Due to its highly lenient business laws, the state of Delaware has long been home to a majority of American corporations. However, that leniency is apparently not enough for the worlds richest man, whose lawyers have introduced legislation that would rewrite the states laws to boldly empower corporations that are already immensely powerful. Critics say the legislation would allow companies to misbehave on a massive scale and leave shareholders with few avenues of retaliation. Worst of all, it appears that the states Democrat-controlled legislature is eager to pass the bill. The legislation in question was drafted by Richards, Layton & Finger (RLF), a law firm that counts Musk as one of its clients. CNBC writes that the bill, should it pass, would pave the way for the reinstatement of Musks much-coveted $55 billion Tesla compensation package that the billionaire has been preoccupied with for the past several years. Musks huge payout has been the subject of a judicial battle that has been ongoing for over half a decade. A Delaware judge, Kathaleen McCormick, has repeatedly thwarted Musks attempts to receive the payout, claiming that the process that led to the approval of the pay package was deeply flawed and that the compensation represents an unfathomable sum. As of December, the billionaire was still being denied his pay package. The new legislation would shift the law in such a way as to make the judges current case against Musks compensation package potentially moot, CNBC writes. However, the law would do much more than clear a path for the billionaires obscene pay package. According to critics, it would also fundamentally rewrite the corporate laws in a state that a majority of Americas companies call home. In so doing, it would fundamentally alter the balance of power between corporate fiduciaries and shareholdersallowing companies to increase corporate secrecy tenfold while also making it nearly impossible for shareholders to file lawsuits against them over corporate misbehavior. RLF has claimed that its role in the legislation was not done on behalf of a particular client. Of the bills ability to rewrite current protections for shareholders, The Lever writes:The bill would revoke disclosure requirements for shareholder requests for all kinds of company documents, records, and internal communications. All plaintiffs would be entitled to would be minutes from board meetings, which reveal very little. These alterations would make it almost impossible for shareholders to build any viable lawsuits that could even reach the discovery fact-finding stage of a court case. As such, Musk isnt the only powerful person pushing for the bill to pass. MAGA has been shilling for a corporate exodus from the state, and many powerful tech figures (including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Trump-fan Bill Ackman) have threatened to pull their companies out of Delaware (as Musk did with Tesla) should the state government not kowtow to corporate interests. Walmart has also threatened to leave the state. Problematically, much of Delawares state budget is supported by corporate fees, and such an exodus could possibly crater one of its largest sources of revenue. As a result, it appears that Delawares Democrat-controlled government is ready to support this corporate-led assault on its own legal infrastructure. A local outlet notes that there is a bipartisan agreement that a corporate exodus from the state must be stopped.A letter recently sent by public pension fund groups to the governor of Delaware and the Delaware General Assembly has begged the government not to pass the bill. Those groups, which represent retirement systems for droves of unions and public sector employees, are also aware of how many of those pensions are tied up in corporate investments that would be impacted by the policy change. For over a century, the Delaware Courts carefully and fairly maintained balance between protecting the rights of public stockholders, while allowing well-meaning directors and officers to manage the affairs of companies, the letter reads. The proposed legislation would destroy that balance, hamstringing the Delaware judiciary in its critical role as a cross-check of fiduciary overreach. This is no accident, as the proposed legislation was drafted by lawyers representing billionaire controlling stockholders who the Delaware Courts found to have breached their fiduciary duties. We understand that the supposed need for these amendments is that controlling stockholders are threatening to leave Delaware because of the complaints of a handful of disgruntled litigants. To be clear, we would not support reincorporation to a jurisdiction with lesser protections for investors, such as Nevada, and we will consider voting against directors who propose such reincorporation in order to diminish the rights of their stockholders.What these companies want is for there to be no possibility for a shareholder or a court to review their conduct, Mark Richardson, a shareholder attorney, recently told Semafor. Catering to those extreme views to please a few corporations is a terrible mistake for Delaware that will destroy the franchise in the long run.

