The Obtain: historical DNA, and offshore wind

That is right now’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a every day dose of what’s happening on the planet of know-how.

DNA that was frozen for 2 million years has been sequenced

What’s occurred: After an eight-year effort to recuperate DNA from Greenland’s frozen inside, researchers say they’ve managed to sequence gene fragments from historical fish, vegetation, and even a mastodon that lived 2 million years in the past. It’s the oldest DNA ever recovered.

How they did it: The researchers examined genetic materials that was left behind by dozens of species and washed into sediment layers way back. The DNA was preserved by freezing temperatures and sure to clay and quartz, which additionally slows down the method of degradation.

Why it issues: The genetic findings, which paint an image of an period when Greenland was coated with flowering vegetation and cedar bushes, may present clues to how ecosystems tailored to hotter climates previously. Learn the complete story.

—Antonio Regalado

The wild new know-how coming to offshore wind energy

Wind energy is among the world’s fastest-growing renewable vitality sources, and shortly its attain may develop even additional. This week, California is auctioning websites off its coast that would home the primary floating wind generators within the US. 

There are already a number of demonstration initiatives world wide for floating offshore wind generators, however the know-how is coming into a brand new section, with extra governments setting objectives for installations and bigger initiatives coming into the planning and allowing levels. California might be a serious testing floor for the know-how. However what it might take to truly occur, and what is going to California’s public sale imply for wind energy globally? Learn the complete story.

—Casey Crownhart

Casey’s story is from The Spark, her weekly e-newsletter overlaying vitality and local weather change. Signal as much as obtain it in your inbox.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the web to seek out you right now’s most enjoyable/necessary/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.

1 Sam Bankman-Fried is reportedly being investigated by US prosecutors 
The inquiry needs to find out whether or not he manipulated the marketplace for two cryptocurrencies. (NYT $)
+ The FTX founder has made his fair proportion of enemies recently. (Vox)
+ Fb is asking lawmakers to go simple on crypto, please. (Motherboard)
+ An underground neighborhood in Lebanon is mining crypto in uncared for dams. (Remainder of World)

2 Apple is lastly encrypting most of iCloud 
It can defend knowledge from each hackers and regulation enforcement. (WSJ $)
+ The corporate has dropped its plans to scan iCloud Images for potential baby abuse. (Wired $)
+ Authorities businesses are unlikely to welcome Superior Knowledge Safety. (WP $)
 
3 Ukraine is revolutionizing sea warfare with naval drones
The uncrewed boats are concentrating on enemy ships. (Economist $)
+ Russian disinformation is demonizing Ukrainian refugees. (WP $)
 
4 China has agreed to US inspections of its tech companies
In a bid to keep away from being positioned on a commerce blacklist. (FT $)
 
5 How France’s privateness darling turned cyber snooper
Eric Leandri was once a staunch defender of digital privateness. Now, he runs a cybersurveillance agency. (Politico)

6 Scammers are scamming one another
And a stunning variety of them are complaining about it on-line. (Wired $)
+ The 1,000 Chinese language SpaceX engineers who by no means existed. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
 
7 Understanding the web’s carbon footprint is surprisingly tough 
We’re utilizing extra vitality, but it surely’s onerous to match sure actions. (The Dialog)
 
8 The difficulty with being “chronically on-line”
It’s principally lots of people getting het up over nothing. (Vox)
+ Even the fanciest influencers are feeling the cost-of-living pinch. (Wired $)
 
9 The easy magic of Christmas procuring in actual life
On-line could also be extra handy, however algorithms are unlikely to please you with an sudden discover. (The Atlantic $)

10 The way to put together for a large asteroid strike
The Asteroid Launcher simulator offers a captivating take a look at what may occur—however hopefully received’t. (Motherboard)
+ The way to keep protected from a photo voltaic flare. (Insider $)
+ Watch the second NASA’s DART spacecraft crashed into an asteroid. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)

Quote of the day

“It’s not an excellent look. It’s yet one more unstated signal of disrespect. There isn’t any dialogue. Identical to, beds confirmed up.”

—A disgruntled Twitter worker tells Forbes about beds mysteriously showing within the firm’s places of work with none warning, presumably to allow workers to tug loopy hours.

The massive story

Is your mind a pc?

It’s an analogy that goes again to the daybreak of the pc period: ever since we found that machines may remedy issues by manipulating symbols, we’ve puzzled if the mind may work similarly.

Alan Turing, for instance, requested what it might take for a machine to “assume” again in 1950, questioning that if machines may assume like human brains, it was solely pure to surprise if brains may work like machines.

At this time, consultants are divided. We requested them to inform us why they assume we should always—or shouldn’t—consider the mind as being “like a pc.” Though everybody agrees that our organic brains create our aware minds, they’re break up on the query of what function, if any, is performed by data processing—the essential similarity that brains and computer systems are alleged to share. Learn the complete story.

—Dan Falk

We will nonetheless have good issues

A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre instances. (Obtained any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ How ‘goblin mode’ grew to become the phrase of the 12 months.
+ 2022 has been A Yr, however no less than the memes had been good.
+ Yeardley Smith, aka the voice of Lisa Simpson, has been on an actual journey.
+ Netflix has a ton of secret codes to shake up your suggestions. What’re you ready for?
+ Right here’s why what we predict we all know in regards to the mind at 25 years outdated most likely isn’t true in any respect.