Yearly Archives: 2022

News: HYUNDAI SAYS ‘METAMOBILITY’ WILL LINK REAL AND VIRTUAL WORLDS

 Hyundai Motor envisions an interactive and partially virtual future it calls “metamobility,” in which a variety of robotic devices interact with humans to provide a wide range of mobility services, from automated personal transport to remote control of robots in  factories.Hyundai executives, led by Chief Executive Euisun Chung, elaborated on the vision during a press conference at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Buzzwords aside, Hyundai plans to leverage its growing expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence to build  a future mobility network that connects humans in the real world with objects and tasks in the virtual world. The concept is linked to the so-called metaverse, a term coined 30 years ago by author Neal Stephenson, but which recently gained attention  when social media company Facebook changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc. It refers to shared virtual environments. world that people can access through the Internet and that they can  use  virtual reality or augmented reality. Hyundai offered several examples of how it could connect the metaverse and the real world:– A vehicle that can be transformed into a work space or an entertainment room that includes a 3D video game platform.– A “smart” factory where humans outside the plant remotely control robots that interact with machines and products inside the plant.– Automated personal transportation devices for people with disabilities or individuals who want to maintain social distances while traveling.To make all this work, the automaker said it was building a Mobility of Things ecosystem that will link modular robotic platforms to perform different mobility services.One module called Plug & Drive or PnD is a single-wheel robotics platform that combines intelligent steering, braking and suspension with in-wheel electric drive, cameras and lidar sensors for automated operation.For larger logistics tasks and other mobility services, Hyundai can bundle four PnD modules, including one application that pairs with a robot dog called – what else? – Spot.


 Hyundai Motor envisions an interactive and partially virtual future it calls “metamobility,” in which a variety of robotic devices interact with humans to provide a wide range of mobility services, from automated personal transport to remote control of robots in  factories.

Hyundai executives, led by Chief Executive Euisun Chung, elaborated on the vision during a press conference at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

 Buzzwords aside, Hyundai plans to leverage its growing expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence to build  a future mobility network that connects humans in the real world with objects and tasks in the virtual world. 

The concept is linked to the so-called metaverse, a term coined 30 years ago by author Neal Stephenson, but which recently gained attention  when social media company Facebook changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc. 

It refers to shared virtual environments. world that people can access through the Internet and that they can  use  virtual reality or augmented reality. Hyundai offered several examples of how it could connect the metaverse and the real world:

– A vehicle that can be transformed into a work space or an entertainment room that includes a 3D video game platform.

– A “smart” factory where humans outside the plant remotely control robots that interact with machines and products inside the plant.

– Automated personal transportation devices for people with disabilities or individuals who want to maintain social distances while traveling.

To make all this work, the automaker said it was building a Mobility of Things ecosystem that will link modular robotic platforms to perform different mobility services.

One module called Plug & Drive or PnD is a single-wheel robotics platform that combines intelligent steering, braking and suspension with in-wheel electric drive, cameras and lidar sensors for automated operation.

For larger logistics tasks and other mobility services, Hyundai can bundle four PnD modules, including one application that pairs with a robot dog called – what else? – Spot.

