LIVE NOW on #CreateWithMaxon! Dive into the world of 3D, and get familiar with the #Cinema4D interface and navigation. Learn how to create and change geometric shapes with Deformers and explore the importance of clean topology. Discover how Generators can add more organic or complex details to your mesh. Watch now! DOWNLOAD FREE PROJECT FILES HERE! https://maxonvfx.com/files_c4d_fundamentals In this episode youll dive into the world of 3D, get familiar with th...

A Mouse With Two Dads and a New Frontier for Biology | Katsuhiko Hayashi | TED

The researchers of the paper, Matthew Adeleye, University of Cambridge, and David Bowman, University of Tasmania, study a sediment core. Simon HaberleToday, the island of Tasmania lies across the Bass Strait from southern Australia, but once, the two were connected by a land bridge. When humans first reached Tasmanias rugged coastlines and mixed forests approximately 40,000 years ago, it was the southernmost place our species had ever settled. The Palawa/Pakana communitiesTasmanian Indigenous peoplescall this island Lutruwita.Now, new evidence from charcoal and pollen provides the earliest known record of humans using fire on Tasmania. The discovery predates the previous oldest evidence of fire use on the island by about 1,700 years and demonstrates how these early Aboriginal communities shaped their environment through fire.In a new study published this month in Science Advances, researchers show these early people used fire to shape and modify Tasmanias dense and wet forest. By analyzing sediment coreslong, cylindrical samples of dirt that capture environmental conditions across timescientists were able to analyze the pollen and charcoal that had built up.They both, surprisingly, went back quite a long waylonger than most other records in the region have been found to go, says study co-author Simon Haberle, a paleoecologist at the Australian National University, to Cosmos Ellen Phiddian. The records also gave a glimpse into how vegetation and fire changed over the past 50,000 years or more, he adds.Researchers analyzed ancient mud from islands that would have been part of the land bridge that linked Australia and Tasmania during the last ice age. The mud showed an increase in charcoal from fires 41,600 years ago, followed by different types of pollen 40,000 years ago, revealing a major change in vegetation. This suggests Aboriginal communities were clearing the forests to create open spaces, potentially for subsistence.Fire is an important tool, and it would have been used to promote the type of vegetation or landscape that was important to them, says lead author Matthew Adeleye, a paleoecologist at the University of Cambridge in England, in a statement. It would have helped the early communities manage forests as they migrated.Previously, the oldest known archaeological evidence of humans in Tasmania was from sediment in a cave,where researchers had found charcoal, animal bones and stone tools dating to roughly 39,900 years ago.But the new paper extends that record deeper into the past.The findings are part of a growing body of research showing how fire moved with early human societies wherever they went, says Regan Dunn, a paleobotanist at the Natural History Museum Los Angeles County who wasnt involved with the study, to Sciences Warren Cornwall. With this research, its becoming more clear that humans first leave their mark on the land through fire, followed by changes to the landscape, she tells the outlet.In this case, those landscape changes came through the expansion of fire-adapted plant species, such as eucalyptus trees, concentrated on the wetter, eastern side of the islands in the Bass Strait, Adeleye says in the statement. The burning likely served tocreate spaces that produce more food or attract animals that could be hunted.The studys findings fit into the wider context of bushfires occurring across Tasmania and Australia today. As wildfires have raged through the forests, Aboriginal communities and scientists are thinking about ways to manage those disasters. One of these potential strategies includes traditional burning culture.Cultural fire management practices are integral to our agricultural practices and are medicine for Country, Zena Cumpston, a Barkandji researcher at the University of Melbourne, wrote in the Conversation in 2020, during the peak of the extreme Australian bushfires from 2019 to 2020, which became one of the most catastrophic fire seasons in the nations recent history.Cultural burning could potentially enhance the ecosystems health by improving soil quality and promoting growth, per the U.S. National Park Service. It enhances the habitat for plants and animals and makes it more resilient.For Haberle, the information coming from Western science, including this new study, is less of a revelation and more of an affirmation that cultural burning has been essential to the landscape for many thousands of years, he tells Cosmos.He adds that the Palawa/Pakana people certainly know a lot of this story already.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Australia, Ecology, Fire, Indigenous Peoples, Migration, New Research, Plants, Wildfire

