A new partnership between Re:wild and Colossal Biosciences hopes to prevent the extinction of some of the world’s rarest animals‚ like the critically endangered vaquita. Colossal‚ a de-extinction company known for wanting to bring back the mammoth‚ has paired up with the conservation giant – headed up by scientists and Leonardo DiCaprio – to create the Avengers Endgame of conservation technology and research.“This collaboration can bring multiple and varied benefits to highly threatened species‚” Dr Barney Long‚ senior director of conservation strategies at Re:wild‚ told IFLScience. “When species numbers drop to very low levels they are intrinsically vulnerable to extinction. While Re:wild works with all the traditional conservation approaches such as threat removal and conservation breeding‚ when numbers get so low there are no guarantees that these methods will result in success.” “By combining forces‚ we hope that our focal species will have a higher chance of recovering. New technologies can help speed up conservation breeding programs‚ resurrect lost genetic diversity‚ and preserve whole genomes as an insurance in case the worst happens. Every species has very specific needs so each recovery strategy will be tailored to that species and co-developed with government‚ conservation and community partners as appropriate.”The vaquita‚ believed to only be represented in the wild by just 10 individuals‚ is one such species that may benefit from the partnership. It was issued an extinction alert by the International Whaling Commission (IWC)‚ the first in the institution’s 70-year history‚ to spur action to help the world’s tiniest and most endangered marine mammal.Now‚ help might just be on the way as Colossal and Re:wild share their knowledge and resources so that we can prevent extinctions and provide the habitats needed for wild animals to thrive.“The path to de-extinction requires several emerging technologies to work in conjunction‚” said Matt James‚ Chief Animal Officer at Colossal Biosciences‚ to IFLScience. “Each of those technologies or sciences is independently applicable to various conservation challenges and it is our responsibility to figure out how to create solutions using our technologies to address those challenges.”“What we call the "de-extinction toolkit" is this amazing intersection of technologies that makes species restoration possible. However‚ each of those technologies or sciences can‚ on its own or in concert with other technologies‚ be applied directly to extant‚ endangered species.”“For example‚ we are using our amazing genomic analysis and computational biology expertise to develop tools to restore lost genetic diversity to the heavily bottlenecked northern white rhino rescue efforts.  We are using AI to analyze elephant behavior and create detection tools that will allow us to individually identify elephants across space and time.”In March 2018‚ there were only two northern white rhino left‚ both of whom were female.Image credit: © Robin Moore / Re:wild“We are using our understanding of elephant genomics and related diseases to accelerate the development of vaccines that are critically important in the fight against a deadly elephant herpes virus. These are just a few examples of what we are doing currently‚ but as we continue to roll out our conservation strategy you will see that we will have hundreds of touchpoints in the fight against extinction today as we build technologies to restore extinct species tomorrow.”Re:wild has long been dedicated to protecting and recovering species that are down to their last few individuals in the wild‚ but according to Long‚ for some‚ simply protecting habitats is no longer enough. It’s hoped that by combining with Colossal’s advances in the fields of genomics and assisted reproductive technologies‚ gene editing‚ and computational biology‚ this might just be the dynamic duo to get the job done for species on the brink‚ like the vaquita.“In a similar way that the Apollo moon missions fast-tracked the development of a whole host of new technologies that we take for granted today‚ we hope that the new technologies being developed by Colossal will add a whole suite of new tools to the conservation of Critically Endangered species that will prevent extinctions and speed up species recovery‚” said Long. “While preventing species from declining to such critical conditions in the first place is the best strategy‚ once we have overseen these declines‚ it is our moral obligation to reverse them and these new tools we hope will allow us to do this.”