News: French parliament approves Macron’s vaccine pass

 People wearing protective face masks walk in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, January 5, 2022. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesThe French parliament on Thursday approved President Emmanuel Macron’s plans for a vaccination card to  curb the spread of the Omicron variant after Macron sparked a tumultuous debate whipped up by Macron’s comments that he wanted to “piss off” the unvaccinated.Macron told Le Parisien  earlier this week. that he wanted to make life so difficult for those who opposed the COVID-19 vaccine  by leading them away from public places that they would end up being jabbed.Macron’s coarse language barely three months before a presidential election was widely seen as a politically calculated, tapping into a intensifying public frustration against the unvaccinated.More than 90% of over-12s have received at least two doses, government data shows. Health Minister Olivier Veran said a record number of people since Oct. 1 received a first shot on Wednesday after Macron’s comments were published.Lawmakers in the lower house passed draft legislation including the vaccine pass shortly after 5 a.m. after an all-night session by a margin of 214 to 93. Many of those who voted against the bill were from the far-right or left-wingers.The legislation will go to the Senate before a final vote in the National Assembly.People in France have for several months had to show either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter venues such as cinemas and cafes and use trains. But with Delta and Omicron variant infections surging, the government decided to drop the test option in the new bill.The vaccine pass rules will apply to over-16s and not over-12 as the government had initially sought.European countries have grappled with the possibility of mandating citizens to force them to vaccinate. Italy on Wednesday made the COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for people aged 50 and over,  teachers and public health workers are already required to get vaccinated. , Prime Minister Jean Castex said. Countries that had switched to compulsory vaccination, such as Italy and Austria, had lower vaccination rates than France. Castex also said France would be ready to move on to a fourth COVID vaccine shot when the time was right. On Wednesday, France set a record of more than 332,000 new ones. COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours and an additional 246 COVID-19 deaths in hospitals, as the country.

 

People wearing protective face masks walk in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France,
People wearing protective face masks walk in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, January 5, 2022. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

The French parliament on Thursday approved President Emmanuel Macron’s plans for a vaccination card to  curb the spread of the Omicron variant after Macron sparked a tumultuous debate whipped up by Macron’s comments that he wanted to “piss off” the unvaccinated.

Macron told Le Parisien  earlier this week. that he wanted to make life so difficult for those who opposed the COVID-19 vaccine  by leading them away from public places that they would end up being jabbed.
Macron’s coarse language barely three months before a presidential election was widely seen as a politically calculated, tapping into a intensifying public frustration against the unvaccinated.

More than 90% of over-12s have received at least two doses, government data shows. Health Minister Olivier Veran said a record number of people since Oct. 1 received a first shot on Wednesday after Macron’s comments were published.


Lawmakers in the lower house passed draft legislation including the vaccine pass shortly after 5 a.m. after an all-night session by a margin of 214 to 93. Many of those who voted against the bill were from the far-right or left-wingers.


The legislation will go to the Senate before a final vote in the National Assembly.

People in France have for several months had to show either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter venues such as cinemas and cafes and use trains. But with Delta and Omicron variant infections surging, the government decided to drop the test option in the new bill.

The vaccine pass rules will apply to over-16s and not over-12 as the government had initially sought.
European countries have grappled with the possibility of mandating citizens to force them to vaccinate. Italy on Wednesday made the COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for people aged 50 and over,  teachers and public health workers are already required to get vaccinated. , Prime Minister Jean Castex said.
Countries that had switched to compulsory vaccination, such as Italy and Austria, had lower vaccination rates than France.

Castex also said France would be ready to move on to a fourth COVID vaccine shot when the time was right.
On Wednesday, France set a record of more than 332,000 new ones. COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours and an additional 246 COVID-19 deaths in hospitals, as the country.

News: TikTok couple goes viral after finding a clever way to survive I-95 traffic jam

Vehicles are stuck in gridlock in the morning on the Interstate Highway I-95 near Stafford, Virginia, U.S., January 4, 2022 in this still image obtained from a social media video. Susan Phalen/via REUTERS (Susan Phalen/via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)A viral video from TikTok  shows how a bread truck  driver was able to provide much needed help to  dozens of unsuspecting drivers who were  stranded on I95 in Virginia for more than 24 hours due to snowy weather and freezing temperatures this week they ate nothing for 37 hours stuck on that frozen Virginia freeway, so they called the bread company whose truck was right in front of them, asking if they could have what was in it, ” said the narrator of the video. showing a photo of Casey Holihan and her husband, John Noe, and the Schmidt Baking Company truck. “To their surprise, the driver of the truck was contacted and  given the green light to start distributing bread to 50 starving motorists,” they added, as the video shows the gloved driver  handing out bags of bread from the  truck. Baltimore-based company truck.It is not known how many people were fed by the gesture or how long the drivers were stuck in the roadblock before being rescued. The blocked traffic prompted Virginia state transportation officials to shut down the entire freeway, including the mostly congested areas between exits 152 and 104.The incident began Monday before pouring into Tuesday evening but, despite the chaos, there were no reported deaths, injuries, or serious accidents.Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., shared on Twitter that he was stuck on the interstate and that it took him 27 hours to travel the 110 miles between Richmond and Washington.Hundreds — if not thousands — of drivers were affected before their eventual help came from law enforcement vehicles, who were also impeded and delayed by the storm, and the generosity of Schmidt Baking company and its delivery truck driver.There have been other reports of people helping stranded people, including a family who handed over oranges to the US Senator. Governor Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency, after initially choosing not to do so as another winter storm is expected to hit Virginia in the coming days.  

