month Fubo See at Fubo See more details See at Sling TV Carries ABC and NBC for $45 a month in select markets Sling TV Blue See at Sling TV See more details Table of Contents It's hard to call it a rivalry when it's been so one-sided. The Steelers have dominated their division rivals for decades, and this year is shaping up to be a continuation of this trend. Winners of five straight, the Steelers are 8-2 and in first place in the AFC North behind a strong defense and a resurgence from veteran QB Russell Wilson.Meanwhile, the Browns have cratered this season. They are 2-8 and in last place in the division after reaching the playoffs last season. They are rocketing toward a top pick in next year's draft despite spending more in player salaries for this year's team than any team in league history, with a large portion of that spending going toward the worst contract in NFL history, if not of any sport ever.The Steelers-Browns game kicks off in Clevelandtonight at 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT). The game will stream nationally on Prime Video and for free on Twitch. Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Cleveland Browns tonight on Thursday Night Football. Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesKeep reading to see your options for watching Thursday Night Football on Prime Video, Twitch, NFL Plus and -- if you live in the home markets of the Steelers or Browns -- a local network channel.With YouTube and YouTube TV the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket, along with games also streaming on Paramount Plus, Peacock and ESPN Plus, there's lots for NFL fans to keep track of this season. Check out our picks for the best live TV streaming services for NFL fans in 2024.TNF streaming: Prime Video, Twitch and NFL PlusThursday Night Football games are streamed nationally on Amazon Prime Video, giving NFL fans more incentive than free two-day shipping to sign up for an Amazon Prime account, which costs $15 a month or $139 a year. You can also subscribe only to Prime Video for $9 a month. AmazonFans in the local markets of each team playing on Thursday night will be able to watch the game on an over-the-air station, while those who don't pay for either of Amazon's services can watch for free on Prime Video's Twitch channel. (Twitch is also owned by Amazon.)If you subscribe to NFL Plus, the league's $7-per-month streaming service (or $15 a month with Red Zone included), you can also stream the game without subscribing to Prime or Prime Video. Note that NFL Plus viewing is limited to watching on just a phone or tablet, not on a computer or TV. Amazon Thursday Night Football games are streamed live on Amazon Prime Video. For millions of Amazon Prime subscribers, the Prime Video channel is already included at no extra cost. But if you're not an Amazon Prime subscriber, it might be worth it to shell out the $9 a month for the stand-alone Prime Video service, not only for football but also its impressive selection ofshowsand movies.Read our Amazon Prime Video review. See at Amazon Can I watch Thursday Night Football on local TV?Yes, you can, if you live in the local market of either of the teams playing on Thursday. For this week, that's NBC 11 (WPXI) in Pittsburgh and ABC 5 (WEWS) in Cleveland, according to 506 Sports. There are two ways to watch local channels on your TV without cable or satellite TV. The first is with a live TV streaming service. And the second is with an over-the-air antenna, if you live in an area that has good reception.Each of the five major live TV streaming services carry ABC and NBC, but not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries ABC or NBC in your area. Sarah Tew/CNET YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes ABC and NBC. Right now, the first two months are discounted to $50 a month and there is a 7-day free trial. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV's welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. Read our YouTube TV review. See at YouTube TV Sarah Tew/CNET Hulu Plus Live TV costs $83 after a recent price hikeand includes ABC and NBC in most markets. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the "Can I watch local news in my area?" question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get. Read our Hulu Plus Live TV review. See at Hulu Plus Live TV Directv stream DirecTV Stream's basic $87-a-month package includes ABC and NBC in most markets. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV Stream review. See at DirecTV Stream Fubo Fubo costs $80 a month and includes ABC and NBC, but Fubocharges an RSN fee(either $12 a month if you get one RSN or $15 a month if you have two or more in your area) that raises the monthly charge to $92 or $95. Fubo is currently offering $30 off for the first month of some of its plans, which means you can get its base Pro plan for $62 or $65 to start.Click hereto see which local channels you get.Read our Fubo review. See at Fubo Sling/CNET Sling TV's Sling Blue package includes local ABC and NBC channels but only in a handful of markets. Sling Blue costs $45 a month in markets where it offers local networks and $40 elsewhere.Read our Sling TV review. See at Sling TV All the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out ourlive TV streaming services guide.

A bag of wilted greens is a familiar sight in my fridge. While it does provide a biological excuse not to eat my greens and chow down on some fried chicken or pizza instead, it's ultimately a waste of money and does nothing for my overall health goals. But what if you could keep those expensive salad greens from going bad in what feels like hours? To learn more about food freshness, I tapped the expertise ofManzExecutive Chef Pedro Cajas for the best salad greens and produce storage tips to take back to the US. Here are Cajas' expert tips for keeping greens, yellows and reds from turning brown.1. Store greens at the right temp Food storage containers add an extra layer of protection for certain produce. vgajic/Getty Images"Ideally, the temperature to store greens is between 36 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit" to prolong freshness," recommends Cajas. Anything cooler or warmer and you'll run the risk of greens wilting or freezing.2. Dry greens completely before storing Make sure greens and herbs are washed and completely dry if you plan to store them in the fridge. Halfpoint/Getty ImagesIf you wash your greens or they have residual moisture, be sure to thoroughly dry your produce before they are stored. "Proper drying prevents excess moisture, which can cause wilting, and helps keep your ingredients crisp for longer," said Cajas.3. Separate fruits from veggiesFruits such as apples and peaches emit ethylene gas, which can cause the greens that surround them to break down more quickly. Keep fruits and veggies separate either in different drawers or produce bags within the drawers.4. Minimize knife contact Don't prechop produce before storing it in the fridge. MisenIf you can, don't prechop your salads or buy oversized bags of lettuce. "Cutting can accelerate their decomposition," reveals Cajas, who also advises home cooks to handle greens with care during meal preparation. Once something is sliced, diced, chopped or even massaged, it releases its moisture and immediately speeds up the process of wilting.Read more:You Have Too Many Kitchen Knives. Here Are the 4 You Need.5. Utilize the crisperThis drawer retains the most humidity in your fridge, which maintains moisture while preventing salad leaves and other vegetables from completely drying out.Climate is everything Tomatoes don't always need to be stored in a refrigerator but a warmer local climate may cause them to spoil faster. James Martin/CNET Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Many fruits and vegetables can survive outside of a refrigerator, local climate should ultimately dictate the decision to forego modern technology. "In our restaurant, all the ingredients we use for salads require refrigeration due to the high temperatures in the area."This is especially true in Santa Teresa, where the intense heat affects the freshness of the vegetables," explains Cajas. "In other areas, such as San Jos, some items, like cherry tomatoes, could be kept without refrigeration, but in our case, all our ingredients are refrigerated."Curious to know which foods can stand up to their natural environments? Check out our complete guide on foods that don't need to be kept in the refrigerator.Fresh is best The less time your produce spent traveling from farm to fridge, the longer it should stay edible after purchase. bhofack2/Getty ImagesThe less time traveling from farm to plate, the longer the lifespan. Consider shopping for produce at farmer's markets where notoriously fragile and flimsy ingredients such as herbs and salad greens may have been harvested as early as that morning."Costa Rica, with its tropical climate and variety of microclimates, allows for the availability of fresh produce nearly year-round," shares Cajas. "We respect closed seasons to ensure the growth and reproduction of species, which our customers greatly appreciate. Although some products have a specific season, such as Costa Rican guava and pitaya, we generally have access to a wide range of fresh ingredients thanks to the country's natural conditions. This abundance enriches our menu offerings and allows our guests to always enjoy fresh, authentic flavors," he adds.Greens that don't turn to mush now that's pura vida.

November 21, 20243 min readChimps Share Knowledge Like Humans Do, Spurring InnovationFemale chimps who migrate to new social groups bring skills and technology with them, helping to drive development of increasingly complex tool setsBy Rachel NuwerWestern chimpazee female "Fana" aged 54 years shows her grandson 'Flanle' aged 3 years how to crack open palm oil nuts in Bossou Forest, Mont Nimba, Guinea. Nature Picture Library/Alamy Stock PhotoChimpanzees live in fiercely hierarchical social communities whose male members remain within the same group over time. To prevent inbreeding, females migrate to new communities when they reach adulthood. They bring with them not only new genes but also new knowledge.As this process repeated itself across thousands of years, female chimpanzees played an integral role in driving cultural innovation, a new study reports. Females spread behaviors between communities, and those behaviors were recombined with existing traditions to create layers of innovation that resulted in increasingly complex and advanced tool sets.The new research shows that humans are not the only species capable of building on innovations over time to make them more efficient, says Cassandra Gunasekaram, a doctoral student in evolutionary biology at the University of Zurich and lead author of the study, which was published in Science. Additionally, she says, the research demonstrates the importance of social links between different populations of chimpanzees for driving the complexity of culture.