High-speed electrons can etch nano-scale designs

By AJ Dellinger Published March 12, 2025 | Comments (0) | Donald Trump greets Elon Musk Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images During Donald Trumps first term, Steve Bannon explicitly laid out what the administrations strategy would be to get things done: flood the zone with shit. The theory is pretty simple: throw out as much bullshit as possibleknowing that there is only so much attention, outrage, and resistance that people can musterand take wins while everyone else takes the bait. Its not hard to see that this approach has been kicked into hyperdrive during the first months of Trumps second term, facilitated in no small part by Trump-backer and first buddy Elon Musk turning Twitter into a cesspool of distraction, disinformation, and disorientation. In what should be an extremely information-rich environment, its become near-impossible to separate signal from noise. Luckily, some fine folks are keeping their eyes on the ball so that we dont all fall victim to the high-stakes shell game. First up, there is the Project 2025 Tracker. Started as a spreadsheet maintained by two Redditors, the project has grown into a larger resource designed to keep tabs on the Trump administrations progress in implementing the plans laid out in Project 2025a 900-plus page blueprint for consolidating executive power and reshaping the government to serve a right-wing Christian Nationalist agenda. Project 2025 Tracker has broken out the policy recommendations of the Heritage Foundations guiding document, identifying them as goals of the administration and tracking its progress in actually accomplishing those efforts. Those goals are attached to specific agencies and are searchable in the projects database, or you can track the overall progress of the administrations efforts. So far, its going pretty well for them: Project 2025 Tracker estimates that Trump and his team have already accomplished nearly 40% of the goals established by Project 2025. As for Musks attempts to flood the zone, journalist Judd Legum of Popular Information and Musk Watch has launched a new project called DOGE Trackeran audit for the pseudo-agency that claims to be auditing the federal government but somehow keeps having to revise its own numbers. DOGE Tracker has a simple premise: dont take Elon Musk at his word. Instead, the project digs into DOGEs claimed savings, the actual itemized cuts that DOGE has bothered to record, and actual verifiable canceled funding.Youll be shocked (well, no, you wouldnt) to hear that these numbers dont add up. According to DOGE Tracker, the department has claimed to achieve $105 billion in savings as of March 12, 2025, but has only documented $29.9 billion of itand just $8.6 billion in savings can actually be verified. That means that Musk and his crew have overstated what they have saved the country by about 92%. Were barely two months into this iteration of the Trump presidency. Things are not going to slow down. The one will continue to be flooded. Use these tools to filter out the bullshit and pay attention to what matters.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like Eli Hager, ProPublica Published March 12, 2025 By Matt Novak Published March 12, 2025 By Lucas Ropek Published March 12, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published March 11, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published March 11, 2025 By Passant Rabie Published March 11, 2025

Over the weekend, 9to5Google reported that second-gen Chromecast and Chromecast Audio devices displayed an Untrusted device error message, preventing users from casting audio and video content onto their screens of choice. On Wednesday, Google sent an apology email to people affected by the outage, saying it was working to roll out a fix as soon as possible. Were contacting you because of a disruption affecting Chromecast (2nd gen) and Chromecast Audio devices. We apologize for the issue and understand your frustration. We are working to roll out a fix as soon as possible and will share updates and guidance on the Nest Community page. We appreciate your patience as we resolve this issue. The email comes after a Nest Community post on Monday told Chromecast 2nd gen and Chromecast Audio owners that it was working on a fix. In the meantime, users are advised not to factory reset their devices, since they could run into more problems re-setting them up. Both devices were released in 2015, and newer Chromecast models (3rd gen or later) werent affected. 9to5Google says that features like the time, screensavers, and the weather still work fine on those devices, but the ability to cast video and music doesnt. Google hasnt said what caused the outages on the devices; however, The Verge discovered a post from one Reddit user who claims it might be due to the certificate baked into the Chromecast expiring on March 9, which is when the first reports of the issue started coming in.Early speculation was that Google was simply bricking the nearly decade-old devices, which wouldnt be surprising since the company officially sent the Chromecast to the graveyard last year and replaced it with the Google TV Streamer. Heres hoping a fix comes soon, especially if youre eager to see how this weeks heartbreaking episode of Daredevil: Born Again turned out.

