05 Sci-Tech

China’s 40-story gravity batteries threaten lithium’s energy reign – Interesting Engineering
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As the global transition toward renewable energy accelerates, storing electricity generated by intermittent sources, such as solar and wind, becomes more urgent. Power production often plunges when the sun sets or the wind dies down. At the same time, demand can surge unexpectedly, placing strain on electric grids that are already juggling the stresses of an electrified future.

Enter gravity batteries, a technology that uses one of the simplest forces in nature—gravity—to store large amounts of energy. This approach, now being trialed in various forms worldwide, promises to offer a cleaner, more durable, and geopolitically flexible alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Here’s what you need to know about the technology, its viability, and some pioneering projects seeking to prove it on a grand scale.

Trump Reveals There Are Four Groups That Could Buy TikTok – Forbes
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As TikTok’s future in the United States continues to hang in the balance, President Donald Trump has revealed that the U.S. government is actively engaging with potential buyers about the platform’s future.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, as reported by Reuters, Trump stated that his administration was in touch with four groups regarding the sale of the Chinese-owned social media platform, with all options being regarded in a positive light. “A lot of people want it,” Trump told reporters, hinting at multiple potential paths forward, and “all four are good.”

Among the potential players, Frank McCourt — the former Los Angeles Dodgers owner — has emerged as one of the interested parties. Other prospective buyers in the past have also included the likes of Oracle and Microsoft, though the specific details of their current interest remain unclear.

How Elon Musk weaponised X against Ukraine’s president Zelensky – The Independent
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When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Elon Musk was hailed as one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies. A Russian malware attack crippled satellite communications across Ukraine, and officials frantically pleaded with the SpaceX founder to help.

Three years later, Musk has warned that Ukraine’s “entire front line would collapse” without SpaceX’s satellite terminals, highlighting their critical role in the country’s defence against Russia. He has also used his platform X to repeatedly attack Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, sharing false claims and calling for elections to replace him.

It’s a sharp turnaround for the tech billionaire, who has joined the recent pile-on against the wartime leader, led by Donald Trump. This week, after X was targeted by a cyber attack, Musk blamed Ukraine. He then accused a US Democrat senator who visited Kyiv in a show of support of being “a traitor”.

Report: Democrats Were Handing Out Hundreds of Millions in Federal ‘Loans’ to Children During COVID– lidblog.com
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A new report from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reveals that Biden and the Democrats had handed out more than $312 million in federal loans to children during the scamdemic. Children!

Per Fox News:

DOGE said it identified that the Small Business Administration (SBA) granted nearly 5,600 loans for $312 million to borrowers whose only listed owner was 11 years old or younger at the time of the loan. The loans were issued in 2020 and 2021 – while the world struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic – and it is unclear what they were used for.

“While it is possible to have business arrangements where this is legal, that is highly unlikely for these 5,593 loans, as they all also used an SSN with the incorrect name,” the agency wrote.

“@DOGE and @SBAgov are working together to solve this problem this week,” they added.

Hawaii kills bill to end vaccine exemptions after massive pushback from public– www.lifesitenews.com
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(Children’s Health Defense) — Hawaii’s religious exemption from vaccine mandates is safe — at least for now. Under pressure from constituents, state lawmakers voted yesterday to table a bill that would have repealed the exemption.

House Bill 1118 was part of the “governor’s package,” a set of proposed bills that make up Gov. Josh Green’s legislative agenda.

The bill, introduced in January in the House and Senate, aimed to curb the growing rates of non-medical exemptions in the state over the last 10 years.

However, the proposed legislation encountered stiff pushback from the public and grassroots organizations in Hawaii, who responded with letters, public statements and rallies opposing the bill.

Tesla’s $8K Self-Driving Faces Threat as China’s Top EV Brand Gives It Away for Free – MSN
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Tesla’s steep pricing for its Full Self-Driving feature is now under pressure, as a leading Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer offers a similar capability at no extra cost.

BYD, the Chinese electric car giant, has introduced an advanced driver-assistance system across nearly all its models, causing its stock prices to surge. Drivers in China can now experience BYD’s innovative ‘God’s Eye’ driving system—even in the brand’s most affordable vehicles, which start at just £7,457.46 (69,800 yuan).