Decades after its initial discovery, the skeleton of a prehistoric child who possessed both human and Neanderthal attributes has now been directly dated. Archaeologists have confirmed that the skeleton of the Lapedo child, named after its place of origin in Lapedo Valley, Portugal, is somewhere between 27,780 to 28,550 years old, according to new research.Details surrounding the Lapedo child are presented in a study that was recently published in Science Advances. The updated date range of the skeleton sheds light on the burial that the child was given during a time when the ancient Gravettian culture had spread all throughout Europe.A Human-Neanderthal MosaicIn 1998, a group of students found the Lapedo child after the group stumbled upon human hand bones at a rock shelter called Lagar Velho. In the weeks after, excavations revealed a full juvenile skeleton, thought to belong to a 4- to 5-year old.Archaeologists found that the child had some human features, such as dental proportions, but also had other features derived from Neanderthals, including body proportions. At the time, they described it as a mosaic of Neanderthal and early modern human features, a result of interbreeding between the two groups.Finding a Reliable DateRadiocarbon dating of animal bones and charcoal initially suggested that the burial event took place somewhere between 27,700 years and 29,700 years ago. Four subsequent attempts to date the skeleton directly, however, did not yield reliable results.In the new study, researchers aimed to turn things around by targeting hydroxyproline an amino acid present in mammalian collagen that was drawn from a sample of the Lapedo childs right radius.The results narrowed down the date to between 27,780 years and 28,550 years ago.This approach, called compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA), allowed the researchers to avoid the nuisance of carbon contamination; bones retrieved from archaeological digs are often prone to contamination that can occur at the excavation site or from handling at laboratories, which is what led to inaccurate results from previous efforts to date the Lapedo childs skeleton.Samples go through a thorough treatment to remove as much contamination as possible, but contaminants still occasionally remain after this process. CSRA, on the other hand, has become an increasingly advantageous solution to retrieve sources of carbon directly from bones.Ancient Ochre Burials The researchers noted a few other details that provided insight into the Lapedo childs burial. For instance, the skeleton was ochre-stained; this may have been a result of a shroud that the child was buried in, which would have fully enveloped its body at the time of burial and decomposed years later. Charcoal staining at the base of the burial pit may have been left by a ritual fire that was lit before the child was placed in the grave.Rabbit bones, also ochre-stained, were originally found in direct contact with the skeletons legs. Its likely that a rabbit was intentionally placed atop the burial of the child as some sort of offering.Gravettian burials have been unearthed all across Europe, with notable sites in France and the Czech Republic featuring multiple buried individuals. Gravettian culture is largely associated with the use of ochre an earth pigment obtained from a variety of rocks in mortuary practices.The CSRA method, the researchers believe, could be a valuable tool for additional burial sites that still need more accurate radiocarbon dating. Achieving reliable dates for these sites could help archaeologists understand the full extent of Neanderthal and human movements in Europe, as well as the interactions that would go on to influence early humans heritage.Read More: The Gravettian Culture that Survived an Ice AgeArticle SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Jack Knudson is an assistant editor at Discover with a strong interest in environmental science and history. Before joining Discover in 2023, he studied journalism at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and previously interned at Recycling Today magazine.