Faria House / Estdio OLOSave this picture! Andr MortattiArchitects: Estdio OLOAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:380 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Andr MortattiManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Adobe Systems Incorporated, Astoria, Construal, Deca, Kohler, Manufatti, O Ciclo Natural, Pisatto, Portobello, Trimble Navigation Lead Architect: Bia Guedes, Francine Jubran More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The Olo Casa Faria is a renovation and expansion project that transformed an old residence into a more functional and integrated space, without sacrificing coziness. The house was acquired for its privileged location and the potential of the land, but it required a complete restructuring to meet the needs of the residents.Save this picture!The main challenge was to balance modernization and comfort by creating a new spatial organization. The proposal prioritized wide openings to improve sunlight exposure, ventilation, and connection with the extensive outdoor area.Save this picture!Save this picture!On the ground floor, the old garage was replaced by a TV room, while the carport was relocated to the front setback. The staircase was repositioned to allow for a more fluid circulation, and the service area made way for a generous kitchen, integrated with the gourmet space. At the back, the old shed was converted into a studio, laundry room, and guest bedroom. A large arch of cobogs now decorates the garden, also serving as a visual barrier for the courtyard.Save this picture!Save this picture!On the upper floor, the expansion allowed for the creation of larger areas, including a master suite and a new bedroom. The aesthetic of the house was updated with contemporary volumes, new colors, and materials, while maintaining relevant original elements, such as the facade windows.Save this picture!Landscaping plays an essential role in the project, permeating the entire ground floor and contributing to the harmony between architecture and well-being.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeEstdio OLOOfficeMaterialsMaterials and TagsPublished on March 12, 2025Cite: "Faria House / Estdio OLO" [Casa Faria / Estdio OLO] 12 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1027871/faria-house-estudio-olo&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Green Screen Effects | 4K 60fps | Chroma Screen Healing Spell VFX Footage for DownloadDiscover an impressive collection of Green Screen VFX and Chroma Key Footage in 4K 60fps! This playlist features high-quality VFX assets that are perfect for compositing in your films, videos, and creative projects. With effects from various genres like Fire FX, Smoke FX, and other dynamic elements from Unreal Engine VFX, you can add stunning visual effects to your content effortlessly.Each video includes multiple angles of Chroma Screen footage, allowing you to seamlessly integrate the effects into your scene from different perspectives. These professional-grade assets are optimized for Chroma Key compositing and will save you time on your VFX projects. Key Features:4K 60fps resolution for cinematic-quality visualsMultiple Angles for flexible compositingReady-to-use Fire FX, Smoke FX, and more from Unreal Engine VFXChroma Key (Green Screen) compatible for easy integrationIdeal for filmmakers, video editors, and VFX artistsEnhance your projects with these free downloadable effects and elevate your content. Subscribe for more VFX assets and tutorials!FAB - https://www.fab.com/sellers/CGHOW Whatsapp - https://bit.ly/3LYvxjK Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/Ashif NFT - https://opensea.io/CGHOW Twitter - https://twitter.com/cghow_ If you Liked it - http://bit.ly/2UZmiZ4 Channel Ashif - http://bit.ly/3aYaniw Support me on - paypal.me/9953280644 #cghow #UE5 #UE4Niagara #gamefx #ue5niagara #ue4vfx #niagara #unrealengineniagara #realtimevfxVisit - https://cghow.com/ Unreal Engine Marketplace - https://bit.ly/3aojvAa Artstation Store - https://www.artstation.com/ashif/store Gumroad - https://cghow.gumroad.com/

(Image Credit: Yang Dinghua)Artistic reconstruction of the terrestrial ecological landscape before the end Permian mass extinction based on fossil palynomorphs, plants , and tetrapods recovered, as well as sedimentological data from the South Taodonggou SectionNewsletterSign up for our email newsletter for the latest science newsEven during one of Earths largest mass extinction events, where heat waves kill of a majority of Earths species, at least one oasis of survival existed.The findings suggest that there may have been pockets of protection throughout Earth challenging the notion that the heat affected life on the planet uniformly, according to a paper in Science Advances.Living Through "The Great Dying"About 250 million years ago, a series of massive volcanic eruptions warmed Earth. This period, sometimes referred to as The