Vehicles are stuck in gridlock in the morning on the Interstate Highway I-95 near Stafford, Virginia, U.S., January 4, 2022 in this still image obtained from a social media video. Susan Phalen/via REUTERS (Susan Phalen/via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)
Vehicles are stuck in gridlock in the morning on the Interstate Highway I-95 near Stafford, Virginia, U.S., January 4, 2022 in this still image obtained from a social media video. Susan Phalen/via REUTERS (Susan Phalen/via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)

A viral video from TikTok  shows how a bread truck  driver was able to provide much needed help to  dozens of unsuspecting drivers who were  stranded on I95 in Virginia for more than 24 hours due to snowy weather and freezing temperatures this week they ate nothing for 37 hours stuck on that frozen Virginia freeway, so they called the bread company whose truck was right in front of them, asking if they could have what was in it, ” said the narrator of the video. showing a photo of Casey Holihan and her husband, John Noe, and the Schmidt Baking Company truck.
“To their surprise, the driver of the truck was contacted and  given the green light to start distributing bread to 50 starving motorists,” they added, as the video shows the gloved driver  handing out bags of bread from the  truck. Baltimore-based company truck.
It is not known how many people were fed by the gesture or how long the drivers were stuck in the roadblock before being rescued.
The blocked traffic prompted Virginia state transportation officials to shut down the entire freeway, including the mostly congested areas between exits 152 and 104.

The incident began Monday before pouring into Tuesday evening but, despite the chaos, there were no reported deaths, injuries, or serious accidents.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., shared on Twitter that he was stuck on the interstate and that it took him 27 hours to travel the 110 miles between Richmond and Washington.

Hundreds — if not thousands — of drivers were affected before their eventual help came from law enforcement vehicles, who were also impeded and delayed by the storm, and the generosity of Schmidt Baking company and its delivery truck driver.
There have been other reports of people helping stranded people, including a family who handed over oranges to the US Senator.
Governor Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency, after initially choosing not to do so as another winter storm is expected to hit Virginia in the coming days.

 

News: $315M Powerball winning ticket sold at a Sacramento 7-Eleven

Image Credit: (Renee Schiavone/Patch)The winning ticket for the last Powerball was sold at a  convenience store in Sacramento. According to the lottery site, the ticket was sold at 7 Eleven on Wyndham Drive. The ticket price is $315 million. The other  winning ticket, which hit five out of five numbers, was sold to a Chevron in South Pasadena. This person made about $1.3 million. Powerball’s last big  winning ticket was sold at an Albertsons in Morro Bay in October, for a price of $685 million. This winner was able to choose between the 29-year paid annuity option  or the $ 496 million cash option. Both reward options are subject to tax.

Image Credit: (Renee Schiavone/Patch)

The winning ticket for the last Powerball was sold at a  convenience store in Sacramento. According to the lottery site, the ticket was sold at 7 Eleven on Wyndham Drive. 

The ticket price is $315 million. 

The other  winning ticket, which hit five out of five numbers, was sold to a Chevron in South Pasadena. This person made about $1.3 million. Powerball’s last big  winning ticket was sold at an Albertsons in Morro Bay in October, for a price of $685 million. 

This winner was able to choose between the 29-year paid annuity option  or the $ 496 million cash option. Both reward options are subject to tax.

News: Flurona: what we know so far about the rare new double infection

 Image Credit(AP)It sounds more like science fiction the more you hear it: The first case of Flurona, a new and rare  double infection of coronavirus and influenza, was discovered in an unvaccinated pregnant Israeli young  woman, according to doctors at Beilinson Hospital in the city from Petach Tikva out of the country. Israel is currently seeing a surge in Omicron, with over 9,000 cases registered yesterday, and while there are no confirmed cases in the UK and the patient is  experiencing mild symptoms, her two positive  results have raised concerns about the possibility of a new double infection. How common is it? Could the falls in the UK? Could two infections cause a more serious illness? From symptoms to look out for to how likely they are to spread, this is what we knew about Flurona so far.Related: First Case Of Flurona Emerges in FranceHow did flurona come about?As the name suggests, flurona describes a rare double infection of both coronavirus and influenza. The term has emerged over recent days following the finding of a patient in Israel who tested positive for both diseases when she came into hospital on Thursday – the first recorded case in the world. The young woman is pregnant and is reported to only have mild symptoms, but health officials have quickly started studying her case to determine whether the combination causes any greater severity of illness. “She was diagnosed with the flu and coronavirus as soon as she arrived,” Professor Arnon Vizhnitser, director of the hospitals’ Gynaecology Department, told Jewish newspaper Hamodia. “Both tests came back positive, even after we checked again. The disease is the same disease. They’re viral and cause difficulty breathing since both attack the upper respiratory tract.”According to latest reports, the patient is expected to be discharged on Thursday. What are the symptoms?It is difficult for scientists to pinpoint an exact set of symptoms, but flurona’s most common effects are likely to be a combination of those of Covid and influenza. Related: First Case Of Flurona Emerges in FranceThe Israeli patient did reportedly exhibit breathing difficulties and since Omicron already exhibits many of the same symptoms as the flu or a cold, the main effects are likely to include a high temperature, fatigue, aches, sneezing, a dry cough and/or scratchy throat. Prof Vizhnitser confirmed that both infections are viral and cause difficulty breathing. “The disease is the same disease,” he said. “They’re viral and cause difficulty breathing since both attack the upper respiratory tract.”How likely is it to spread?Much about the infectiousness and seriousness of flurona remains unknown, but doctors have confirmed that other cases are likely to emerge – a result of rising flu cases as restrictions ease along with the fast spread of the Omicron variant. Related: First Case Of Flurona Emerges in France“We are seeing more and more pregnant women with the flu,” said Prof Vizhnitser. “It is definitely a great challenge dealing with a woman who comes in with a fever at childbirth.“This is especially when you do not know if it’s coronavirus or the flu, so you refer to them the same. Most of the illness is respiratory.”Source: Yahoo News

 

Flurona
Image Credit(AP)


It sounds more like science fiction the more you hear it: The first case of Flurona, a new and rare  double infection of coronavirus and influenza, was discovered in an unvaccinated pregnant Israeli young  woman, according to doctors at Beilinson Hospital in the city from Petach Tikva out of the country.
Israel is currently seeing a surge in Omicron, with over 9,000 cases registered yesterday, and while there are no confirmed cases in the UK and the patient is  experiencing mild symptoms, her two positive  results have raised concerns about the possibility of a new double infection. How common is it? Could the falls in the UK? Could two infections cause a more serious illness?
From symptoms to look out for to how likely they are to spread, this is what we knew about Flurona so far.


Related: First Case Of Flurona Emerges in France

How did flurona come about?

As the name suggests, flurona describes a rare double infection of both coronavirus and influenza. The term has emerged over recent days following the finding of a patient in Israel who tested positive for both diseases when she came into hospital on Thursday – the first recorded case in the world. 

The young woman is pregnant and is reported to only have mild symptoms, but health officials have quickly started studying her case to determine whether the combination causes any greater severity of illness. 

