Sirius is a binary star, with a small white dwarf called the Pup orbiting the large primary star. It’s not easy to observe, but it is possible. Here’s how. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/how-to-observe-sirius-b…
Tag: persistence
Hostile space weather might not be all bad for exoplanet life
A new study from Northwestern University shows that solar flares – space weather – might not always be as dangerous for life on exoplanets as typically thought. In fact, it might even help astronomers discover alien life on distant worlds. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/hostile-space-weather-might-not-be-all-bad-for-exoplanet-life…
Discover how Melaine is driving education efforts in West Africa using skills learned on Coursera
We’d like to introduce you to Melaine Nyuyfoni Nsaikila. In the story he shares below, Melaine describes how learning on Coursera helped give him an edge in his job search and the tools to continue to make a difference in policy and development. With persistence and determination, he built the technical skills that he now […]
The post Discover how Melaine is…
What do unconscious bias tests really reveal about racism?
Psychologists have shown that reflexive biases influence our perceptions of others, potentially explaining the persistence of various forms of prejudice. But reliably measuring our implicit biases is trickier than it first appeared Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24732973-400-what-do-unconscious-bias-tests-really-reveal-about-racism/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Does coronavirus linger in the body?
Some viruses can hide out in the body and reemerge at later times. Which viruses do this, and can the new coronavirus do this too? Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/does-coronavirus-linger-in-body-immune-system-covid…
Can AI Design Games? How Nick Walton Created ‘AI Dungeon’
shirappu writes: Nick Walton created AI Dungeon as an experiment to build an AI dungeon master for D&D games. Since then, it’s grown into a text adventure game in which players can type in anything they want, with the game’s AI responding dynamically [and with over 1.5 million players and multiplayer adventures.] In this interview about the year since its release,…
New Java-Based Ransomware Targets Linux and Windows Systems
“A newly uncovered form of ransomware is going after Windows and Linux systems,” reports ZDNet, “in what appears to be a targeted campaign.”
Named Tycoon after references in the code, this ransomware has been active since December 2019 and looks to be the work of cyber criminals who are highly selective in their targeting. The malware also uses an uncommon deployment technique…
Thousands of Enterprise Systems Infected by New Blue Mockingbird Malware Gang
Thousands of enterprise systems are believed to have been infected with a cryptocurrency-mining malware operated by a group tracked under the codename of Blue Mockingbird. From a report: Discovered earlier this month by malware analysts from cloud security firm Red Canary, the Blue Mockingbird group is believed to have been active since December 2019. Researchers say Blue Mockingbird attacks public-facing servers…
Early Treatment of COVID-19 Patients With HCQ+AZ Shows Benefit, Study Finds
“Over at ScienceDirect, they report on a French ‘retrospective’ study of just over 1,000 patients across all age groups with very good results,” writes long-time Slashdot reader kenh. The analysis found that administration of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and Azithromycin (AZ) before COVID-19 complications occur “is safe and associated with very low fatality rate in patients.” From the report: Background: In France, the…