Elon Musk says DOGE involvement is making it harder to run his businesses – TechCrunch
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In an interview with Fox’s Larry Kudlow on Monday, billionaire Elon Musk admitted that his involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Donald Trump’s initiative to reduce federal spending, is making it tougher to run his many businesses: X, Tesla, xAI, SpaceX, The Boring Company, Neuralink, and Starlink.

“How are you running your other businesses?” Kudlow asked at one point.

“With great difficulty,” Musk replied. “Frankly, I can’t believe I’m here doing this.”

Musk and DOGE, which has around 100 staffers — a number that Musk expects to climb to 200 — have been criticized for overpromising and underdelivering on spending cuts across U.S government agencies. Government contracting experts say that DOGE’s online record of reductions contains inaccurate information and inflates claims of “savings” by including misleading math about contract cancellations.

DOGE has also put the U.S.’s data and computing infrastructure at risk through its work, according to cybersecurity analysts. DOGE staffers, some of whom have little experience working with government systems, have reportedly accessed agency data through insecure means and copied that data onto unprotected servers.

Elon Musk claims ‘IP addresses in Ukraine’ are behind ‘massive cyber attack’ that hit Twitter – UNILAD
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Elon Musk has claimed ‘IP addresses in Ukraine’ are behind a ‘massive cyber attack’ that hit Twitter this week.

On Monday (March 10), 40,000 users reported they were unable to access X, formerly Twitter, according to the tracking website Downdetector.com.

The site suffered major glitches and intermittent service outage issues throughout the day with users all over the world reporting they were unable to load posts.

Albania to ban TikTok in coming days – News.Az
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Albanian authorities announced on Thursday that they are moving to shut down TikTok in the coming days, following through on a ban that was announced in December.

“Competent authorities, in cooperation with internet providers and technology platforms, will take the necessary measures to implement this decision in a few days or up to a week from now,” said Education Minister Ogerta Manastirliu, adding that the ban was set to last for 12 months, News.Az reports citing Gulf Today.

Prime Minister Edi Rama first announced the ban months ago, after a confrontation that started on social media led to the killing of a 14-year-old student and another being injured in a fight near a school in the capital of Tirana.

Ex-CDC Director: ‘Long Covid’ Is ‘mRNA Vaccine Injury’– slaynews.com
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American virologist Dr. Robert R. Redfield, who served as the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the pandemic, has admitted that reports of “so-called Long Covid” are actually a cover-up for global surges of “mRNA vaccine injury.”

Redfield made the explosive admission during a new interview with the MAHA Initiative podcast.

During an almost three-hour conversation with host Del Bigtree, Redfield blew the whistle on the Covid lab leak, discussed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new role in public health, and dropped bombshells on the pandemic

Since leaving his federal government position at the end of President Donald Trump’s first term in January 2021, Redfield has focused on treating patients in his medical practice.

He explains in the interview that his surgery is flooded with patients who have been led to believe they have “Lond Covid.”

US House Panel Issues Subpoena to Google’s Parent Company Alphabet – ChannelNews
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The US House Judiciary Committee has ramped up its scrutiny of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google and YouTube, by issuing a subpoena seeking internal communications between the company and the Biden administration.

The move stems from ongoing concerns about the tech industry’s role in moderating content, particularly related to Covid-19 misinformation and the broader conversation about censorship and free speech.

The Republican-majority committee is looking for detailed communications between Alphabet and the executive branch, as well as any discussions involving third parties concerning content moderation policies during President Joe Biden’s administration.

The subpoena notably mentions concerns about Google’s role in the federal government’s approach to censorship, with particular attention to YouTube’s involvement in moderating content tied to Covid-19 and conservative viewpoints.

Google Tests An AI-Only Version Of Its Search Engine– www.ndtv.com
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Alphabet’s Google launched an experimental version of its search engine on Wednesday that completely eliminates its classic 10 blue links in favor of an AI-generated summary.

The new feature, available to subscribers of Google One AI Premium, can be accessed via the results page for any search query by clicking on a tab labeled “AI Mode” to the side of existing options like Images and Maps.