J1407b‚ affectionately dubbed ‘Super-Saturn’‚ is a young exoplanet that orbits a sun-like star‚ J1407. It is a world that remains shrouded in mystery‚ primarily known for its extraordinary ring system. Discovered by astronomers using data from the SuperWASP project‚ this planet’s rings are not just a little larger than those we are familiar with; they are over 200 times the size of Saturn’s. The rings of J1407b are not only vast but complex‚ comprising approximately 37 individual rings‚ each spanning tens of millions of kilometers in diameter. These colossal rings cast a shadow so expansive that they eclipsed their host star for several weeks‚ a phenomenon observed in early 2007. The sheer scale of this ring system suggests the presence of gaps within‚ possibly carved out by ‘exomoons’‚ hinting at a dynamic and evolving system. To put this ring system into perspective‚ if Saturn possessed the same rings‚ they would be several times greater in diameter than the moon in the night sky. It would not only be visible with the naked eye‚ but it would completely dominate the view. Artistic rendering of the exoplanet and its impressive rings. “It’d be huge. You’d see the rings and the gaps in the rings quite easily from Earth‚” said Matthew Kenworthy of the Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands‚ one of the co-authors on the paper describing the findings‚ at the time. “It’d be several times the size of the full moon.” Exoplanet J1407b was discovered in 2012 by astronomer Eric Mamajek‚ who was analysing data from the SuperWASP (Super Wide Angle Survey for Planets) project‚ which used the transit method to identify exoplanet candidates. When an exoplanet passes in front of its host star it blocks some of the light coming from the star. Usually the effect is tiny: even a planet the size of Jupiter may block just 1% of the star’s light. This is what makes J1407b out of the ordinary. It blocked 95% of the light from the star. Studying the data from SuperWASP‚ Mamajek saw that J1407 was a young star‚ approximately 16 million years old‚ as its rotation was just 3.2 days (our‚ older‚ sun takes 25 days to complete one rotation). Then‚ for two months in 2007‚ it did something very strange. The star very quickly faded‚ then brightened again‚ then faded away for a week before reversing the pattern. In just one night during this period‚ the light from the star dropped by half! The only rational explanation was that a complex and very large ring system was passing between the star and the SuperWASP telescopes on Earth. The rapid fading and dimming of the star gave the speed and size of the rings. Rapid changes in the light curve‚ lasting just tens of minutes‚ revealed the fine structures within the ring system. J1407b is the first exoplanet with a ring system to be discovered. Its orbital period is around ten years. The rings are as large as the orbit of Venus around our Sun and are very complex. They contain about one Earth mass of material and cover over 40‚000 times the area of Saturn’s rings. The post Planet J1407b has Rings 200 Times Larger than Saturn appeared first on Anomalien.com.

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With the iPhone 16 Pro models‚ Apple will stick with the new titanium material introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro. Not only is the new material lighter and helps dissipate heat better‚ but it also offers a premium look compared to stainless steel. Now‚ news aggregator yeux1122 is said to have information about a new method to improve titanium and color processing. They write: "There is a possibility that the material will be changed to a more glossy material‚ although there will be no external scratches or scratches compared to the existing stainless steel." Since iPhone 15 Pro owners who didn't choose White Titanium and Natural Titanium have complained about the iPhone's color disappearing when scratched‚ this new material could improve that. Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR In addition‚ a rumor highlighting the possible iPhone 16 Pro colors could make more sense now that we know that Apple is working on a new manufacturing process for the new iPhones. Early this week‚ BGR highlighted a post by a Weibo leaker who said Cupertino is betting in four colors for the iPhone 16 Pro models. According to them‚ despite Natural Titanium and White Titanium‚ Apple will introduce new Space Black and Rose options. The leaker says the new Space Black color will look similar to the one on the iPhone 14 Pro. The White Titanium option will also be identical to the white iPhone 14 Pro‚ and the Natural Titanium option‚ compared to the iPhone 15 Pro‚ is “a bit gray.” This could also be related to this new glossy finish. Interestingly‚ there are no rumors about the iPhone 16 colors at this moment. Apple is not expected to change the glass + aluminum finish‚ although the company might also improve how it applies color to the glass‚ as the iPhone 15 palette is pretty pastel. Below‚ you can learn more about the upcoming iPhone 16 models. Don't Miss: iPhone 16: Everything we know so far The post iPhone 16 Pro models may look sleeker with new polished titanium finish appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Best Apple Watch deals for March 2024 Today’s deals: $4 smart plugs‚ HP laptops‚ Duracell batteries‚ $23 Echo Pop‚ Under Armour sale‚ more Amazon Big Spring Sale: Free Samsung 65″ TV‚ $179 AirPods Pro 2‚ Dyson vacuums‚ KitchenAid‚ Peloton‚ more Amazon gift card deals‚ offers &; coupons 2024: Get $395+ free

