“We incorporated the humanized SARS-CoV spike (S) glycoprotein into HIV particles to generate a highly infectious SARS-CoV pseudotyped virus”
June 11th, 2022Hmmm.
Hmmm. From 2004. Researchers in Beijing.
"we incorporated the humanized SARS-CoV spike (S) glycoprotein into HIV particles to generate a highly infectious SARS-CoV pseudotyped virus."https://t.co/vTCQPJ9U4h— Stephanie Seneff (@stephanieseneff) June 11, 2022
European Natural Gas Prices Soar by Almost 40% After Fire at Key U.S. Export Terminal
June 9th, 2022Pretty interesting timing…
Via: Business Insider:
Natural gas prices surged across Europe on Thursday after a fire broke out at a key US export hub, putting further pressure on already tight global supply.
The Freeport liquefied natural gas export facility in Quintana, Texas will remain closed for at least three weeks after Wednesday’s explosion, a company spokesperson said. The terminal accounts for nearly a fifth of all US overseas gas shipments, according to Bloomberg. The US supplies almost half of Europe’s LNG.
“Swarms of Electric Farming Robots”
June 9th, 2022Via: Electrek:
Agricultural machinery manufacturer AGCO is continuing its technical partnership with Apex.AI in order to use its Apex.OS software development kit to add autonomous capabilities to its farming robot concept. The battery-powered Xaver farming robots were developed by AGCO brand Fendt and can autonomously plant seeds on farms 24 hours a day.
Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s New Investment Firm Deepens His Ties to the U.S. Military
June 9th, 2022Via: Recode:
Perhaps most interesting is Schmidt’s connection to AFF CEO Gilman Louie. Louie was one of 15 commissioners on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), where Schmidt was chair. From 2018 to 2021, the commission developed policy recommendations on how AI could be used to promote US national security. Their work was influential; the Department of Defense has adopted several of its recommendations. Poulson noted that Schmidt’s work on the AI commission could be summed up as “government-sanctioned lobbying.”
Louie’s past experience is likely useful for AFF’s ambitions. He was the first CEO of In-Q-Tel, the CIA venture capital firm that uses agency funding to invest in promising new tech that could be applied to the intelligence sector, whose structure AFF appears to be imitating. In-Q-Tel’s potential conflicts of interest have been well publicized. “More than half its trustees were alleged to have had financial ties to the companies in which the fund invested,” Paul said.
Now observers are concerned that AFF’s board of directors could have similar financial ties with companies it invests in, and that this will create rife opportunities for conflicts of interest. Schmidt is a major funder of tech and defense startups, with a special interest in AI. He’s an investor and chair of Sandbox AQ, an AI software development company spun off from Google’s parent company, Alphabet — and In-Q-Tel recently announced it was backing Sandbox AQ, saying it hopes to eventually sell the software to US intelligence agencies.
Sea Mines Could Prevent Ukraine Grain Shipments For Months
June 9th, 2022Via: The Warzone:
Many hundreds of mines floating in the Black Sea threaten any deal – no matter how unlikely – to allow the shipment of tens of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain.
With Ukraine unable to ship anything because of Russia’s naval blockade of its ports, Turkey and Russia are talking about a plan to provide safe passage for cargo ships.
But Ukraine and Russia are now arguing over the removal of sea mines that endanger any vessel traveling to those ports.
Tesla Going Back to Radar for Self Driving System
June 8th, 2022Via: Electrek:
Tesla has filed to use a new radar in its electric vehicles, and everyone is confused since Elon Musk has made it clear that Tesla plans to achieve self-driving with camera-based vision only.
After years of using a suite of sensors that included both cameras and a radar, Tesla announced a transition to its “Tesla Vision” system without radar and only using cameras and neural nets.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo Openly Questions Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines
June 8th, 2022Via: Florida Politics:
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Friday made some of his strongest statements yet against receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
Delivered at a press conference announcing an agreement with the Special Olympics to lift a vaccine mandate, the Florida Department of Health leader went much further. He called into question the efficacy of COVID-19 shots and whether they are even safe to use.
“People will say oh, you know, millions of people have taken these vaccines, they must be safe,” he said. “Well, you can’t know the answer to that when it is taboo to talk about having a reaction after vaccines.”
And Now… Sudden Adult Death Syndrome
June 8th, 2022Mmm hmm.
Via: Daily Mail:
People aged under 40 are being urged to have their hearts checked because they may potentially be at risk of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.
The syndrome, known as SADS, has been fatal for all kinds of people regardless of whether they maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle.
SADS is an ‘umbrella term to describe unexpected deaths in young people’, said The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, most commonly occurring in people under 40 years of age.
The Biggest Reshuffle Of Oil Flows Since The 1970s
June 8th, 2022Via: Oilprice.com:
The biggest reshuffle of oil trade flows since the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s is underway—and things may never return to normal. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions on Russian oil exports are changing global oil trade routes. Over the past nearly five decades, oil flowed more or less freely from any supplier to any customer in the world, except for sanctions on Iran and Venezuela in recent years.
This free energy trade is now over, after the Russian aggression and the Western sanctions that followed, plus Europe’s irreversible decision to cut off its dependence on Russian energy at any cost.
…
For Europe, the choice of oil supply is now political, and it will be willing to pay a premium to procure non-Russian oil. This will tighten supply options and continue to support elevated oil prices for months to come.
Solid Power: Slow Progress with Solid State Batteries
June 8th, 2022Via: Ars Technica:
Solid Power, a Colorado-based battery developer, moved one step closer to producing solid-state batteries for electric vehicles on Monday. The company has completed an automated “EV cell pilot line” with the capacity to make around 15,000 cells per year, which will be used first by Solid Power and then by its OEM partners for testing.
“The installation of this EV cell pilot line will allow us to produce EV-scale cells suitable for initiating the formal automotive qualification process. Over the coming quarters, we will work to bring the EV cell pilot line up to its full operational capability and look forward to delivering EV-scale all-solid-state cells to our partners later this year,” said Solid Power CEO Doug Campbell.
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It’s one of those technologies that to a very casual observer is perennially five years away, but in Europe there are already operational Mercedes-Benz eCitaro buses with solid-state packs.