“We’ve heard from power users that they want AI responses for even more of their searches,” Robby Stein, a vice president of product, said in a blog post.

Google One AI Premium is a $19.99 per month plan that provides extra cloud storage and special access to some AI features.

Google currently displays AI Overviews, summaries that are increasingly appearing atop the traditional hyperlinks to relevant webpages, for users in more than 100 countries. It began adding advertisements to AI Overviews last May.

North Korea warns of ‘renewing records’ in strategic deterrence over US aircraft carrier’s entry to South – Morung Express
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The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday warned of “renewing” the country’s records in strategic deterrence, denouncing the recent arrival of a US aircraft carrier in South Korea as an attempt to “threaten and pressurise” its regime.

Kim Yo-jong made the condemnation as the USS Carl Vinson, a Nimitz-class US aircraft carrier, entered a key naval base in the southeastern city of Busan on Sunday, as part of the US commitment to providing extended deterrence against North Korean threats, Yonhap news agency reported.

She accused the US of deploying its strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula at the “constant” level, denouncing the USS Carl Vinson’s South Korea entry as Washington’s expression of its “most hostile and confrontational will” against the North, according to her statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

“As indicated by the regional military situation, the US and its stooges’ heinous ambition to threaten, pressurise and bring the DPRK to its knees by force of arms is developing into a more reckless phase,” Kim argued, referring to her country by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Study of 9 Million Confirms Covid ‘Vaccines’ Cause AIDS– slaynews.com
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An alarming study of nine million people has confirmed that Covid mRNA injections cause vaccine-induced AIDS, also known as VAIDS.

The bombshell study has sent shockwaves through the medical and scientific communities after researchers concluded that Covid mRNA shots have caused a global surge in cases of vaccine-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (VAIDS).

The study has debunked claims from the corporate media and so-called “fact-checkers” that previously dismissed reports of VAIDS as “conspiracy theories.”

During their study, the researchers analyzed the data of a staggering nine million people who had received at least one dose of a Covid mRNA “vaccine.”

The explosive peer-reviewed study was conducted by a team of world-renowned South Korean researchers.

No Medicaid Cuts In Budget Deal but Work Requirements a Possibility › American Greatness– amgreatness.com
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With a March 14 government funding deadline fast approaching, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is promising that Republicans will not be cutting entitlements like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

However, Johnson told CNN that the budget plan narrowly passed by the House on Wednesday will seek to implement President Trump’s agenda to root out waste and inefficiencies.

Johnson explained that finding efficiencies in entitlement programs would require something other than simply cutting benefits to those who are truly in need.

He pointed to strong public support for work requirements as a way to ensure taxpayer money isn’t going to “29-year-old males sitting on their couches playing video games.”

3D adipose tissue bioprinting method could enhance skin regeneration – Medical Xpress
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To overcome this limitation, a research team led by Assistant Professor Byoung Soo Kim from the Pusan National University, Korea, has developed a novel  biofabrication approach. This paper was made available online on February 2, 2025 in Advanced Functional Materials. The highlight of this study was the development of a hybrid bioink, which is a combination of 1% adipose-derived decellularized extracellular matrix and 0.5% alginate. This hybrid bioink limited the migration of preadipocytes, the fat cell precursors, while promoting their differentiation.

Dr. Kim states, “Under standard culture conditions, preadipocytes tend to proliferate and migrate, preventing the formation of lipid droplets that are essential for adipose tissue functions. The hybrid bioink developed in this study maintains the physiological properties of the adipose tissue.”

Additionally, a diameter of ≤ 600 µm was deemed to ensure sufficient nutrient and oxygen delivery for the fabricated adipose tissue. Furthermore, bioprinted adipose tissues arranged with a spacing of ≤ 1000 µm promoted adipogenesis via paracrine signaling. The optimized 3D bioprinted adipose tissues rapidly promoted the migration of skin cells in vitro by modulating the expression levels of cell migration-related proteins (MMP2, COL1A1, KRT5, and ITGB1).

Deep-sea expedition reveals low-oxygen depths of Red Sea host unexpected life– phys.org
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An exploratory expedition describes two deep-sea, low-oxygen ecosystems in the Red Sea, including some surprising fish. The findings are published in PNAS Nexus.

