If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The Irish authorities’ reaction to the turmoil caused last week in the country by the stabbing attack carried out by a migrant‚ seems to be to come up with more regulation affecting speech. The assault was particularly egregious and caused a great deal of outrage among citizens as well as riots‚ because it was perpetrated at a school‚ with young children among the victims. Now‚ the government has things to say about protests‚ public order‚ and policing. Ireland’s Media Minister Catherine Martin addressed the tense situation by announcing that members of the public are encouraged to report “any online hate speech” – to the police. Not the – exact – direction those protesting after the school stabbing would have hoped for‚ namely‚ that the government clearly sees them‚ not its policies‚ as the problem to address at this particular time. Martin was this week addressing political leaders to speak about a new Media Commission‚ an “online safety and media” regulator‚ to ramp up what the EU Digital Services Act already brings to the table regarding the suppression of unlawful (and lawful‚ too – if the political fancy takes them) speech on the internet. https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/Catherine-Martin-censor.mp4 Judging by Martin’s comments‚ the setting up of the Commission preceded the terrorist attack‚ but it was its aftermath that prompted immediate “engagement” between major social media‚ the Irish police‚ and the European Commission. Critics are taking this to be an attempt to suppress anti-migrant sentiment‚ even speech perceived as “targeting” those who commit such grave acts of violence‚ like the incident in Ireland last week. The timing of all this looks particularly tone-deaf‚ given the emphasis on “online safety” when people’s physical safety should logically be top of mind‚ and of political agendas. Nevertheless‚ Martin is talking up the merits of the new Commission‚ saying that once it is “fully operational” in 2024‚ people will not only‚ so to speak‚ “have the right to be persecuted” – but also “be able to report to them (the Commission) directly if they think a platform has ignored or wrongly rejected their complaint.” There’s a novel policing concept if the world ever saw one. There’s also this remark from the minister: “And these reports can then be used by Coimisiún na Meán (the Commission) to decide where to focus their oversight and investigations and ultimately their enforcement action.” The post Ireland’s New Media Commission Is Calling on the Public To Report Any “Hate Speech” They See Online to the Police appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The Irish police (Garda) is about to get new‚ wide-ranging powers to spy on people’s private online conversations happening via chat apps – in order to “crack down on crime” after last week’s events in Dublin. But the events the Irish legislators are talking about are not the stabbing of 5 and 6-year-old children and their caregivers‚ but rather the reaction to the heinous crime‚ namely‚ the protests and riots that followed. The Irish government is‚ overall‚ making a huge effort to redirect focus from the original event (committed by an Algerian man who had apparently been granted Irish citizenship) to preventing it from increasing the anti-migrant sentiment‚ that is already present in many European countries as a result of the controversial migrant policies over these last years. In the words of opposition Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald – who was referring to the authorities’ relentless maneuvering around the real issue‚ including by calling protesters “extremists” – she has never witnessed such “brazen ass covering (by the government).” And it’s about to get more brazen. Justice Minister Helen McEntee (who has good reason to try “ass covering” given that there are calls for her resignation) on Tuesday got the government to agree to give the police thus far unprecedented powers‚ which will also include allowing police inspectors to get mobile phone operators’ location data of citizens – “in the interests of protecting a person’s safety or life.” If they decide the circumstances are right‚ it also means the police would be given access to private messages on WhatsApp‚ Facebook Messenger‚ and Signal apps. Those in power also continue to‚ in public statements and also through “sympathetic” to them and their agendas legacy media‚ try to make connections between Europe-wide instances of anti-migrant sentiment as somehow linked to the reaction of the Irish to the school attack. And the country’s foreign minister‚ Micheál Martin‚ even thought that some person posting‚ somewhere on the internet‚ “kill foreigners” – was a cause for alarm and for making sure those new powers supposedly there to tackle online hatred are pushed through. All in all – the overarching question is whether any of that is enough to plunge Ireland’s track record regarding online privacy to an ever lower level. The post Irish Justice Minister To Grant Police Sweeping Powers To Intercept Private Conversations on Social Media Sites Under New Legislation appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Sign Up To Keep Reading This post is for Reclaim The Net supporters. Gain access to the entire archive of features and supporters-only content. Help protect free speech‚ freedom from surveillance‚ and digital civil liberties. Join Already a supporter? Login here The post How The Government Plots to Control Your Digital Identity appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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Researchers have discovered the first archaeological evidence that cannabis’s psychoactive compounds can stay in our bones long after we have died. This evidence comes from the skeletal remains of people the 17th century.The authors of a new study were originally looking for signs of the administration of medicinal and “recreative plants” in the population of 17th century Milano‚ Italy. They focused their attention on remains located in the Ca’ Granda crypt of the Ospedale Maggiore‚ one of the most innovative hospitals in Europe at the time.  