A white-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii) in the snowAUSLOOS Henry/Hemis/AlamyDays with snow covering the ground are set to become less common across much of the continental US due to climate change. If greenhouse gas emissions continue as usual, by the end of the century, days with deep snow are projected to disappear almost everywhere except high mountain regions.Once-snowy areas have already started transforming. We see places like New Hampshire turning into places like New Jersey, which is a bit hard to swallow, says Elizabeth Burakowsi at the University of New Hampshire.

Some researchers propose counteracting global warming by reflecting more sunlight into spaceShutterstock/Pablo JoanidopoulosWith the world set to blow past 1.5C of warming, researchers are increasingly studying possible methods of cooling the planet by modifying the atmosphere or the oceans. More geoengineering research is planned in 2025, such as projects aiming to make clouds reflect more sunlight and efforts to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by tweaking ocean chemistry.Such tests have long been controversial. Opponents of research on geoengineering itself a loaded term see it as a hubristic distraction from pressing efforts to slash greenhouse

Laura Loomer, an Elon Musk supporter-turned-critic, says Musk has demoted her account on Twitter/X.Musk has accused Loomer of "trolling for attention."It's a reminder: We've seen Musk run Twitter on a whim. Now that he's got an important role in politics: Will he behave the same way there?Laura Loomer has been kicked off lots of social media sites, including Twitter. After Elon Musk bought the service in 2022, he reinstated her, along with many others who had been booted by Twitter's previous management.Now, Loomer claims, Musk's service has demoted her by stripping her account's "premium" blue-check status and other benefits. She says Musk made the move because she was criticizing his stance on immigration.You may be unaware of Loomer described by Wikipedia as "an American far-right political activist, conspiracy theorist, and internet personality" and/or the online rock fight about immigration and racism breaking out among different wings of Trump supporters. If so, that could mean you have a healthy relationship with the internet. Good for you.If you'd like to know more about the latter, my colleague Hasan Chowdhury has an explainer. You could also, at your own risk, consult Twitter/X's own summary of the story.My point is, you don't need me to tell you about this.I simply want to remind you that if Loomer's allegation is correct this would be par for the course for Musk and his social media company. (Musk hasn't denied Loomer's charges, and has told his followers to ignore her because she's "trolling for attention." I've asked her and Twitter/X for additional comment.)As I've noted before, the most consistent thing about Musk's management style at Twitter is his erratic, flip-flopping, inconsistency.Sometimes it's about relatively small stuff, like wooing Don Lemon to start a talk show on Twitter, and then canceling the deal before the show ever started. Sometimes it's about really big stuff like agreeing to pay some $44 billion for Twitter, then spending weeks in court trying not to buy it.In any case, the only way you can be surprised by stuff like this at this point is if you never paid attention.But I do think it's still worth pointing out. Because while Musk's management style at Twitter hasn't changed, his responsibilities have changed.He's no longer just the richest person in the world, who runs important companies like Tesla and SpaceX, in addition to Twitter. Musk may now be the most powerful unelected person in America, given his importance to Donald Trump and his upcoming administration.There's his role at DOGE, for starters. And the fact that he appears to be conducting foreign policy for Trump. And that he used Twitter to temporarily tank a government funding bill this month.We don't know how long this arrangement is going to last, and what kind of impact Musk is going to have. But we do know that for now, a man with the power to affect the way the American government operates is the same man who can change the way he runs Twitter depending on how he feels at any given moment. We shouldn't ignore that.

