Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Nov 2, 2023

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nature Magazine – November 2, 2023: The latest issue cover features an artist’s impression of the collision between the protoplanet Theia and proto-Earth about 4.5 billion years ago. It has been suggested that it was this ‘Giant Impact’ that formed the Moon, but direct evidence for the existence of Theia remains elusive.

Ancient DNA reveals traces of elusive first humans in Europe

Europe’s earliest Homo sapiens seemed to have vanished without a genetic legacy — but genomic studies now show otherwise.

‘Mind-blowing’ IBM chip speeds up AI

IBM’s NorthPole processor sidesteps need to access external memory, boosting computing power and saving energy.

Classical Music: Top New Releases – November 2023

Brilliant Classics (November 1, 2023): New classical music from Beethoven, J.S. Bach, Dvorák, Monteverdi and more….

Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – Nov 3, 2023

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Times Literary Supplement (November 3, 2023): The new issue features Rock Hudson and the art of docudrama; Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm continued; Wife to Mr. Orwell; Whitman’s war diaries; Britain passes the chaos test and more…

Current Affairs: Prospect Magazine – December 2023

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Prospect Magazine (December 2023) – The latest issue features Oh, the humanities! – History, literature, film studies; I still dream of peace – How Israel might emerge from the Gaza horror, and more…

I still dream of peace

My country will emerge from this horror—and when it does the peacemakers, not the zealots, will reign, writes a former speaker of the Israeli Knesset

By Avraham Burg

The following words were written amid the storm of battle. Planes constantly circling in the sky, the bedroom turned into a shelter, the radio telling of new atrocities, the heart torn with fear as to the fate of missing persons. The days are now devoted to funerals and condolences, and the evenings to guarding our small community. I have participated in many demonstrations against the terrible folly of Benjamin Netanyahu, which found its outcome in the revenge and rage in Gaza on 7th October. Today, I try to be available for acts of support and solidarity with the victims on all sides. This beautiful land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea weeps bitterly, its two communities refusing to be comforted. 

Oh, the humanities!

History, literature, film studies—these subjects expand our understanding and enrich our democracy. They are also under assault

Priyamvada Gopal

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – November 3, 2023

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The Guardian Weekly (November 3, 2023) – The new issue features Bletchley Park, the main center of allied second world war codebreakers, and it’s no coincidence that the English country house was chosen as the venue for this week’s landmark summit on safety in artificial intelligence. The age of AI brings opportunities but also significant risks, as a number of experts in the field outlined in an open letter last week.

Global technology editor Dan Milmo discusses the pros and cons with one of the technology’s leading thinkers, Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind, who says the rise of AI must be thought of as seriously as the climate crisis. Then, Observer columnist Sonia Sodha argues that calling for AI to be reined in is not simply a sign of luddism.

As Israeli forces entered Gaza this week, Bethan McKernan and Rory Carroll report for us on the increasingly unbearable nature of life in the besieged enclave, and there’s expert analysis and commentary from Julian BorgerPeter Beaumont and Jason Burke.

News: Gaza Health Crisis, EU President In Balkans, Dutch Arctic Ambassador

The Globalist Podcast (November 1, 2023) – The World Health Organization warns that civilians in Gaza face a looming health crisis, Ursula von der Leyen continues her Balkans tour and we hear from The Netherlands’ ambassador for the Arctic.

Plus: is the future of the pharmacy in jeopardy and how is climate change affecting cheesemakers?

The New York Times — Wednesday, Nov 1, 2023

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A Deadly Airstrike, and Gazans at the Breaking Point

The aftermath of the airstrike at the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israel said it killed a Hamas leader at a refugee camp, but many other people were wounded and killed, Hamas said. The assault came as fuel, food and water shortages pushed civilians to the brink.

Israel Faces Hostage Dilemma in Gaza

Family members of the hostages held in Gaza and their supporters during a demonstration on Sunday in Tel Aviv.

The country has said there are two main goals in the war: Destroy Hamas and free the hostages held in Gaza. But are those goals compatible?

In Cyberattacks, Iran Shows Signs of Improved Hacking Capabilities

A monthslong hacking campaign targeted the governments of regional rivals, including Israel, and marked a turn, a new report says, as the attacks were used to collect intelligence, not just disrupt services.

Panel Says That Innovative Sickle Cell Cure Is Safe Enough for Patients

The decision by an advisory committee may lead to Food and Drug Administration approval of the first treatment for humans that uses the CRISPR gene-editing system.