Between 1638 and 1697‚ patients who died at the hospital were interred in this crypt. They remained sealed and preserved there until the crypt was excavated again‚ which made them perfect for this analysis. In fact‚ a previous study conducted by the team recovered evidence of opium in cranial bone samples and well-preserved brain tissue recovered from some of the crypt’s residence.It was this evidence that inspired this latest study.“Therefore‚ we decided to extend the research to long bones with a pilot study on femora”‚ the authors wrote. “Femoral bone samples were thus collected from the human remains of the crypt with the aim to search‚ through archeotoxicological investigations‚ the presence of substances that could be associated to the administration or intake of medical or recreative plants within the population.”This time‚ Gaia Giordano at the University of Milan‚ the first author of the study‚ and colleagues extracted bone samples from the remains of nine people buried at Ca’ Granda. They then conducted toxicological analysis by powdering the bone and then preparing the samples so individual chemicals compounds could be separated and purified. These traces could then be identified using mass spectrometry.The analysis revealed molecules of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) – the psychoactive compounds of cannabis. These molecules were found in the thigh bones of a man and woman‚ and likely became trapped in the bone after they were consumed and absorbed into the bloodstream and then blood vessels in their bone tissue.“The results obtained on bone samples showed the presence of two molecules‚ [THC] and CBD‚ highlighting the administration of cannabis”‚ the team explained. “These results‚ to the best of our knowledge‚ constitute the first report on the detection of cannabis in historical and archaeological human osteological remains.”Interestingly‚ although cannabis was a common feature of medical remedies among the Ancient Greeks and the Romans‚ the plant was not popular in western Europe during the Middle Ages‚ especially from the 12th century onwards. In fact‚ it was explicitly banned by a Papal edict in 1484.In addition‚ there is no mention of the plant in the hospital’s detailed pharmacopeia‚ suggesting that it was not being administered officially by those working there. This‚ Giordano and colleagues believe‚ could mean the patients were either self-medicating or perhaps using it for recreational purposes.The study is significant as it is the first use of this toxicological method to analyse human remains at an archaeological site. Moreover‚ according to the existing literature‚ cannabis has never been detected in ancient bones before.The team conclude that: “The analytical data obtained shed a new light on the habits of the population under investigation‚ demonstrating an exposure to the plant in the city of Milano during the Modern era‚ probably for recreational purposes given written sources‚ although self-medication‚ occupational or accidental exposure‚ or administration by healers not practicing in Ca’ Granda are alternative possibilities that cannot be excluded.”The study was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. 

Over the last few decades‚ astronomers have discovered that planets are extremely common. Now they are focusing on better understanding how they form. And there have been some curveballs‚ delivering completely unexpected insights. Among the latest ones‚ researchers discovered that even around the hotter stars‚ you can find the building blocks of rocky planets.This discovery was not predicted. Hotter stars emit a lot of ultraviolet light‚ which can easily break apart molecules. Using JWST‚ astronomers conducted an investigation of 15 eXtreme Ultraviolet Environments (XUE) located in the Lobster Nebula. The nebula hosts some of the most massive stars in the galaxy‚ and their brightness should disperse and destroy the material located in the innermost parts of their planet-forming disks. That’s where rocky planets like the Earth form.The first target‚ XUE 1‚ is a protoplanetary disk that has been exposed to a huge amount of ultraviolet radiation. JWST showed that despite these extreme physical conditions‚ the building blocks of rocky planets are all there‚ including crystalline silicate dust.“We find that the inner disk around XUE 1 is remarkably similar to those in nearby star-forming regions‚” team member Rens Waters‚ of Radboud University in the Netherlands‚ said in a statement. “We’ve detected water and other molecules like carbon monoxide‚ carbon dioxide‚ hydrogen cyanide and acetylene. However‚ the emission found was weaker than some models predicted. This might imply a small outer disk radius.”“We were surprised and excited because this is the first time that these molecules have been detected under these extreme conditions‚” added Lars Cuijpers‚ also of Radboud University.While there is variation‚ the similarities between these extreme disks and the more common ones are there. This doesn’t mean that rocky planets might be common around these stars‚ and XUE 1 might also be an exception among these extreme environments. The team is going to investigate all the other targets to see what kind of molecules persist around other bright fledgling stars.