A new study found waves of brain aging occur at ages 57, 70, and 78.Some healthy habits can combat mental decline by improving memory and cognition.Brain aging accelerates at three specificThe researchersTheir findings,Nature, suggestAt 57, there were protein changes related to wound healing and metabolism; at 70, with brain-cell function that could increase the risk of dementia; and at 78, with immunity and inflammation.There are steps you can take toHere are some science-backedEat lots of protein and leafy greensEating enough protein, such as fatty fish or sardines, can boost memory and protect against cognitive decline. Nuts, beans, whole grains, and yogurt are also great sources of protein.Leafy greens, such as spinach and kale, contain important nutrients like iron and magnesium that are vital for optimal brain health.Other great foods to incorporate for cognitive health include berries, herbs, and tea.Move oftenThe hippocampus and prefrontal cortex both deteriorate as we age, but regular movement can boost neuron growth and improve memory.It doesn't mean you have to hit the gym every day, either: Even short bursts of exercise have loads of health benefits just one minute of squats can improve concentration and decision-making.The Blue Zones project reports that people who rely on walking as their main form of movement throughout the day live longer.See your friendsChronic loneliness affects your physical health in multiple ways, including your heart function and immune system. It can also impact your memory, even contributing to cognitive decline and dementia.Joining groups is a great way to make new friends even in your 70s. It's also good to seek out deeper relationships to avoid feeling lonely in a crowd.Get enough deep sleepQuality sleep is crucial for brain health. Deep sleep, in which your brain wave frequencies slow down, is responsible for clearing toxins from your brain. It accounts for less than a quarter of your sleep cycle, so you should be getting between 55 to 97 minutes of deep sleep every night.You can get more deep sleep by exercising enough during the day and reducing caffeine before bed, so that you can properly enter deep sleep.Challenge yourselfJason Shepherd, an associate professor of neurobiology at the University of Utah, previously told Business Insider that trying new things keeps the brain healthy. It can include traveling or taking up new hobbies."I think a lot of us get into routines and habits where we're doing the same old thing each day," he said. "But learning new things helps with brain plasticity."

"The Cosby Show" star Geoffrey Owens said that he's still struggling to make money as a middle-class actor.Photos of Owens working at Trader Joe's went viral in 2018 and briefly led to more opportunities.Owens said he's still finding it difficult to "make my ends meet."Geoffrey Owens rose to prominence playing Elvin Tibideaux on the hit sitcom "The Cosby Show." But six years after going viral for working at Trader Joe's, he's still struggling to make a living as a middle-class actor."I struggle every day to make my ends meet," Owens said during a recent interview with the Atlanta radio station V-103.In August 2018, photos of Owens working at a Trader Joe's in New Jersey went viral, sparking conversations about the financial hardships of the average working actor.Owens said that he was aware of some of job shaming comments from people, but he primarily received support and encouragement.The actor said that for about two weeks after going viral, he gained lots of attention and recognition in his day-to-day life. It even led to job opportunities, like a role on the Tyler Perry series "The Haves and the Have Nots."Additionally, Nicki Minaj donated $25,000 to Owens, but he told the radio station that he gave the money to charity instead of pocketing it because he wanted to earn his keep, rather than being gifted it. Sabrina Le Beauf as Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux and Geoffrey Owens as Elvin Tibideaux for season four of "The Cosby Show." Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images Owens also said that he quit his supermarket job before the news hit in order to protect his privacy.The actor explained that someone had already taken photos of him working at Trader Joe's and he wasn't comfortable worrying about that happening again."It wasn't like I quit knowing I would be making a lot of money soon or anything," Owens said. "I just felt like I wasn't going to be able to handle that kind of scrutiny and attack on my privacy."Owens said that people have a difficult time understanding why an actor who's starred in movies and TV shows would need to work a normal job. He also said that residuals from "The Cosby Show" haven't benefitted him as much as people would assume."They don't understand the specifics of how my industry works," he said. "They don't understand the salaries, the pay scales."In the years since going vial, Owens has guest starred on shows like "Power," "Power Book II: Ghost," and "The Rookie." Most recently, he appeared on the new CBS sitcom "Poppa's House" and currently stars as Mr. Santa in the holiday film "Mr. Santa: A Christmas Extravaganza."Owens said that Trader Joe's was a "wonderful" place to be employed, and he's since gone back to work some hours."People have a false impression of what the average