Research Preview: Nature Magazine – July 27, 2023

Volume 619 Issue 7971

nature Magazine -July 27, 2023 issue: HADAR (heat-assisted detection and ranging) combines thermal physics and infrared imaging with machine learning to discern an object in pitch darkness as though it  is illuminated by broad daylight.

ChatGPT is a black box: how AI research can break it open

Despite their wide use, large language models are still mysterious. Revealing their true nature is urgent and important.

A lethal fungal infection gets a hand from the body’s own defences

Bloodstream infections by a common fungus are less deadly in mice engineered to have lower levels of a protein secreted by immune cells.

Nature: Filming Birdlife In America’s Arctic Wetlands

Cornell Lab of Ornithology (July 26, 2023) – The tundra wetlands in the heart of America’s Arctic, centered in the NPR-A around Teshekpuk Lake, are among the most extensive in the circumpolar Arctic and contain some of the highest recorded densities of breeding shorebirds in this vast area.

Millions of birds from all over the world flock to these wetlands every year to nest and raise their young. Come along with Cornell Lab’s Gerrit Vyn as he joins a team to capture image of the region’s birdlife.

America’s Arctic is one of North America’s last great wilderness areas, a critical habitat for migratory birds from around the world, and a treasure to be protected for future generations.

#AmericasArctic

Iceland Travel: Top Sites Along The Golden Circle

DW Travel (July 26, 2023) – DW’s Diana Piñeros travels along the country’s most scenic route, the Golden Circle. Diana will explore highlights on this circular sightseeing route such as the Gullfoss waterfall, the Thingvellir National Park, where two tectonic plates meet, and the legendary Blue Lagoon.

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:28 Roadtripping the Golden Circle – what you need to know 01:12 Gullfoss waterfall 03:19 Haukadalur valley with the Strokkur geysir 04:39 Þingvellir National Park 05:52 Silfra reef 06:10 Blue Lagoon

FILM REVIEWS: THE ‘100 BEST MOVIES OF THE PAST 10 DECADES’ (TIME MAGAZINE)

TIME Magazine (July 26, 2023) – TIME’s Stephanie Zacharek on the top films from the 1920s through the 2010s.

2010s

2000s

Read more

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – July 28, 2023

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The Guardian Weekly (July 28, 2023) – Has Vox’s far-right bubble popped? The gridlocked reign in Spain. Plus: Goodbye to Britain’s fish and chips?

Pedro Sánchez rules out return to polls after Spanish vote delivers hung parliament

Workers use harnesses and a suspended platform in Madrid to remove a large electoral banner showing the face of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of Spain's conservative People's party

Socialist leader assures party ‘democracy can find a formula for government’ as left and right blocs try to form viable coalitions

The Spanish Socialist leader, Pedro Sánchez, has ruled out a return to the polls following Sunday’s inconclusive snap general election, insisting a new government can be formed after his ruling coalition was narrowly beaten by the opposition conservative People’s party (PP).

A funeral for fish and chips: why are Britain’s chippies disappearing?

Fish and chips at the Anstruther Fish Bar in the East Neuk of Fife in Scotland.

Plenty of people will tell you the East Neuk of Fife in Scotland is the best place in the world to eat fish and chips. So what happens when its chippies – and chippies across the UK – start to close?

Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – July 28, 2023

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Times Literary Supplement (July 28, 2023): War diaries – Marci Shore on Ukrainian accounts from the front line; Richard Russo reconstructed; Boris and other bounders; Family secrets and lies; and more…

The New York Review Of Books – August 17, 2023

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The New York Review of Books (August 17, 2023) – American Carnage – Jeffrey Toobin’s book about Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing; The Sadistic Brats of ‘Succession’; Rats in Paris!; Colin Grant’s Unsparing Family Portrait; Resurrecting the Porter Sisters; The True Fables of Agota Kristof, and more…

American Carnage

Jeffrey Toobin’s book about Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombing traces the path from Ronald Reagan’s antigovernment ideology to today’s radicalized right.

By Sean Wilentz

Ronald Reagan’s pronouncement, in his first inaugural address in 1981, that “government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem” marked a signal moment in what has become the most successful political counterrevolution in modern American history.

Analysis: Ukraine’s Tech Sector Leads ‘Drone War’

Financial Times (July 25, 2023) -From the production of cheap battlefield drones to AI-powered missile detection, Ukrainian tech start-ups, IT workers and volunteers have been developing military tech and putting themselves on the front line of the war effort

Video timeline: 00:00 Ukraine’s tech war 00:39 The growing tech sector 01:28 The tech start-up: Respeecher and AI voice cloning 03:35 The miltech start-up: Zvook and AI missile detection 05:32 A digitally-focused country 08:00 A fully-fledged drone war 09:06 The drone start-up 11:17 Drones: the growth of the market 12:41 Why drones? 14:13 Drones and the women’s veteran movement 16:00 Ukrainian resilience 16:30 Air Alert! Ajax Systems 19:30 It’s not just about drones 20:12 The anti-drone gun: DroneUA 21:04 Who’s winning the tech war? 22:45 The army of robots 23:36 A new Israel? 24:46 The war has changed us

#Ukraine #Fedorov #drones

News: Belarus Military, Russia Attacks More Grain Routes, Crime In Ecuador

The Globalist Podcast, Wednesday, July 26, 2023: The Belarusian ministry of emergency situations is arming its personnel to prepare for potential armed conflict.

Plus, we discuss why crime in Ecuador is increasing ahead of the country’s elections in August, the latest in the world of aviation and investigate what Elon Musk is up to over at Twitter HQ.

The New York Times — Wednesday, July 26, 2023

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Education Dept. Opens Civil Rights Inquiry Into Harvard’s Legacy Admissions

The Harvard University campus last month. The Biden administration’s inquiry comes at a moment of heightened scrutiny of college admissions practices.

An inquiry into admissions preference for family of alumni and donors began after the Supreme Court’s decision last month limiting affirmative action.

Biden Takes His Battle for Democracy Case by Case

Protesters against the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul bill gathered at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel earlier this month.

President Biden’s decisions on when to speak out forcefully for democracy can prove tricky.

Warming Could Push the Atlantic Past a ‘Tipping Point’ This Century

The system of ocean currents that regulates the climate for a swath of the planet could collapse sooner than expected, a new analysis found.

How War Destroyed a ‘Long and Happy Marriage’

The conflict in Ukraine has split apart millions of families. The story of Andrii Shapovalov and Tetiana Shapovalova reveals how a couple’s bond can become a casualty.