“She was diagnosed with the flu and coronavirus as soon as she arrived,” Professor Arnon Vizhnitser, director of the hospitals’ Gynaecology Department, told Jewish newspaper Hamodia. 

“Both tests came back positive, even after we checked again. The disease is the same disease. They’re viral and cause difficulty breathing since both attack the upper respiratory tract.”

According to latest reports, the patient is expected to be discharged on Thursday. 

What are the symptoms?

It is difficult for scientists to pinpoint an exact set of symptoms, but flurona’s most common effects are likely to be a combination of those of Covid and influenza. 

Related: First Case Of Flurona Emerges in France

The Israeli patient did reportedly exhibit breathing difficulties and since Omicron already exhibits many of the same symptoms as the flu or a cold, the main effects are likely to include a high temperature, fatigue, aches, sneezing, a dry cough and/or scratchy throat. 

Prof Vizhnitser confirmed that both infections are viral and cause difficulty breathing. “The disease is the same disease,” he said. “They’re viral and cause difficulty breathing since both attack the upper respiratory tract.”

How likely is it to spread?

Much about the infectiousness and seriousness of flurona remains unknown, but doctors have confirmed that other cases are likely to emerge – a result of rising flu cases as restrictions ease along with the fast spread of the Omicron variant.

 Related: First Case Of Flurona Emerges in France

“We are seeing more and more pregnant women with the flu,” said Prof Vizhnitser. “It is definitely a great challenge dealing with a woman who comes in with a fever at childbirth.

“This is especially when you do not know if it’s coronavirus or the flu, so you refer to them the same. Most of the illness is respiratory.”

Source: Yahoo News

News: Flurona detected in Israeli woman just as new COVID-19 variant IHU discovered in France

Israel is reporting its first case of what’s called “flurona”, when a person can have two infections influenza and  coronavirus  at the same time. It was detected in a pregnant woman who had mild symptoms. This discovery comes as a new variant of COVID-19 called  varient caleed IHU has been detected in France.

Pregnant woman photo-pregnancy


Israel is reporting its first case of what’s called “flurona”, when a person can have two infections influenza and  coronavirus  at the same time. It was detected in a pregnant woman who had mild symptoms. This discovery comes as a new variant of COVID-19 called  varient caleed IHU has been detected in France.

News: This is how WhatsApp plans to change the way you receive your messages

WhatsApp has reportedly started rolling out the first beta feature of 2022 for iOS users. According to a report by WABetaInfo, with the new feature, iPhone users will also be able to see the sender’s profile photos as well as message notifications. According to the screenshot shared with the report, the new feature will allow you to see small photos of the sender in the notification when you receive a new message from a single user or group.The report also reveals that the feature is only available to  a few beta testers running the iOS 15 operating system because the feature uses iOS 15 APIs. The Facebook-owned platform is reportedly releasing the feature for more users with the upcoming updates.As the feature is still in beta, WhatsApp may experience  issues showing profile photos on specific notifications, but these issues will likely be resolved whenever the feature is rolled out to the public.Last week WhatsApp also started rolling out a 2.22.1.1 beta update  for iOS users. The update supposedly contains hidden references to a feature that will allow users to create communities in future updates. A similar hidden notice was also discovered in the beta update released two weeks ago for Android smartphones. For those of you who don’t know, Facebook’s own messaging platform has been working on a community feature for a while.


WhatsApp has reportedly started rolling out the first beta feature of 2022 for iOS users. According to a report by WABetaInfo, with the new feature, iPhone users will also be able to see the sender’s profile photos as well as message notifications. 

According to the screenshot shared with the report, the new feature will allow you to see small photos of the sender in the notification when you receive a new message from a single user or group.

The report also reveals that the feature is only available to  a few beta testers running the iOS 15 operating system because the feature uses iOS 15 APIs. 

The Facebook-owned platform is reportedly releasing the feature for more users with the upcoming updates.As the feature is still in beta, WhatsApp may experience  issues showing profile photos on specific notifications, but these issues will likely be resolved whenever the feature is rolled out to the public.