Persistent oxygen-depleted zones in the ocean are relatively well studied in the temperate zone, but little is known about these unique ecosystems in the tropics. Shannon Klein and colleagues explored two subsurface oxygen-depleted zones in deep reaches of a Red Sea coral reef system with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and crewed deep-sea vehicles as part of the Red Sea Decade Expedition of 2022.

Both sites are geomorphologically enclosed and characterized by warm temperatures (22ºC) and deep, oxygen-depleted conditions (<2–10.958 μmol O2 kg⁻¹) beneath the reef’s surface waters.

ROV video footage from Amq Deep showing lace corals and fish in warm, low oxygen conditions. Credit: National Center for Wildlife (NCW), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

In the Amq Deep, reaching 619 meters below the surface, the authors found lace corals and at least three species of fish, including lightfish, soldierfish, and large aggregations of lanternfish. Lanternfish in the suboxic deep swim five times slower than lanternfish in oxygenated waters and may migrate upwards at night to reoxygenate and feed.

In the 491-meter-deep Farasan Deep, near-anoxic conditions (<2 μmol O2 kg⁻¹) were expected to preclude the presence of aerobically respiring organisms. However, the researchers were surprised to observe fish swimming along the surface of the sediment under these conditions. These fish are unidentified.

According to the authors, the warm and saline environment of the Red Sea interacts with deep enclosed depressions to restrict vertical mixing, limiting oxygen resupply at depth—and similar zones are likely to occur in abundance in other tropical coastal areas, perhaps with their own adapted fauna.

ROV video footage from Amq Deep showing lace corals and fish in warm, low oxygen conditions. Credit: National Center for Wildlife (NCW), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

More information:
Shannon G Klein et al. Deep oxygen-depleted depressions in a Red Sea coral reef sustain resistant ecosystems, PNAS Nexus (2025). academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/art … 93/pnasnexus/pgaf049

Citation:
Deep-sea expedition reveals low-oxygen depths of Red Sea host unexpected life (2025, March 4)
retrieved 4 March 2025
from https://phys.org/news/2025-03-deep-sea-reveals-oxygen-depths.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Quantum properties in atom-thick semiconductors offer new way to detect electrical signals in cells– www.sciencedaily.com
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For decades, scientists have relied on electrodes and dyes to track the electrical activity of living cells. Now, engineers at the University of California San Diego have discovered that quantum materials just a single atom thick can do the job — using only light.

A new study, published on Mar. 3 in Nature Photonics, shows that these ultra-thin semiconductors, which trap electrons in two dimensions, can be used to sense the biological electrical activity of living cells with high speed and resolution.

Scientists have continually been seeking better ways to track the electrical activity of the body’s most excitable cells, such as neurons, heart muscle fibers and pancreatic cells. These tiny electrical pulses orchestrate everything from thought to movement to metabolism, but capturing them in real time and at large scales has remained a challenge.

Liberal University Rolls Out Plan B Vending Machines– www.lifenews.com
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The University of Connecticut (UConn) has placed a vending machine full of the emergency contraceptive Plan B on campus as part of a larger effort to increase access to birth control for students.

Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed a series of laws in 2023 that required universities within the state to create a plan to address “students’ need for reproductive healthcare” and allow pharmacists to begin prescribing hormonal birth control without a doctor’s visit. With the governor’s approval, UConn’s School of Pharmacy created a training program for that very purpose in late January and announced that the legislation also allowed for the placement of the vending machines, according to UConn Today.

“Allowing pharmacists to both prescribe and dispense hormonal birth control could help mitigate barriers and expand access to contraception for the citizens of our state,” Philip Hritcko, UConn School of Pharmacy dean, said of the announcement, according to UConn Today.

How US tech giants supplied Israel with AI models, raising questions about tech’s role in warfare – The Associated Press
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U.S. tech giants have quietly empowered Israel to track and kill many more alleged militants more quickly in Gaza and Lebanon through a sharp spike in artificial intelligence and computing services. But the number of civilians killed has also soared, along with fears that these tools are contributing to the deaths of innocent people.