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.As recently as the 1990s, the idea that nonhuman animals could exhibit the distinct, socially learned behaviors that constitute culture was controversial. Numerous examples of animal culture are now known, including a diversity of bird song dialects, whale vocalizations and honeybee waggle dance moves.The new chimpanzee paper shows an example of cumulative culture, however, which is different. Cumulative culture refers to knowledge that is transmitted from generation to generation, enabling the development of increasingly sophisticated new technologies that result from gradual accumulation of new ideas and breakthroughs, contributed by multiple minds. The products of cumulative culture are usually so complex that it would be virtually impossible for a single individual to invent them. Computers are an example: they have gained in complexity and efficiency as researchers have iterated and built on what came before to the point that no person could create one with todays standards completely from scratch.Cumulative culture is still primarily considered to be a feature of human society. Some researchers have begun to question that assumption, however, and this latest research supports that cumulative culture might be found in some other species. Like humans, chimpanzees seem to have the capacity to exchange and combine ideas, says the studys co-senior author Andrea Migliano, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Zurich. She adds, however, that the amount of cultural knowledge that the animals can accumulate is limited by their hierarchical social structures, restricted migration among groups and lack of spoken language.To perform the new study, Migliano, Gunasekaram and their colleagues turned to a preexisting open dataset maintained by the Pan-African Program, a chimpanzee research consortium. They used genetic data from 240 individual chimpanzees from 35 different communities, representing all four subspecies, to trace past encounters among the animals. First, the researchers reconstructed 5,000 years of ancestry by analyzing segments of DNA that indicated common relatives and got broken into smaller pieces across generations. Next, they traced population links back 15,000 years by tracking genetic variants that occurred in individual groups but were rare in others.In addition to the genetic analyses, they also built a map of 15 foraging behaviors across chimpanzee populations. They divided the behaviors into three categories: the simplest behaviors involved no tools; intermediate examples relied on a single tool; and the most complex ones depended on a sophisticated tool set. An example of a complex tool set comprised a multistep approach to accessing beehives inside trees by using different tools for pounding open a hive, breaking into its inner chamber and swabbing up the honey for collection.Finally, the researchers overlaid and compared these networks of acquired datagenetic relatedness and cultural similaritiesto see whether one predicted the other, providing possible confirmation for cumulative culture. When the simplest behaviors were included, they found no corresponding evidence of genetic exchanges between groups. When only the most complex behaviors were analyzed, however, they found a clear correlation with female migrations. This suggests that females moving to a new group play a role in driving innovation and fits the hypothesis that social transmission between groups is necessary for the development of only the most sophisticated tools, not the simpler ones, Migliano says. The big pattern were seeing is: if its complex, its really correlating with migration and is unlikely to be reinvented, she adds.This project provides the best evidence yet that wild chimp traditions really are cultural and that they can, and have, evolved cumulatively, says Thomas Morgan, an evolutionary anthropologist at Arizona State University, who was not involved in the work. The past few decades have seen the emergence of the idea that cumulative cultural change is our species secret incredeint, but recent work, including this project, is really changing that view.

November 21, 20245 min readNew Bird Flu Cases in Young People Are Raising Concerns about Mutating VirusCanadas first human case of bird flu has left a teenager in critical condition as human infections continue to emerge in the western U.S.By Lauren J. YoungThree influenza A H5N1/bird flu virus particles. Layout incorporates two CDC transmission electron micrographs that have been repositioned and colorized by NIAID. Imago/NIH-NIAID/Image Point FR/BSIP/Alamy Stock PhotoSince a strain of avian influenza was first detected in U.S. dairy cows this past spring, it has caused relatively mild illness in humans, with most cases seen in farmworkers who were directly exposed to sick dairy cows or poultry. But two unusual cases in children who had no known prior contact with infected animals are increasing scientists concerns that the infections foreshadow a larger public health threat. On Tuesday a child in California with a mild infection tested positive for low levels of a bird flu virus that is most likely H5N1. And Canadian health officials announced last week that a teenager in British Columbia who was hospitalized with bird flu was in critical conditionthe countrys first locally acquired infection.Were not containing the outbreak, says Seema Lakdawala, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Emory University School of Medicine. Most likely this British Columbian case is not going to be the only time a kid is hospitalized with H5N1.In both cases, family members and close contacts have tested negative for the virus, and officials report no evidence of person-to-person transmission. The Canadian teen, whose age and sex have been withheld, initially had symptoms similar to other cases reported so far: fever, coughing and conjunctivitisan eye infection thats been common with bird flu. The teen later developed acute respiratory distress, however, despite having no underlying health issues. A person in Missouri with a history of chronic respiratory illness tested positive for bird flu while hospitalized for gastrointestinal symptoms in September.