middle-class actor makes and their ability to make a living in the industry," he said. "So that's what drove me to work at Trader Joe's to begin with. But honestly, I'm not much better off now than I was then."A rep for Owens didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Over 25 years of Halo's history has leaked including a playable version of the 1999 reveal of the series which showed it before it was going to be a first-person shooter at allTech17:01, 27 Dec 2024Halo is now an iconic FPS, but it wasn't always that way(Image: Microsoft)There are few franchises more synonymous with Xbox than Halo, and it's been around since the very beginning of Microsoft's console. And, thanks to a surprising leak earlier this week, much of that history is available for all.As reported by VGC, modding site Digsite had been working with current custodians of the Halo IP, 343 Industries (recently rebranded to Halo Studios) to restore content that had been cut from prior games.The work began last summer but a new leak has dropped a whole host of content onto the internet including one of the most infamous game reveals of the nineties in all of its untouched glory.Content cannot be displayed without consentBack in 1999, Bungie's Halo was initially revealed at the Macworld expo, an Apple event centred around the Macintosh lineup of computers.Apple trumpeted Bungie's project as a big 'get' for the Mac, but it's not quite the same as the Halo we know today. While the initial reveal showed the hero we'd come to know as Master Chief, it was shot from a third-person perspective (and, prior to that, had been a strategy title).The first Halo title is Combat Evolved, which saw an Xbox 360 remaster(Image: Microsoft)Less than a year later, Microsoft acquired Bungie to put them to work on its upcoming console, the Xbox, and Halo then pivoted to become one of the most famous first-person shooters today. And, thanks to this new leak, the initial Macworld demo is now playable.As for how the leak happened, one member of the Digsite team posted a thread on X (formerly Twitter) saying that the Digsite team wasn't responsible for the uploads, even saying some of the files included weren't accessible by the team working on the project.Halo is now an iconic FPS, but it wasn't always that way(Image: Microsoft)Another member said many of the team had quite because Microsoft wanted more but with no resources offered to Digsite.Article continues belowThe series' latest entry, Halo: Infinite, launched in 2021 and was built using the bespoke Slipspace Engine, but Halo Studios will now work in Unreal Engine 5 going forward.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED

Destiny 2's Exotic vendor, Xur, is back again this week here's how to find him, what he's selling, and whether we recommend his offerings before he vanishes againTech16:53, 27 Dec 2024Updated 17:04, 27 Dec 2024What is Xur selling this week?(Image: Charleen Bougourd/Bungie Inc.)Destiny 2's Christmas event, The Dawning, is still underway but it feels a little bit sad after the big day has passed.Still, it's Friday, and like a child stockpiling vouchers and cash, we're off to take our strange coins to Xur to buy exotic weapons and armour for our Guardians to see in the New Year with.This year's Final Shape expansion mixed things up for the tentacle-faced NPC, meaning Xur can now sell a much more varied list of items, and he's only ever found in one spot. Luckily for you, we'll cover where he is, and what he has, for December 27 - 31.Here's what Xur is offering for Guardians this week in Destiny 2(Image: Bungie Inc.)While Xur used to appear in multiple places, hopping between planets, he can now be found at Destiny 2's main social space, The Tower.Head to Cayde's ramen shop, and down the alley next to it to find Xur. He only appears from 5PM GMT/ 10AM PDT/ 1PM EDT on Friday to 5PM BST/ 10AM PDT/ 1PM EDT on Tuesday .Struggling to find him? Check out our screenshot below for his exact location on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.Here's where Xur can be found post-Final ShapeAs of 5PM GMT/ 10AM PDT/ 1PM EDT, Xur is selling:Vigilance Wing Catalyst - 71 Strange CoinsMIDA Multi-Tool Catalyst - 71 Strange CoinsThe Bombardiers (Hunter) - 41 Strange CoinsDunemarchers (Titan) - 41 Strange CoinsPhoenix Protocol (Warlock) - 41 Strange CoinsExotic Class Item - 41 Strange CoinsThe Xurfboard (Skimmer/Sparrow) - 97 Strange CoinsDunemarchers and Phoenix Protocol are well worth picking up with 67 stat rolls.He is also selling these weapons:Hawkmoon (with Eye of the Storm) - 23 Strange CoinsCerberus+1 - 23 Strange CoinsMerciless - 23 Strange CoinsThe Wardcliff Coil - 23 Strange CoinsDestiny 2's famous exotic seller, Xur, is back again.(Image: Bungie Inc.)Xur will also sell materials, including Engrams, via the More Strange Offers section, while he also has the following Legendary Weapons which cost 17 Strange Coins each.Legal Action II (Pulse Rifle)Different Times (Pulse Rifle)Seventh Seraph VY-7 (SMG)Persuader (Sniper Rifle)Falling Guillotine (Sword)Negative Space (Sword)Quickfang/Crown-Splitter/Eternity's Edge (Class Swords)As of the Final Shape expansion, Xur has his own reputation system, similar to what you've likely seen with the Gunsmith and other vendors.By ranking up his reputation rank, you can earn the following from him:Rank 4: Enhancement Core x 7Rank 7: Enhancement Prism x 3Rank 10: Exotic Engram x 2Rank 13: Ascendant ShardRank 16: Ascendant AlloyReset Rank: Exotic CipherOnce you've reset the rank, these change to the following:Article continues belowRank 4: Enhancement Core x 3Rank 7: Enhancement PrismRank 10: Exotic Engram x 2Rank 13: Enhancement Core x 5Rank 16: Enhancement Prism x 2Reset Rank: Exotic CipherFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