Last week WhatsApp also started rolling out a 2.22.1.1 beta update  for iOS users. The update supposedly contains hidden references to a feature that will allow users to create communities in future updates. 

A similar hidden notice was also discovered in the beta update released two weeks ago for Android smartphones. For those of you who don’t know, Facebook’s own messaging platform has been working on a community feature for a while.

News: 2029 Will be the Perfect Year to Launch a Mission to Sedna

 Image Credit: NasaObject 90377 Sedna – a distant transneptunian object best known  for its highly elliptical, 11,390-year-old orbit – is currently en-route to perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) in 2076. After that, Sedna will return to the ‘space. deep  and will not return for millennia, making this overview a unique (or, once in ~ 113 lifetimes) opportunity to study an object from the far reaches of our solar system. There are no Sedna missions  in the works  yet, but astronomers are starting to plan for the possibility and  ideal launch date for such a mission is fast approaching, with two of the best launch windows coming  in 2029 and 2034.Sedna was discovered in 2003 by Caltech astronomer Mike Brown and his team, and was one of a series of potential dwarf planets (alongside similar-sized bodies like Haumea, Makemake, and Eris) whose discovery led to the demotion of Pluto in 2006. As best we can tell from a distance, Sedna is about the same size as Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, but its composition and origins are very different. Its chemical makeup suggests it may be covered in deep reddish organic compounds known as tholins, the same material seen on Pluto and other Kuiper belt objects. Unlike Pluto, it is usually too cold for the methane abundant on its surface to evaporate and fall back as snow, though Sedna may briefly gain an atmosphere of nitrogen as it approaches the Sun.What really sets Sedna apart from the other known dwarf planet candidates is its enormous orbit, which takes it out towards the inner edge of the Oort cloud, the most distant region of the Solar System, where long-period comets lurk. There are several competing theories to explain how Sedna ended up in this position. Perhaps the most high-profile theory is the possibility that a yet unknown ninth planet, perhaps ten times the size of Earth, disrupted Sedna’s orbit and swept it and several other objects out into highly elongated orbits. Visiting Sedna probably won’t solve this particular mystery, but it will tell us a lot about the composition of these extreme trans-Neptunian objects.The orbit of dwarf planet candidate 90377 Sedna (red) compared to Jupiter (orange), Saturn (yellow), Uranus (green), Neptune (blue), and Pluto (purple). Credit: Szczureq/kheider/NASA (Wikimedia Commons).Reaching Sedna with a spacecraft won’t be a simple task. Even at its closest approach, Sedna will only come about 76AU from the Sun. For comparison, Neptune is about 30AU, and the Voyager missions, launched in 1977, are just now crossing 150AU and 125AU respectively. That means the time to launch is sooner, rather than later.In planning a mission to Sedna, the Voyager spacecraft are not bad places to look for inspiration. They famously took advantage of a lucky alignment of planets to take a grand tour of the outer Solar System, stealing energy from Jupiter to pick up speed and reach their more distant targets. Similar gravity assists will be required to make the trip to Sedna manageable. A team of scientists led by Vladislav Zubko from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences recently modeled a series of possible trajectories  to Sedna, favoring a 2029 launch date as the most feasible option.The 2029 trajectory, they determined, would take the spacecraft to Venus first, then back to Earth (twice), before passing Jupiter on the way to Sedna, with flight times as short as 20 years but more optimally in the 30-year range. The longer flight time would increase the altitude of the spacecraft over Jupiter during the gravity assist, reducing the time spent exposed to the gas giant’s harmful radiation.A 30-year flight plan would also mean passing by Sedna more slowly, providing more time to gather data on the object. Choosing this option would give the spacecraft a relative velocity of 13.70km/s as it passed Sedna, comparable to the speed at which New Horizons  approached Pluto in 2015.90377 Sedna as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2004. Credit: NASA.As a bonus, this trajectory would also take the spacecraft past a 145km diameter asteroid named Massalia, providing the team with an additional scientific target to study, as well as a chance to test the spacecraft’s systems.A second trajectory proposed by the team would consist of a 2034 launch, and would provide a similar additional flyby, this time of the metallic asteroid  16 Psyche.At the moment, it’s unclear whether a mission to Sedna will actually make it to the launch pad with all the competing options available to mission planners in the coming decade, but as it’s our only chance in the next 11,000 years, the idea is sure to be given due diligence.Note:This article is taken from Universe Today to see original article Click hereSource: Universe Today

