Author: user
If you’re stargazing late on Dec. 21 and 22, keep your eyes peeled for “shooting stars” during the peak of the annual Uruid meteor shower.The Ursa Minor meteor shower will be active from December 13th to December 26th, with its nighttime peak coinciding with the winter solstice on December 21st at 10:03 a.m. ET. Although the two events are completely unrelated, this is the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere and is a great time to hunt for and photograph meteors if you’re up for the challenge.The Ursa Minor meteor shower is not one of the major…
December 19, 2025Ravi LakshmananCybercrime/Law Enforcement Nigerian authorities announced the arrest of three “prominent internet fraud suspects” suspected of involvement in phishing attacks targeting major companies, including the main developer of the RaccoonO365 phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) scheme. The Nigeria Police National Cyber Crime Center (NPF-NCCC) said an investigation conducted in collaboration with Microsoft and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified Okitipi Samuel, also known as Moses Felix, as the main suspect and developer of the phishing infrastructure. “The investigation revealed that he operated a Telegram channel selling phishing links in exchange for cryptocurrency and hosted a fraudulent login portal on Cloudflare…
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft made valuable observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. The comet became the third officially recognized interstellar object to enter the solar system in July. The UVS instrument provided a unique perspective on interstellar comets at a time when observations from Mars or Earth were impractical or impossible. “This opportunity to observe another target on its way to Jupiter was completely unexpected, so we’re excited,” said Dr. Curt Retherford of the Southwest Research Institute, principal investigator for Europa-UVS. “Our observations provide a unique and nuanced view of comet 3I/ATLAS.” What makes Europa Clipper’s observations unique? Within a…
The YoPA project team will discuss youth-led participatory research aimed at tackling physical inactivity, non-communicable diseases and health inequalities. The growing crisis of physical inactivity among young people is a global public health concern, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable. As society grapples with the prevalence of sedentary behavior and related health inequalities, it is clear that traditional intervention models do not adequately address the complexity and diversity of young people’s life realities. To make meaningful progress, we must adopt innovative, inclusive and empowering approaches that recognize young people not only as intended beneficiaries but also as active co-creators of change.…
December 19, 2025Ravi LakshmananFirmware security/vulnerabilities Certain motherboard models from vendors such as ASRock, ASUSTeK Computer, GIGABYTE, and MSI are affected by security vulnerabilities that make them susceptible to early-start direct memory access (DMA) attacks across architectures that implement Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) or Input/Output Memory Management Unit (IOMMU). UEFI and IOMMU are designed to strengthen the security foundation and prevent peripherals from performing unauthorized memory accesses, effectively ensuring that DMA-enabled devices can manipulate or inspect system memory before the operating system is loaded. This vulnerability was discovered by Nick Peterson and Mohamed Al-Sharifi of Riot Games in certain UEFI…
Delipack develops plastic-free and PFAS-free Smart-Safe© packaging solutions that address environmental concerns, with support from retailers and policy makers. Delipack, an international food packaging paperboard manufacturer, is building its brand on the Smart-Safe© sustainability concept. The company offers an impressive array of environmentally award-winning packaging solutions, including plastic-free and PFAS-free barriers that are recyclable, compostable, and carbon-balanced. Perfluorinated or polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of more than 10,000 industrial chemicals widely used in everything from carpets to cosmetics to cookware to food packaging and widely associated with major human health and environmental concerns. Deep-rooted problems with PFAS The…
TikTok has reached an agreement to transfer a significant portion of its U.S. operations to a group of American investors, ending a years-long battle in which the federal government tried to force the platform to do so. An internal memo from ByteDance CEO Shou Chew, seen by TechCrunch, describes the new partnership as “a new TikTok U.S. joint venture.” The deal will see a major US investor assume significant control of the US-based business. The newly formed investor group includes cloud giant Oracle, technology-focused private equity firm Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based AI-focused investment firm MGX. Together, the companies will…
Roman soldiers guarding Hadrian’s Wall in Britain were no strangers to diarrhea and abdominal pain, according to a new study that found traces of at least three different intestinal parasites in soil near centuries-old toilets.This discovery shows that even though the walls had a state-of-the-art sewage system at the time, the Romans’ mettle suffered greatly.The auxiliary fortress of Vindolanda in northern England was occupied by the Romans from the 1st to the 4th century. The fort is located just south of Hadrian’s Wall and was first built in 122 AD to protect the northernmost tip of the Roman Empire. Vindolanda…
Apple on Wednesday announced an updated developer license agreement that gives the company permission to recoup unpaid funds, such as fees and other fees, by deducting them from in-app purchases it processes on behalf of developers. This change affects developers in regions where local law allows linking to external payment systems. In such cases, developers must report those payments to Apple in order to pay any required commissions or fees. The revised agreement appears to give Apple a way to collect fees it deems correct if the company determines that a developer is underreporting their revenue. Apple’s policies in this…
A NASA spacecraft designed to search for signs of extraterrestrial life has aimed its lens at comet 3I/ATLAS. But it wasn’t for the reason you might think. The spaceship just happened to be in the right place at the right time.Racing through the solar system at an estimated speed of 153,000 miles per hour (246,000 km), the fascinating interstellar comet will reach its closest point to Earth tonight (December 18-19). At its closest approach, 3I/ATLAS will plummet to within about 168 million miles (270 million kilometers) of Earth.It’s close enough for amateur astronomers to spot with a good backyard telescope,…