Great Dying, was aptly named. It killed off about 95 percent of marine species and 75 percent of land-locked lifeforms, although some species appeared clever enough to find ways to beat the heat. The researchers found an abundance of plant fossils dating back to that time in Chinas Turpan-Hami Basin. The implication? Even though the region was relatively close to some volcanic activity, it somehow shielded a wide variety of plants.Pockets of Protection"This suggests that local climate and geographic factors can create surprising pockets of resilience, offering hope for conservation efforts in the face of global environmental change," Liu Feng, a paleontology researcher with the Chinese Academy of Science and an author of the paper, said in a press release. The fossils the team found pointed to a widely diverse plant community that survived the initial destructive events. Those fossils indicate both resilience that allowed them to bounce back from the volcanic events, as well as the evolutionary ability they needed to adapt afterward.The teams findings suggest that some land areas were shielded from the worst effects of extinction, creating pockets of resilience that played a crucial role in the rebound of life on Earth. The researchers cited the regions stable, semi-humid climate as essential to the areas ability to continuously support life. The scientists analyzed layers of soil in the area and determined that it received fairly consistent rainfall during the mass extinction period.Local Vs. GlobalThe findings challenge one prevailing theory about the Permian mass extinction event. That theory claims that volcanic eruptions in Siberia triggered wildfires, acid rain, and toxic gases, which indiscriminately killed off much of the life on Earth. The opposing view argues that these events differed around the globe, due to differences in atmosphere, latitude, and perhaps geography.The new findings tilt the scale toward the variable effects side. Evidence includes fossil records of fern fields and coniferous forests that existed 160,000 years before the extinction and persisted 160,000 years after it was over. The fossils include intact tree trunks and fern stems, which lend credence to the notion that this was local vegetation, not transported by wind or other elements.Life Finds A WayThe scientists did detect SOME extinction in the area during that time period, but at 21 percent it was far lower than at much of the rest of the planet. Because the plant oasis persisted, it presented a welcome place for animals to thrive after the event ended. The team found some animal fossils dating to about 75,000 years after the extinction.The discovery of this life oasis shows incredible resiliency and suggests that, with the right conditions, plants and animals can persist following major disasters. 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:Before 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.1 free article leftWant More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/monthSubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In1 free articleSubscribeWant more?Keep reading for as low as $1.99!SubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In

Governments around the world are using the fear of fines to stem the tide of ever-growing deepfakes.Image: Moor Studio/Getty Images ShareAI-generated deepfake materials are flooding the internet, sometimes with dangerous results. In just the last year, AI has been used to make deceiving voice clones of a former US president and spread fake, politically-charged images depicting children in natural disasters. Nonconsensual, AI-generated sexual images and videos, meanwhile, are leaving a trail of trauma impacting everyone from high schoolers to Taylor Swift. Large tech companies like Microsoft and Meta have made some efforts to identify instances of AI manipulation but with only muted success. Now, governments are stepping in to try and stem the tide with something they know quite a bit about: fines.This week, lawmakers in Spain advanced new legislation that would fine companies up to $38.2 million or between 2 percent and 7 percent of their global annual turnover if they fail to properly label AI-generated content. Within hours of that bill being signed, lawmakers in South Dakota pushed forward their own legislation seeking to impose civil and criminal penalties for individuals and groups who share deep fakes intended to influence a political campaign. If it passes, South Dakota will become the 11th US state to pass legislation criminalizing deepfakes since 2019. All of these laws use the threat of potentially drained bank accounts as an enforcement lever.According to Reuters, the Spanish bill follows guidelines set by the broader EU AI Act that officially took effect last year. Specifically, this bill is intended to add punitive teeth to provisions in the AI Act that impose stricter transparency requirements on certain AI tools deemed high risk. Deepfakes fall into that category. Failing to properly label AI-generated content would be considered a serious offense.AI is a very powerful tool that can be used to improve our lives or to spread misinformation, Spains Digital Transformation Minister Oscar Lopez said in a statement sent to Reuters. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.In addition to its rules on deepfake labelling, the legislation also bans the use of so-called subliminal techniques to certain groups classified as vulnerable. It would also place new limits on organizations attempting to use biometrics tools like facial recognition to infer the race or political, religious, or sexual orientation of individuals. The bill still needs to be approved by Spains lower house to become law. If it does, Spain will become the first country in the EU to enact legislation enforcing AI Acts guidelines around deepfakes. It could also serve as a template for other nations to follow.The newly proposed South Dakota bill, by contrast, is more narrowly tailored. It requires individuals or organizations to label deepfake content if it is political in nature and created or shared within 90 days of an election. The version of the bill that advanced this week includes exemptions for newspapers, broadcasters, and radio stations, which had reportedly expressed concerns about potential legal liability for unintentionally sharing deepfake content. The bill also includes an exception for deepfakes that constitute satire or parody, a potentially broad and difficult-to-define carveout.Still, watered down as it may be, South Dakotas bill represents the latest addition to a growing patchwork of state laws aimed at curbing the spread of deepfakes. Texas, New Mexico, Indiana, and Oregon have all enacted legislation specifically targeting deepfakes designed to influence political campaigns. Many of these efforts gained momentum in 2024 after an AI-generated digital clone of President Joe Bidens voice called voters in New Hampshire, urging them not to participate in the states presidential primary. The Biden fakery was reportedly commissioned by Steve Kramer, a political consultant who at the time was working for rival presidential candidate Dean Phillips campaign. Phillips later condemned the deepfake and claimed he wasnt responsible for it. The Federal Communication Commision, meanwhile, hit Krammer with a $6 million fine for allegedly violating The Truth in Caller ID Act.I expect that the FCCs enforcement action will send a strong deterrent signal to anyone who might consider interfering with elections, whether through the use of unlawful robocalls, artificial intelligence, or any other means, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a statement.Four statesFlorida, Louisiana,, Washington, and Mississippihave enacted laws criminalizing the distribution of nonconsensual, AI-generated sexual content. This type of material, sometimes referred to as revenge porn when directed at an individual, is the most common form of harmful deepfake content already spreading widely online. An independent researcher speaking with Wired in 2023 estimated that 244,625 deepfake pornography videos had been uploaded to the top 35 deepfake porn websites over the previous seven years. Nearly half of those videos were uploaded in the final nine months of that period.The surge in uploads suggests that easier-to-use, more convincing generative AI toolscombined with a lack of meaningful safeguardsare making nonconsensual deepfakes more commonplace. Lawmakers have a personal stake in the issue as well. A study released last year by the American Sunlight Project (ASP) found that one in six women in Congress had been targeted by AI-generated sexual deepfakes.Efforts to rein in deepfakes at the federal level have been slower moving, though that may be about to change. Earlier this month, First Lady Melania Trump spoke out in support of the Take It Down Act, a controversial bill that would make it a federal crime to post nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII) on social media platforms. If passed, the bill would also require platforms to remove NCII contentand any duplicateswithin 48 hours of it being reported. The bill has already passed the Senate and could come up for a vote in the House in the coming weeks or months.Its heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes, Melania Trump said. This toxic environment can be severely damaging.The persistent problem with anti-deepfake lawsThough the goal of limiting deepfakes is a laudable one, critics worry some of the laws and bills being pursued go too far. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has spent years warning that overly broad language used in several state laws targeting political deepfakes could be manipulated by a bad actor by criminalizing ads that simply use dramatic music or piece together authentic video clips in a way perceived to be damaging to a candidate. EFF also takes issue with the Take It Down Act and others like it, which it says creates an incentive to falsely label legal speech as a nonconsensual deepfake in order to have it censored.While protecting victims of these heinous privacy invasions is a legitimate goal, good intentions alone are not enough to make good policy, EFF Senior Policy analyst Joe Mullin said.The start of 2025 could mark an inflection point in global efforts to combat AI-generated deepfakes. More European countries are likely to follow Spains lead and propose new legislation criminalizing the creation or spread of deepfakes. While the specifics of these laws may vary, they are united in part by the underlying frameworks established in the EU AI Act.Meanwhile, the U.S. is on the verge of passing its first federal bill banning deepfakes. In all these cases, however, it remains to be seen how effectively lawmakers can wield these new legal tools. Deep-pocketed tech companies and political campaigns targeted by the laws will likely pursue legal challenges that strain government resources. The end result of those possible lengthy legal battles could determine whether or not deepfake laws can actually do what they set out to accomplish without removing free speech in the process.

An undated handout photo released by the University of Queensland shows an image of the boulder using 3D imaging and light filters showing the dinosaur footprints. Credit: University of QueenslandShareA large boulder used as decoration in a rural Australian high schools foyer is actually covered in dinosaur footprintsit just took around 20 years for anyone to notice. After examining the ancient rock, paleontologists at the University of Queenslands Dinosaur Lab believe the stone features one of the countrys highest concentrations of fossilized footprints. These tiny tracks were created by dozens of small, two-legged herbivores during the early Jurassic period. The team describes their findings in a study published on March 10 in the journal Historical Biology.Eastern Australias Biloela State High School is located near the Callide Coal Mine. Workers at this largescale operation often blow up rock formations to reach their payloads. Around 20 years ago, a geologist working at the site took note of a rock formation dotted with what looked like chicken footprintsalbeit chickens with three instead of the standard four or five toes. The geologist extracted the rock before the area was slated for mining, and donated it to Bioela State High School where his wife taught.For years, the boulder greeted students and faculty as a symbol of the areas geologic history. However, following local media attention on newly discovered dinosaur fossils in the area in 2021, the school decided to ask for an experts closer inspection of the rock from the coal mine. University of Queensland paleontologist Anthony Romilio paid a visit to Biloela State High School, where he quickly realized the slabs significance.In the new study, Romilio and colleagues documented a total of 66 fossilized footprints from 47 separate dinosaurs, all within a roughly three-square-foot section of the rock.Its a huge number of dinosaurs, and its the highest number found in a single slab in Australia, Romilio told NBC News. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.After analyzing casts made of the footprints, the team determined they belonged to Anomoepus scambus, a plant-eating dinosaur that existed during the early Jurassic period about 200 million years ago. A. scambus was a comparatively small animal, with a leg height ranging from around 10 centimeters to just over one foot.Speaking with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Romilio explained discoveries like the one at Bioela State High School serve as a reminder of how important it is for mining operations to proceed carefully in their work.When you have an industry like open-pit mining the general assumption is that you wont be able to extract and preserve dinosaur footprints because the process [to mine] is quite destructive, he said on March 11. Thats another idea thats been shattered because we can get these amazing fossils.

Nature, Published online: 12 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08647-2Long-term increases in heavy daily and hourly precipitation in Austria from different climatic mechanisms emphasize the need for flood management adaptation, especially in smaller catchments affected by the increased hourly rainfall.

Nature, Published online: 12 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08743-3ATP/ADP translocators in obligate intracellular parasites and plastids facilitate energy parasitism and endosymbiosis by mediating ATP import and ADP export, with their cryo-EM structures and mechanisms revealed, providing insights for drug development against intracellular pathogens.