“XUE 1 shows us that the conditions to form rocky planets are there‚ so the next step is to check how common that is‚” team lead María Claudia Ramírez-Tannus of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany. “We will observe other disks in the same region to determine the frequency with which these conditions can be observed.”The study is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Chinese rover Zhurong was the first Chinese mission to land on Mars‚ exploring one of the Red Planet’s largest impact basins: Utopia Planitia. This area was visited by Viking 2 in 1976 and decades of technological advancement meant that Zhurong could deliver new insights on the region. And some of them came from below the surface of the planet. The rover found 16 polygonal structures buried beneath the surface.Researchers believe that these were formed in the context of freeze-thaw cycles that led to the formation of cracks in the terrain‚ which was originally on the surface. As seen in other terrains on Mars‚ sublimation and freezing can carve the terrain in peculiar ways (such as the so-called spiders) and it seems to be that this process is nothing new on Mars. It might have been going on for billions of years.The work from Zhurong’s radar shows that some of this cracked terrain and its polygonal structure can get buried. The formation was underneath 35 meters (115 feet) of ground. Previous work focused on the vertical layers of the region. This indicated that there have been several episodic floods that filled the basin‚ roughly around 3 billion years ago. The new work uncovered instead what the layers are like horizontally by looking at the radar analysis across the 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles).Formation scenario for the polygonal structure buried under Utopia Planitia.Image credit: Zhang et al‚ Nature Astronomy 2023 (CC BY 4.0)Mars used to be a volcanic world: the tallest volcano in the Solar System is on Mars. Some geological activity persists to this day‚ with marsquakes recorded on the Red Planet by NASA’s InSight. So‚ the researchers considered the possibility that the buried structure had a lava origin. On Earth‚ there are several examples of these‚ such as the Giant's Causeway. However‚ there was no evidence of basaltic extrusions where Zhurong had explored. The team is confident that the structures are sedimentary‚ formed from thermal processes in varying climates.And that’s an intriguing consequence of this study. If the polygonal structures required freezing-and-thawing events‚ the climate of ancient Mars ought to have been a lot more variable. Utopia Planitia is at low-to-mid latitudes. The area is 25 degrees north of the Martian equator. But the planet might have had had a higher obliquity‚ so the region might have experienced wildly different seasons.The layers indicate more has happened in the past. The polygonal structures were buried in layers of material that look nothing like them. Maybe the wet environment that formed them stopped existing‚ or some other unknown geological event took place.  “Occurring at low latitudes (∼25° N)‚ the polygonal terrain‚ which is interpreted as having most likely formed by thermal contraction cracking‚ makes a compelling case for the high obliquity of early Mars. The subsurface structure with the covering materials overlying the buried palaeo-polygonal terrain suggests that there was a notable palaeoclimatic transformation some time thereafter‚” the authors wrote.The study is published in Nature Astronomy.[H/T: Universe Today]

Between 20 and 2 million years ago‚ a giant “terrible beast” roamed the Earth. Known to science as Deinotherium giganteum‚ it belonged to the same order as elephants living today – but it’s been suggested that its fossilized remains may have once been confused for the Cyclops‚ giving rise to the legend.The word "cyclops" comes from the Greek for “round eye”‚ and it’s mentioned in numerous texts including the Odyssey. Rarely painted favorably‚ the enormous‚ one-eyed humanoids are often cannibalistic and highly dangerous‚ though occasionally thwarted by getting blinded in their one eye.It’s a beast you can’t help but love‚ but one we’ve regrettably never found any evidence of. However‚ it’s possible that‚ at one time‚ the discovery of supposed “Cyclops remains” may have spurred on the legend.The idea is mentioned in Adrienne Mayor’s The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times (an author ancient warfare fans may recall from Greek Fire‚ Poison Arrows‚ And Scorpion Bombs). Compelling points include the association between fossil beds and the place of origin for some myths and legends‚ as well as the fact that they’re often depicted as emerging from the ground in a storm – something a big fossil just might do in rough conditions.     "The idea that mythology explains the natural world is an old idea‚" said archaeologist Thomas Strasser‚ California State University‚ to National Geographic. "The ancient Greeks were farmers and would certainly come across fossil bones like this and try to explain them. With no concept of evolution‚ it makes sense that they would reconstruct them in their minds as giants‚ monsters‚ sphinxes‚ and so on.”Crete is a focus of Strasser’s‚ and is a place known for its myths and legends‚ but also the discovery of Deinotherium giganteum fossils. An almost complete specimen was found here in 2014‚ and their curious skulls provide a possible explanation for ancient humans believing in giant‚ one-eyed beasts.Deinotherium giganteum.Image credit: Durji‚ CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsWith downward-pointing tusks and a long lower jaw‚ it made for a peculiar-looking‚ elephant-like creature‚ and in its skeletonized form its large nasal opening may have been confused for a massive eye socket. It’s not such a leap when you consider how very wrong we have gotten the morphology of certain dinosaurs based on sparse fossil remains.The legend of the cyclops was probably also encouraged by living animals throughout history. As Snopes explains‚ "rumors about strange creatures like cyclops or human-animal hybrids‚ can be traced back to one sad but common occurrence: an animal with a birth defect."If digging into the science behind myths‚ legends‚ and cryptozoology is your bag‚ why not dive into the Loch Ness Monster‚ Mokele-Mbembe‚ and why giant humans will never exist.