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has logged 52 bird flu cases in people since April 2024. But experts suspect this is likely an undercount. A recent CDC study of 115 dairy workers exposed to infected cows found 7 percent of them had antibodies for H5N1 even though half of those didnt report any symptoms.Though the study was conducted with a relatively small sample of farmworkers, what it highlights for us is that we are obviously underestimating the number of human infections, Lakdawala says. A lot of infections that are maybe asymptomatic or quite mild dont always produce a strong antibody response, which could mean the studys antibody test may have missed some cases.Scientific American spoke with influenza experts about recent bird flu cases in humans, preliminary genetic information and the risk of exposure and infection.Animal SpilloversThe strain of H5N1 currently circulating in North America was mostly contained to wild migratory birds before it started to spill over around 2022 into other animal populations, such as minks, bears, foxes and marine mammals. Currently in the U.S. the virus has largely been affecting dairy cows and poultry.I think whats really changed since this particular strain emerged is its somewhat unique ability to cross over and infect a lot of different mammals, says Stacey Schultz-Cherry, who studies the ecology of influenza in animals and birds at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. There have been reports quite a long time ago of occasional spillover, but nothing quite like were seeing now.H5N1 can be very deadly in poultry, whereas cows usually recover from their symptoms, which include fever, dehydration and abnormal milk production. The variety of animals plagued by H5N1 so far poses a problem in tracing sources of human infection, Lakdawala says.Source Tracing TroublesInvestigations are currently underway to identify the sources of infection for the child in California and the teen in Canada. Neither reported any known recent exposure to sick wild or farm animals or pets. A Canadian health official said in a press conference on November 12 that its a very real possibility investigators will never be able to confirm the source. A sick wild bird may not show any symptoms, for instance, Schultz-Cherry says.Genetic sequencing of emerging strains is offering some clues. Test results of the strain that caused illness in the teen suggests it is similar to the one currently circulating in poultry in Canada. Some scientists flagged a specific mutation in the sequence thats known to be important for altering the viruss receptor preferencepossibly allowing it to bind more readily to human cells. A genetic change associated with viral adaptation to mammals was seen in the analysis of another recent human case in Texas, Lakdawala says. What this means is that the virus is adapting to humans to gain mammalian genetic signatures, she suggests. We need to stop the amount of H5N1 in animal species, particularly in cattle and poultry farms, to reduce the amount of possible exposures and spillovers into humans. This will prevent the virus from taking so many shots on goal to reach an optimal mammalian fitness.Bird flu remains a relatively low risk for most people, but those who work directly with sick dairy cows or poultry are at higher risk. Sustained person-to-person transmission of H5N1 hasnt been observed, but Schultz-Cherry says its important to closely monitor the virus for any genetic changes that would allow it to gain that ability or cause increased disease severity.Understanding Severe InfectionIn previous outbreaks, H5N1 has caused severe disease and occasionally death in people, Schultz-Cherry says. With the exception of the hospitalized teen, weve been very lucky that these events have been [mostly] mild, but it is a bit different than what we had seen historically, and we dont know why. Canadian health officials suggested that the teenagers critical condition may hint that the virus could be more severe in younger age groups. But the ages of the young people with recent casesand most of the human bird flu cases this yearhavent been made public, which further complicates experts ability to understand the risk of severe disease.Lakdawalas team has investigated the role of preexisting immunityprotection developed from past infections such as seasonal fluon H5N1 disease progression. The findings, which are currently under peer review, suggest older people may have more antibody cross-reactivitythe ability of antibodies that are originally primed to seasonal influenza to also respond to H5N1compared with younger individuals. That could be because younger children havent encountered flu infections such as these before, Lakdawala explains. Our immune responses are going to see [a virus] differently based on our prior immunity, she says, but adds, I dont know what this [Canadian] individuals prior immunity was like. Schultz-Cherry and Lakdawala say its too early to draw any conclusions with such limited data and information.There are several tactics people and farmworkers with high risk of exposure in particular can take to lower their risk of infection. Washing hands, disinfecting surfacesincluding milking and farming equipmentand using protective gear can help. People in general should keep themselvesand their petsaway from dead wild birds or animals and avoid consuming raw milk and raw cheeses. Getting a seasonal flu vaccine is also particularly important this year, Schultz-Cherry says. We want to do everything possible to avoid giving [the H5N1 virus] an opportunity to reassort in a person or animal infected with seasonal flu, she says. Could they actually share genetic material and cause a new virus to emerge? I think thats the biggest concern as we move into the human seasonal influenza time.