Militaries have for years hired private companies to build custom autonomous weapons. However, Israel’s recent wars mark a leading instance in which commercial AI models made in the United States have been used in active warfare, despite concerns that they were not originally developed to help decide who lives and who dies.

The Israeli military uses AI to sift through vast troves of intelligence, intercepted communications and surveillance to find suspicious speech or behavior and learn the movements of its enemies. After a surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, its use of Microsoft and OpenAI technology skyrocketed, an Associated Press investigation found.

From farmland to construction: Bacteria strains offer sustainable biocement solution – Phys.org
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A recent study examines the effectiveness of environmental strains for the production of biocement. The study’s lead author, Dimitrios Terzis, is an EPFL senior scientist and a co-founder of Medusoil, a company that produces organic binders and that opened a production plant in Vaud in 2024.

RFK Jr. Confirmed as HHS Secretary; Widespread Firings Coming to FDA, CDC – Food Safety Magazine
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Changes are coming to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Trump Administration with the recent confirmation of presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., J.D. (RFK Jr.) as Secretary, amid talks of major workforce reductions at HHS agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On Thursday, February 13, 2025, RFK Jr., known for his “Make America Healthy Again” (“MAHA”) agenda, was confirmed as HHS Secretary in a 52-48 Senate vote. Shortly after confirmation, he signed President Trump’s executive order, titled, Establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission, which orders “executive departments and agencies that address health or healthcare,” including agencies responsible for food safety, to “focus on reversing chronic disease.”

Tesla Moves to Toss Infringement Suit Over Self-Driving Patents – Bloomberg Law
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Tesla Inc. urged a federal judge to ax the majority of a lawsuit accusing its self-driving cars of infringing a trio of autonomous vehicle patents.

Granite Vehicle Ventures LLC’s infringement claims related to US Patent Nos. 11,738,765 and 12,037,004 should be dismissed because the firm failed to plead “any facts whatsoever to allege infringement” of the two inventions, Tesla argued in a motion filed Feb. 14 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The electric vehicle giant also moved to transfer the suit to a California federal court, but filed the motion under seal because it …

Iran unveils new drones in military drill: What to know – Al-Monitor
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps introduced a number of new drones during large-scale war games on Monday. The drills come as Iran works to shore up its strength in the face of increasingly hostile relations with the US and Israeli governments.

The drill, “Great Prophet-19,” is taking place in Shavariyeh, in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan, and features Iranian-made drones “for surveillance and precise fire control,” senior IRGC commander Hamidreza Bahmani told IRNA.

IRNA said that the drill “aims to evaluate the effectiveness of defense plans against possible attacks, among other objectives.”

During the drill, Iran unveiled seven new kamikaze and reconnaissance drones, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported, including:

  • The Bina reconnaissance drone with an operational range of 40 kilometers
  • The Qandil 4 and 5 reconnaissance drones, with a range of 100 kilometers and a flight endurance of five and 10 hours, respectively
  • The Arbaeen vertical take-off and landing drone with a range of 10 kilometers and carrying a seven-kilogram warhead
  • The Raad 2 kamikaze drone with a range of 20 kilometers and a five-kilogram warhead
  • The Raad 3 kamikaze drone with a range of 100 kilometers and a 12-kilogram warhead
  • The Saeqeh suicide drone with a range of 20 kilometers and a one-kilogram warhead
  • The Redwan loitering drone, with a range of 20 kilometers and a flight duration of 20 minutes

Mark Zuckerberg Follows Elon Musk’s Footsteps As Meta Reportedly Plans Major Investment Into AI-Powered Humanoid Robots – Yahoo Finance
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Mark Zuckerberg could be following Elon Musk’s footsteps, as Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is reportedly planning a significant investment into AI-powered humanoid robots.

What Happened: Meta is forming a new team within its Reality Labs hardware division to spearhead this initiative, according to Bloomberg.

The tech giant plans to develop its own humanoid robot hardware, initially focusing on household tasks. The broader aim is to create AI, sensors, and software for robots that other companies will manufacture and sell.

Meta has started discussions with robotics firms like Unitree Robotics and Figure AI Inc.