The devil is in the detail (Sony Interactive Entertainment)Some PS5 owners have found an Easter egg hiding in plain sight on the DualSense controller, four years after launch.This year has seen Sony celebrate PlayStations 30th anniversary in various ways, between special edition hardware and throwbacks to the original consoles start-up sequence.While 2024 has been a notable year for PlayStation nostalgia, the company has historically had a tough run in toasting its own legacy between the poorly executed PlayStation Classic Mini and ill-judged crossover fighters like PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.If PlayStation has struggled to overtly capitalise on its own history, a hidden nod on the PS5 DualSense controller suggests Sony does, however, have an eye for the small details.In a post from December 2024 on the Today Years Old Instagram account, which often highlights factoids, it shows how the DualSense controller is covered in cross, square, circle, and triangle button symbols; iconography Sony has used since the original PlayStation in 1994.This detail has been highlighted a few times, but it often re-emerges in online posts. There are actually 40,000 tiny symbols on every PlayStation 5 controller, which were sketched out by hand during the design phase.As reported by The Verge, the layout of the symbols on the final controller is one of the many various prototyped designs, which were all handcrafted, digitised, mocked-up, and tested until Sonys product design team found the best balance of comfort and appealing aesthetics.https://www.instagram.com/p/DDqTgTpPIOA/?igsh=MWkydmlxNWt5MW4yZA%3D%3D&img_index=1Speaking to the outlet, Yujin Morisawa, the senior art director at Sonys Design Centre, said: While it takes a considerable amount of time to create a prototype, the go/no-go judgment of a product is determined the moment you see it and touch it.The symbols themselves are created when beads of molten ABS plastic are squeezed into tiny laser-cut crevices during the controller moulding process. As such, the layout of the symbols is identical across every PlayStation 5 controller.More TrendingSince the PlayStation 5 launched in 2020, Sony has released various new versions of the DualSense, including the customisable DualSense Edge and, most recently, a special Astro Bot-themed edition. Astro Bot the best game of 2024? (Sony Interactive Entertainment)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

A backyard flock in Vermont was sickened with H5N1, agricultural officials said on Thursday, following other reports of bird flu-related animal deaths this month beyond commercial farms and wildlife. The U.S. Agriculture Department and state regulators said they learned of the incident on December 18, after one bird in the non-commercial flock died. The next day, they confirmed the presence of an H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and more deaths followed in the flock of two dozen non-poultry birds. (Officials did not specify the type or types of birds.) Vermonts Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) said it quarantined and later killed the rest of the flock. News of the sickened birds came as Oregons Agriculture Department said it linked a house cats death to an H5N1 strain it detected in Northwest Naturals-brand raw and frozen pet food. And earlier in December, an outbreak at a wildlife sanctuary in Washington state killed 20 big cats. The incidents are part of a larger wave of H5N1 illness affecting poultry, cattle, cats, and humans, along with wild birds. However, Vermont officials said of the backyard flock: Lab testing confirmed that this case of HPAI is not the strain currently impacting dairy cattle herds in other states around the country. The VAAFM added, Though HPAI is considered to be low risk to human health, the individuals who had contact with infected birds or their environment are being monitored by the Vermont Department of Health. Theofficials noted this was the fourth such backyard-flock case disclosed in the state in under three years, and they urged animal owners to protect their birds and cattle from H5N1 with proper biosecurity practices.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented 65 human cases of H5 bird flu in the U.S. as of December 24, nearly all of which it linked to dairy herds and poultry farms in California, Washington state, and Colorado. The agency has also said it is aware of seven probable cases across California, Washington, Arizona, and Delaware. Human infections have largely been mild, but the CDC confirmed the first severe case in the U.S. earlier in December. Officials linked that case to backyard poultry, not human-to-human transmission.On its tracking site, the CDC wrote that the current public health risk [from bird flu] is low. Still, the agency is advising people to avoid close contact with wild birds and any infected animals and to stick to pasteurized milk products.