 

Image Credit: Nasa


Object 90377 Sedna – a distant transneptunian object best known  for its highly elliptical, 11,390-year-old orbit – is currently en-route to perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) in 2076. After that, Sedna will return to the ‘space. deep  and will not return for millennia, making this overview a unique (or, once in ~ 113 lifetimes) opportunity to study an object from the far reaches of our solar system. There are no Sedna missions  in the works  yet, but astronomers are starting to plan for the possibility and  ideal launch date for such a mission is fast approaching, with two of the best launch windows coming  in 2029 and 2034.
Sedna was discovered in 2003 by Caltech astronomer Mike Brown and his team, and was one of a series of potential dwarf planets (alongside similar-sized bodies like Haumea, Makemake, and Eris) whose discovery led to the demotion of Pluto in 2006. As best we can tell from a distance, Sedna is about the same size as Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, but its composition and origins are very different. Its chemical makeup suggests it may be covered in deep reddish organic compounds known as tholins, the same material seen on Pluto and other Kuiper belt objects. Unlike Pluto, it is usually too cold for the methane abundant on its surface to evaporate and fall back as snow, though Sedna may briefly gain an atmosphere of nitrogen as it approaches the Sun.
What really sets Sedna apart from the other known dwarf planet candidates is its enormous orbit, which takes it out towards the inner edge of the Oort cloud, the most distant region of the Solar System, where long-period comets lurk. There are several competing theories to explain how Sedna ended up in this position. Perhaps the most high-profile theory is the possibility that a yet unknown ninth planet, perhaps ten times the size of Earth, disrupted Sedna’s orbit and swept it and several other objects out into highly elongated orbits. Visiting Sedna probably won’t solve this particular mystery, but it will tell us a lot about the composition of these extreme trans-Neptunian objects.

The orbit of dwarf planet candidate 90377 Sedna (red) compared to Jupiter (orange), Saturn (yellow), Uranus (green), Neptune (blue), and Pluto (purple). Credit: Szczureq/kheider/NASA (Wikimedia Commons).



News: Pfizer, BioNTech to jointly develop shingles vaccine

Pfizer headquarters in New York.Getty ImagesPfizer and Germany’s BioNTech announced on Wednesday that they would develop a potential mRNA-based vaccine for the prevention of viral  shingles, working together for the third time after the success of their COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer partnered with BioNTech in 2018 for an influenza vaccine and again in 2020 to develop the COVID-19 vaccine which has been used around the world and  brought in billions of dollars in corporate sales.The companies plan to begin clinical trials of the shingles vaccine, which will combine antigen technology recognized by scientists at Pfizer  with BioNTech’s mRNA platform technology, in the second half of 2022. Shingles, also known known as herpes zoster, usually develops in older people who had chickenpox or varicella-zoster virus when they were younger. Its hallmark is a painful rash that goes away within a month in most cases. In some cases, however, this leads to nerve pain which can persist for much longer collaboration, BioNTech will receive $225 million in upfront payment and be eligible  for future regulatory and commercial payments of up to $200 million. BioNTech will pay Pfizer $25 million for the company’s proprietary antigen technology.

Pfizer headquarters in New York. Getty Images
Pfizer headquarters in New York.
Getty Images




Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech announced on Wednesday that they would develop a potential mRNA-based vaccine for the prevention of viral  shingles, working together for the third time after the success of their COVID-19 vaccine.

 Pfizer partnered with BioNTech in 2018 for an influenza vaccine and again in 2020 to develop the COVID-19 vaccine which has been used around the world and  brought in billions of dollars in corporate sales.