As part of the study, researchers created a 3D replica of the ancient mug. Cassidy DelamarterAn intricately crafted mug depicting an ancient Egyptian deity was donated to the Tampa Museum of Arts collections in 1984. Now, four decades later, scientists have found evidence of psychedelic substances in the 2,000-year-old vessel, according to a study published this month in the journal Scientific Reports.The mug is designed to resemble the head ofBes, an Egyptian god associated with joy, fertility and household protection. It was likely used around the second century B.C.E. during Egypts Ptolemaic era.For a very long time now, Egyptologists have been speculating what mugs with the head of Bes could have been used for, and for what kind of beverage, like sacred water, milk, wine or beer, says co-author Branko van Oppen, the museums curator of Greek and Roman art, in the statement. Experts did not know if these mugs were used in daily life, for religious purposes or in magic rituals.In the recent study, scientists conducted an advanced chemical and DNA analysis of the mug. The psychedelic components they found included the plant Peganum harmala (also known as Syrian rue), whose seeds can induce dreamlike visions. They also discovered traces of Egyptian lotus, which is a mild sedative that causes feelings of euphoria.In addition to the psychedelic residue, scientists found that the cup contained traces of a variety of substances including alcohol, honey, sesame seeds, pine nuts, licorice and grapes. The analysis also revealed the presence of what may be human blood and other bodily fluids. While the mixture may not be something everyone would opt to drink, co-authorEnrico Greco, a chemist at the University of Trieste in Italy, tellsNewsweeksProteins from blood, vaginal mucus and possibly breast milk were identified. These fluids may have held symbolic or ritual significance, emphasizing themes of life, fertility and regeneration, says Greco. The inclusion of human fluids, such as blood and mucous secretions, was an unexpected and highly symbolic element.Lead authorDavide Tanasi, an archaeologist at the University of South Florida, tellsFox News DigitalsIn [the] Greek cult of Asklepios, god of medicine, sick worshipers had to spend the night in the sanctuary and wait to be visited by the god curing them during their dreams, Tanasi adds. Those dreams were triggered by drugs (pharmaka) dispensed by the priests. So, our research confirms an earlier practice that has later comparisons in several other cultures.Moving forward, the researchers plan to reexamine other known Bes mugs using similar analytical techniques to see if the concoction inside was a common recipe.This is the first comprehensive scientific analysis of a Bes mugs organic residues, Greco tells Newsweek. Previous studies speculated on the contents of these vessels, but they lacked direct evidence. This study is groundbreaking in uncovering the actual substances used and their ritual significance.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Artifacts, Egypt, Food, Food History, New Research, Religion, Religious History, Rituals and Traditions

Thomson Reuters integrates OpenAI's o1-mini model into CoCounsel legal assistant, pioneering a multi-AI approach with Google and Anthropic models for enhanced legal workflows.Read More

The collaboration of The Oatmeal cartoonistMatt Inmanand video game designer Elan Lee on Exploding Kittens has been a fruitful one.Read More

Report: Ubisoft Barcelona unions file lawsuit against return to office mandateUbisoft's decision was made "suddenly and without transparency," unions claimImage credit: Ubisoft Barcelona News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on Nov. 25, 2024 Unions for Ubisoft's AAA and mobile studios in Barcelona have filed a lawsuit against the Assassin's Creed publisher over its remote work policy changes.In affiliation with Spanish trade body CGT (Confederacin General del Trabajo), the unions are demanding that Ubisoft revert the return to office mandate and ensure remote working is protected by a collective agreement.As detailed in an email sent to GamesIndustry.biz, the unions claimed that though both sides were up to negotiate, management had yet to put forward a proposal since the lawsuit was filed on October 14.The changes proposed by Ubisoft will allegedly see employees return to work for at least three days a week.This will replace current monthly remote working guidelines that provide 60% of the monthly days, as chosen by workers, as home-based. Those on a full-time work from home scheme will also have to follow the policy.The unions claim that Ubisoft's decision was made "suddenly and without transparency", highlighting that it would create logistical problems as offices aren't prepared to accommodate all remote workers at once.Ubisoft reportedly said the return to office mandate was for "team creativity" and "better communication", but the unions argue that "management has consistently failed to present any actual tangible benefits to back this measure."GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Ubisoft for comment.In September, over 700 employees at Ubisoft France participated in a three-day strike in response to the same return to office mandate. Last month, employees at Ubisoft Milan called for a one-day strike in solidarity with Ubisoft France.

My Games launches mobile publisher MGVC PublishingLabel looking for soft launch projects and established games, and is interested in Asian devs looking to expand to the WestImage credit: MGVC Publishing News by Marie Dealessandri Deputy Editor Published on Nov. 25, 2024 My Games has announced the launch of a new mobile publisher called MGVC Publishing.The new label is headed by executive director Nikita Matsokin, who has been at My Games since 2020 following six years at Wargaming, most recently as developer relations head.MGVC Publishing has already signed a handful of titles, including Reef Games Studio's merge-three title Fable Town, Press Fire Games' shooter Battle Prime, and ReactGames Studio's survival game Days After.The label is currently looking for soft launch projects ready for monetisation testing, and established games that are looking for growth, across the mobile spectrum from casual to hardcore. It's also interested in Asian developers looking to expand to Western markets.Matsokin commented: "Today's mobile market realities and new challenges demand fresh approaches. Complex user acquisition strategies require deep expertise and nuanced publishing and operational improvements that, together, can elevate projects to new heights. At MGVC Publishing, we believe in creating win-win partnerships that drive mutual success."With over six years of experience building strong relationships with independent studios, the MGVC team is a unique partner in the industry, committed to helping studios achieve breakthrough results."It's the second publishing label that My Games launches this year, following the debut of Knights Peak in June. We talked to the team behidn the PC and console publisher, who told us about how it intends to support premium games.

