“Edmund M. Clarke, the FORE Systems Professor of Computer Science Emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University, has died of Covid-19,” writes Slashdot reader McGruber. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Professor Clarke was best known for his work in model checking, an automated method for detecting design errors in computer hardware and software. CMU president Farnam Jahanian said the world had “lost a…
Tag: long-term
Mass Die-Off of Birds in Southwest US ‘Probably Linked to Climate Crisis’
The Guardian reports: The mass die-off of thousands of songbirds in south-western U.S. was caused by long-term starvation, made worse by unseasonably cold weather probably linked to the climate crisis, scientists have said. Flycatchers, swallows and warblers were among the migratory birds “falling out of the sky” in September, with carcasses found in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona and Nebraska. A…
Ask Slashdot: How Long Should a Vendor Support a Distro?
Long-term Slashdot reader couchslug believes that “Howls of anguish from betrayed CentOS 8 users highlight the value of its long support cycles…” Earlier this month it was announced that at the end of 2021, the community-supported rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS 8, “will no longer be maintained,” though CentOS 7 “will stick around in a supported maintenance state until…
Microplastics Revealed in the Placentas of Unborn Babies
Microplastic particles have been revealed in the placentas of unborn babies for the first time, which the researchers said was “a matter of great concern.” From a report: The health impact of microplastics in the body is as yet unknown. But the scientists said they could carry chemicals that could cause long-term damage or upset the foetus’s developing immune system. The…
2020 Arctic Report Card: Sea ice loss, extreme wildfires
NOAA’s 2020 Arctic Report Card describes a region that is warming even more rapidly than scientists expected. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/arctic-report-card-2020-sea-ice-loss-extreme-wildfires…
In Jakarta EE 9 ‘javax’ is Finally Renamed ‘jakarta’
i-programmer reports:
The Jakarta EE Working Group has announced that javax is now officially and finally renamed as jakarta with the release of the Jakarta EE 9 Platform and Web Profile specifications and related TCKs. The announcement was made during the JakartaOne Livestream virtual conference, and the group said that the release “provides a new baseline for the evolution and innovation of…
FDA Panel Endorses Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine
Vaccine advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted easily and quickly to recommend that the agency give emergency use authorization to Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine. CNN reports: The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted 20-0 with one abstention to recommend EUA for the Moderna vaccine, which is very similar in design, composition, safety and efficacy to Pfizer/BioNTech’s…
Want to find life on Mars? Look deep underground
A new study from researchers at Rutgers University suggests that the best place to look for evidence of life on Mars is deep underground, where geothermal heat melted subsurface ice. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-life-search-subsurface-ice-melted-by-geothermal-heat…
Scientists Just Set a New World Record In Solar Cell Efficiency
According to a paper published in the journal Science, researchers report they they have now hit an efficiency of 29.15 percent in the perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell category. ScienceAlert reports: For this type of panel, the long-term target of more than 30 percent is now tantalizingly within reach. The latest lab tests edge ahead of the maximum 28 percent efficiency that…
Is Warner Bros’ Shift To Streaming New Movies ‘A Great Danger’?
Christopher Nolan isn’t too happy with Warner Bros’ decision to send all 17 of its films slated for release in 2021 to HBO Max on the same day they’re released. Nolan, whose blockbuster movies for Warner Bros have made billions, called HBO Max “the worst streaming service,” adding that this shift in Hollywood is “a sign of great danger for the…