The companies plan to begin clinical trials of the shingles vaccine, which will combine antigen technology recognized by scientists at Pfizer  with BioNTech’s mRNA platform technology, in the second half of 2022. 

Shingles, also known known as herpes zoster, usually develops in older people who had chickenpox or varicella-zoster virus when they were younger. 

Its hallmark is a painful rash that goes away within a month in most cases. In some cases, however, this leads to nerve pain which can persist for much longer collaboration, BioNTech will receive $225 million in upfront payment and be eligible  for future regulatory and commercial payments of up to $200 million. BioNTech will pay Pfizer $25 million for the company’s proprietary antigen technology.

News: HBO Max shows growth despite industry slowdown

The logo for HBO is pictured during the HBO presentation at the Cable portion of the Television Critics Association Summer press tour in Beverly Hills, California August 1, 2012. REUTERS/Fred ProuserWarnerMedia’s HBO Max streaming service gained subscribers over the holidays, defying the slowing pace of growth of some competing services, with lineup that included the rebirth of its popular “Sex and the City” series and new films such as “The Matrix”Resurrections.HBO ended the year with 73.8 million subscribers to its streaming service and its eponymous cable network, up from 69.4 million in September. Those gains, coupled with the addition of nearly 900,0000 monthly paid phone subscribers, pushed the stock up 3% to $ 26.46. in the midday exchanges. “I think the  streaming service’s cap is much higher than what we’ve seen to date,”  WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said in an interview. “This will quickly become a three-way race for storytelling companies.HBO Max still has a long way to go to capture market leader Netflix Inc, with  214 million subscribers, and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) Disney +, with 118 million. Disney’s growth slowed  in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter, prompting a banker to downgrade the stock. Disney + added just 2.1 million in the October quarter. Netflix, which slowed sharply in the first half of 2021, saw its subscriptions increase in October, adding 4.4 million during the quarter, driven by the global sensation “Squid Game”. WarnerMedia’s HBO Max logged gains as it expanded the server reach from a single market, the United States, to 46 countries. Kilar said global expansion will continue this year,  eventually targeting 190 countries. AT&T (T.N) announced last May that it would split its WarnerMedia unit and merge it with Discovery (DISCA.O). The deal is expected to be finalized in the middle of this year.

The logo for HBO is pictured during the HBO presentation at the Cable portion of the Television Critics Association Summer press tour in Beverly Hills, California August 1, 2012. REUTERS/Fred Prouser







WarnerMedia’s HBO Max streaming service gained subscribers over the holidays, defying the slowing pace of growth of some competing services, with lineup that included the rebirth of its popular “Sex and the City” series and new films such as “The Matrix”Resurrections.

HBO ended the year with 73.8 million subscribers to its streaming service and its eponymous cable network, up from 69.4 million in September. 

Those gains, coupled with the addition of nearly 900,0000 monthly paid phone subscribers, pushed the stock up 3% to $ 26.46. in the midday exchanges. 

“I think the  streaming service’s cap is much higher than what we’ve seen to date,”  WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said in an interview. 

“This will quickly become a three-way race for storytelling companies.


HBO Max still has a long way to go to capture market leader Netflix Inc, with  214 million subscribers, and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) Disney +, with 118 million. Disney’s growth slowed  in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter, prompting a banker to downgrade the stock. Disney + added just 2.1 million in the October quarter. Netflix, which slowed sharply in the first half of 2021, saw its subscriptions increase in October, adding 4.4 million during the quarter, driven by the global sensation “Squid Game”.

 WarnerMedia’s HBO Max logged gains as it expanded the server reach from a single market, the United States, to 46 countries. Kilar said global expansion will continue this year,  eventually targeting 190 countries. 

AT&T (T.N) announced last May that it would split its WarnerMedia unit and merge it with Discovery (DISCA.O). The deal is expected to be finalized in the middle of this year.

WordPress Image Lightbox Plugin