Hantavirus is not exactly a household word or a disease that many people think much about. That changed when complications caused by the rare virus killed Betsy Arakawa, wife of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman.Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death. Some forms do more damage to the lungs. Other strains can destroy the kidneys.Whatever the strain, the infectious diseases are most often spread by rodents. In much of the world, there has been no record of the virus being transmitted person to person, except for a rare strain found in South America. Here's what you should know about the virus.How Does Hantavirus Spread?Rodents carry the virus and it is contained in their urine, droppings, and saliva. Touching those substances could lead to catching the disease. But humans are more likely to contract if by breathing in particles of those substances. Bites or scratches from rodents can also transmit the disease.The disease is considered relatively rare, with 864 U.S. cases reported in 2022. Those figures include both the varieties that attacks the lungs and the strains that damage the kidneys. The disease was first identified in the U.S. in 1993 when several people contracted severe respiratory illness in the Four Corners region where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. The disease continues to be more prevalent west of the Mississippi River.Symptoms of Hantavirus InfectionThe disease essentially attacks the body in two waves. Within the first four or so days, infected people will experience fatigue, fever, and muscle aches. About half the people who contract it also suffer from headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal issues.As the disease progresses, it attacks the respiratory system between 4 to 10 days after infection. Patients entering this stage will start coughing, feel short of breath, and experience a tightness in their chest.Treatment for HantavirusThere is no specific treatment for hantavirus infection. Physicians can only address the symptoms most often in an intensive care unit. Hantavirus patients will often need to be intubated. People with the version that affects the kidneys may also require dialysis.Recovery is possible, if the disease is caught soon enough and the patient receives early treatment. Feelings of weakness and fatigue will likely persist.How Do I Avoid Hantavirus?The best treatment, though, is prevention. Minimize your rodent exposure by being aware of places where the critters might hide. Being aware of areas like crawl spaces that may harbor mice or other rodents is a good place to start.If you suspect mice are in your house, set up traps, or call a professional. If you are outdoors say, camping keep food out of your tent, and cover and secure it when you are not cooking or eating.Seal cracks in your home's foundation with cement or other material. Dont ignore tiny holes and crevasses, because rodents are great at wriggling their way through minute openings.If you see a potential nesting site indoors, first open any windows or doors. If the area appears heavily infested, call in pest control professionals.Before diving in, first don protective gear especially a respirator, so you wont breathe in particles containing the virus. Wet down debris first before you clear it to minimize launching disease-carrying particles into the air. Once the area has been cleared, mop with disinfectant or bleach.This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only. This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only. Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About HantavirusCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Reported Cases of Hantavirus DiseaseMayo Clinic. Hantavirus pulmonary syndromeAmerican Lung Association. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome Treatment and PreventionBefore joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.

The U.S. military's top-secret X-37B space plane has returned from a mysterious 434-day mission in orbit. The enigmatic mission 'broke new ground' for reusable space technology, according to the U.S. Space Force.

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Take a look at the cargo deck of this space pirate ship in @aurora_machina's stunningly detailed new animation.More of this project: https://80.lv/articles/take-a-sneak-peek-at-this-space-pirate-ship-s-cargo-deck/

Have a look at SangWook Kang's handsome elf portrait created with ZBrush, 3ds Max, Marmoset Toolbag, and Photoshop.See more: https://80.lv/articles/mesmerizing-3d-elf-portrait-sculpted-in-zbrush/

Game Developer Caue Rocha Pereira recently took on an ambitious challenge to recreate the iconic combat mechanics from Attack on Titan in a fan game developed using Unreal Engine 5, aiming to bring the intense battle experience against Titans to life by faithfully and dynamically utilizing the ODM Gear.To achieve this, he implemented a system based on physics forces, impulses, and mathematical calculations, allowing players to swing freely through the environment, gain speed, and find the optimal angle to strike the Titans only weak spot: the back of their neck.Additionally, Caue implemented aerial and ground combos, along with slow-motion effects when a Titan is defeated to add a cinematic touch. Theres also resource management, with gas and blade consumption tracked by a reloading system, and to make the experience more immersive, he added custom particle effects. The user interface was fully designed in Figma.Caue mentioned that hed love to exchange ideas about the project with fellow developers. You can follow him on LinkedIn for updates and explore some of his previous works, like this terrain creation tool, procedural and optimized forests, souls-like game mechanics, and more:Also,join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Attack On Titans Iconic Aerial Combat Recreated In Unreal Engine 5 appeared first on CG SHARES.

Andrei Kurylovich, whose 3D fan art of Nilokeras from Aldnoah Zero we showcased earlier this year, has now shared a cool detailed animation, which provides a glimpse into the interior of a spaceship with steampunk visuals, likely created using Blender, which Andrei often uses for his projects.This ship design with major Treasure Planet vibes is part of Andreis space pirate universe, which will get a fully animated sequence:Andrei specializes in mech, robot, and vehicle art, crafting both fan art and original designs. Follow his X/Twitter page for more updates on this project, and take a look at some of his recent works below:Dont forget tojoin our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Take A Sneak Peek At This Space Pirate Ships Cargo Deck appeared first on CG SHARES.

Re @JesseMiettinen A lot of fun to see all the different tools you created that went into your scene, Jesse! Good luck in the challenge :)