Iwas reading a game design piece that gave me pause for a second about whether this is what game design at the AAA level is about now focusing on analytics and trying to math the perfect game.A monumental shift that more people havent talked about occurred in the 2010s with the rise of the indie industry and how it put to rest a lot of the assumptions about AAA development. For today, I want to talk about why you cant just use numbers to create a great and memorable game, and when the best games have a little grit to them.Objectively averageGame Design at its core is not something you can really teach or easily put into words. You can explain to someone what good coding is or different art styles, however, its a lot harder to explain the differences in feel betweenMariovs.Crash Bandicoot, or howDoom 2016andDoom Eternalare completely different experiences despite continuing a franchise and both being FPS.In my opinion, feel is the X factor that separates bad games from good games, and good games from award winners. Its the distinction between titles that people remember for years to come and those that completely disappear within two weeks of launch.If you dont understand mechanics and game design, then you end up with a bad game that no one wants to play. However, if you only look at a game from a numerical standpoint and not how it feels to play, you can end up with something surprisingly worse a game that is remarkably average that no one will remember it or your studio after playing it. For a studio, youre not going to be growing with new and exciting ideas or having a fan base that comes along for that ride.Part of sustainable game dev is being able to create games that keep people excited about whats coming next from your studio. You want them to be interested in your games sight unseen just the fact that you are working on something or publishing it gets them excited. Studios like Strange Scaffold or New Blood Interactive are examples of this.And to be able to understand feel at this level means going beyond just playing what everyone loves.Finding the rough edgesPart of good game design and good game criticism is being able to look at games beyond just what everyone else is playing. You cant study game design solely by playing the best games each year. The reason is that you are playing a heavily curated and refined experience with all of its edges sanded down. Youre not going to see the pitfalls of a genre or the pain points, or even know what they are. And sometimes, that off-kilter 6 out of 10 game may have something completely original and amazing in it.One of my absolute favorite games of recent memory isAstlibra: Revision, a game that is a hodge podge of assets and free music that is as far away from polished or a AAA experience as a game could be. And yet, it all comes together for an amazing time that still feels cohesive. Something like this could have never been conceived by a major studio or someone who only plays AAA games. The same could be said of hits likeBalatro, Vampire Survivors, Lethal Company, and many more. These are games that are not the best looking, graphics card shattering, games that required millions to develop.What these games all share is exploring a very unique and specific aspect of game design and gameplay. Are they all perfectly designed titles that hit their market segments? No. Some of the most memorable games released in the past 14 years all have some element of chaff to them they were not designed by a marketing committee. But what they do have is something that resonates with people, very much in the same way that games likeStardew ValleyandFactoriodid.Imagine telling someone 10 years ago that this would be a scene from one of the most successful games ever madeDesigners and publishers continue to chase game success stories thinking that there is some kind of mythical blueprint that if you follow to the letter,yourgame will be the next million copy seller that will win GOTY from every outlet.What we find instead, is that those games that try to copy another one end up doing far less than that game. People dont want to play a game theyve already played they need something new and exciting. With Bullet Heaven games, Ive lost count of the number of them Ive played that are either worseVampire Survivors or ExactlyVampire Survivorsbut with X theme. Whereas my favorite examples have all gone in a different direction, such asBrotato, Picayune Dreams,orDeath Must Die.Feeling it outUnderstanding the differences in game feel between bad, good, and masterclass examples of design is something that you cant quite put into words. You can explain to someone how to code jumping physics in your game; you cant spell out the exact numbers needed to make jumping feel good. Heres a bit of an exercise: can you make a platformer with a similar feel toSuper Mario Worldor a shooter likeDoom, but you can only watch footage of these games; you are not allowed to play them.Many designers Ive seen who try to make games inspired by these classics often do it in the most cookie-cutter way but there is a monumental difference between howMarioorDoomplays vs. the myriad of games inspired by them. Ive said this point before and it needs to be understood by everyone:Classic games are not the goal of your games design, they are the benchmarks that you need to clear if you expect someone to even think about playing them.If anyone tells you the perfect way to build a platformer, strategy, FPS, or any game, they are lying. There are always foundational aspects of game mechanics and genres that need to be understood, but these are the boxes you need to understand before you can start thinking outside of them. If you think that a consumer will be interested in any game made like it was back in 1989, even the best of that year, you are sorely mistaken. This is also why its difficult to explain to someone this game is great or this game is bad without playing a spectrum of games. Just because you have jump or shoot as verbs in your game doesnt mean they are helping sell your game to the consumer.the best games Ive played all are about finding that feel that works for them, and running with it.When a game does do something above and beyond with its mechanics, I want to tell everyone about it so that they can then be inspired by it and do something different.Anyone who understands coding and basic design can make any genre they set their minds to but making something that will excite people is another matter. You never know when building your game what will resonate with someone. Making a perfectly optimized platformer is one thing, but what about a game about climbing a mountain using a hammer and having to get over it? And its that ability to create something that resonates that is open to everyone how so many indie games are able to punch way above their weight and deliver experiences that not even the largest teams with the biggest budgets can achieve.If you would like to support what I do and let me do more daily streaming, be sure to check out myPatreon. MyDiscord is now opento everyone for chatting about games and game design.