By Thomas Maxwell Published December 27, 2024 | Comments (0) | It seems that AI deepfakes had little impact on 2024 elections because they are not very good. Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty It seems that although the internet is increasingly drowning in fake images, we can at least take some stock in humanitys ability to smell BS when it matters. A slew of recent research suggests that AI-generated misinformation did not have any material impact on this years elections around the globe because it is not very good yet. There has been a lot of concern over the years that increasingly realistic but synthetic content could manipulate audiences in detrimental ways. The rise of generative AI raised those fears again, as the technology makes it much easier for anyone to produce fake visual and audio media that appear to be real. Back in August, a political consultant used AI to spoof President Bidens voice for a robocall telling voters in New Hampshire to stay home during the states Democratic primaries.Tools like ElevenLabs make it possible to submit a brief soundbite of someone speaking and then duplicate their voice to say whatever the user wants. Though many commercial AI tools include guardrails to prevent this use, open-source models are available. Despite these advances, the Financial Times in a new story looked back at the year and found that, across the world, very little synthetic political content went viral.It cited a report from the Alan Turing Institute which found that just 27 pieces of AI-generated content went viral during the summers European elections. The report concluded that there was no evidence the elections were impacted by AI disinformation because most exposure was concentrated among a minority of users with political beliefs already aligned to the ideological narratives embedded within such content. In other words, amongst the few who saw the content (before it was presumably flagged) and were primed to believe it, it reinforced those beliefs about a candidate even if those exposed to it knew the content itself was AI-generated. It cited an example of AI-generated imagery showing Kamala Harris addressing a rally standing in front of Soviet flags. In the U.S., the News Literacy Project identified more than 1,000 examples of misinformation about the presidential election, but only 6% was made using AI. On X, mentions of deepfake or AI-generated in Community Notes were typically only mentioned with the release of new image generation models, not around the time of elections.Interestingly, it seems that users on social media were more likely to misidentify real images as being AI-generated than the other way around, but in general, users exhibited a healthy dose of skepticism. If the findings are accurate, it would make a lot of sense. AI imagery is all over the place these days, but images generated using artificial intelligence still have an off-putting quality to them, exhibiting tell-tale signs of being fake. An arm might unusually long, or a face does not reflect onto a mirrored surface properly; there are many small cues that will give away that an image is synthetic.AI proponents should not necessarily cheer on this news. It means that generated imagery still has a ways to go. Anyone who has checked out OpenAIs Sora model knows the video it produces is just not very goodit appears almost like something created by a video game graphics engine (speculation is that it was trained on video games), one that clearly does not understand properties like physics. That all being said, there are still concerns to be had. The Alan Turing Institutes report did after all conclude that beliefs can be reinforced by a realistic deepfake containing misinformation even if the audience knows the media is not real; confusion around whether a piece of media is real damages trust in online sources; and AI imagery has already been used to target female politicians with pornographic deepfakes, which can be damaging psychologically and to their professional reputation as it reinforces sexist beliefs.The technology will surely continue to improve, so it is something to keep an eye on.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Todd Feathers Published December 27, 2024 By Thomas Maxwell Published December 27, 2024 By Thomas Maxwell Published December 26, 2024 By Matt Novak Published December 26, 2024 By Matthew Gault Published December 24, 2024 By Thomas Maxwell Published December 23, 2024