The iPhone 16 is expected to launch in the fall. We still have a long wait until September‚ but its design might have been leaked early by a third-party case maker. Usually‚ case makers already know the design of future iPhones in advance so they can prepare their accessories once Apple officially unveils the device. X leaker Sonny Dickson shared a pair of supposed iPhone 16 cases. Although some users complained that they look similar to an iPhone X/Xs case‚ Apple is reportedly returning to this design. Also of note‚ we can see a much bigger cutout for the camera module than the one from the old iPhone X. This is not the first time we have heard about a vertical-align camera module for the iPhone 16 design. According to rumors‚ Apple is ditching the previous vertical design so standard iPhone buyers can also take advantage of Spatial Video. https://twitter.com/SonnyDickson/status/1773529903775801542?s=20 This recording feature was released for the iPhone 15 Pro models‚ so users can record 3D videos to watch on Apple Vision Pro. To record videos using this technology‚ Apple uses both main and ultra-wide cameras‚ which need to be vertically aligned; otherwise‚ the company can't apply the 3D view technology. Interestingly‚ the last time Apple offered these cameras aligned vertically was with the iPhone 12. With that‚ by the end of the year‚ older iPhones will look newer than the iPhone 15‚ for example. Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR A previous leak suggested that the standard iPhone 16 models would also get new buttons‚ with the Action and Capture buttons. While Apple decided to make the Action Button exclusive for the iPhone 15 Pro models‚ it seems these features will expand to all iPhones. With them‚ users will be able to choose an action from the mute switch‚ while the Capture Button will be exclusive to camera capabilities. It's unclear if this button will be customizable or not. Below‚ you can learn more about the iPhone 16‚ including its design‚ new features‚ and more. Don't Miss: iPhone 16: Everything we know so far The post iPhone 16 case leak reveals new vertical camera design appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: Sonos speakers‚ Anker chargers‚ Brother printers‚ Bose headphones‚ TCL smart TVs‚ more Today’s deals: $189 AirPods Pro 2‚ $20 Roku Express‚ $50 Super Mario Bros Wonder‚ LG OLED TVs‚ more Best Apple Watch deals for March 2024 Today’s deals: $199 Meta Quest 2‚ $19 Apple AirTags‚ $699 M1 MacBook Air‚ $500 Moto Razr‚ more

A laureate head of Apollo from the 2nd or early 3rd century has been unearthed in the Greek city of Philippi. It was found in the 2023 excavation season at the intersection of the Decumanus (the main southern axis of the city) and the Egnatia (the northern axis) where the larger-than-life statue of the young Hercules was found in 2022. Archaeologists believe both statues were part of the same monumental‚ richly-decorated structure. The 2022 excavation first revealed the presence of a large structure where the city’s two main thoroughfares met and widened into a square. Only fragments of the structure itself were found‚ so archaeologists could not conclusively determine what kind of structure it was‚ but the evidence suggests it was a fountain built in the Byzantine era‚ around the 8th or 9th century A.D. The Hercules statue and the head of Apollo (presumably still connected to a body at that time) date to the same period 500 or so years earlier. The pieces of ancient statuary were recycled into decorations for the Byzantine fountain. We know from the sources as well as from the archaeological data that in Constantinople statues from the classical and Roman period adorned buildings and public spaces until the late Byzantine period. This finding strengthens the hypothesis we formulated in 2022 about the way public spaces were decorated in the important cities of the Byzantine Empire‚ including Philippi. The team of students and archaeologists from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki will continue the excavation of the site next season.

A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ's suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine‚ Gaza and the disputed South China Sea. On Friday‚ over a hundred people watched...

A group of Republican-led states is suing the Biden administration to block a new student loan repayment plan that provides a faster path to cancellation and lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers.