Category: Tech

Large Bacterium Visible to the Naked Eye Found in Mangroves of France

In an astonishing find, scientists have discovered the largest bacterium that is 5,000 times larger than most known bacteria and is even visible to the naked eye. The organism, Thiomargarita magnifica, appears as thin white filaments measuring roughly 1 cm in length. It was discovered by Olivier Gros, a marine biology professor at the Universite des Antilles in Guadeloupe, in 2009. Gros was carrying out a research on the marine mangrove systems when he stumbled upon the unusually big bacterium in Guadeloupe, France. It was spotted on the surfaces of decaying mangrove leaves in the region.

Following the encounter, the bacterium was analysed in labs and microscopic studies were undertaken over the years to conclude that it was a sulphur-oxidising prokaryote.

“When I saw them, I thought, ‘Strange’. In the beginning, I thought it was just something curious, some white filaments that needed to be attached to something in the sediment like a leaf,” said Gros.

Silvina Gonzalez-Rizzo, an associate professor of molecular biology at the Universite des Antilles and co-first author of the new study published in Science, also performed the 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify the organism.

In the new study, a team of researchers from the JGI and Berkeley Lab, LRC, and Université des Antilles in Guadeloupe among others, described the giant bacterium and shed light on its genomic features.

Gonzalez-Rizzo said that initially, she thought the organisms were eukaryotes as they were too big and had a lot of filaments. “We realized they were unique because it looked like a single cell. The fact that they were a ‘macro’ microbe was fascinating!” Gonzalez-Rizzo added after identifying the bacteria.

According to Jean-Marie Volland, scientists and co-author of the study, while most of the bacteria have their DNA floating freely in the cytoplasm, the discovered bacterium had kept them organised. “The big surprise of the project was to realize that these genome copies that are spread throughout the whole cell are actually contained within a structure that has a membrane,” he added. It was learnt that the bacteria had three times more genes than most known bacterium.

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Samsung Galaxy M52 5G Price in India Discounted by Rs. 9,000

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G price in India has dropped by over 30 percent under a limited period offer. The Samsung phone was launched last year with a starting price of Rs. 29,999. The smartphone offers features including a 120Hz Super AMOLED Plus display and triple rear cameras. The Samsung Galaxy M52 5G also comes with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC. It competes with phones including the iQoo Z5 and Realme GT Master Edition.

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G price in India

The Samsung Galaxy M52 5G is available at Rs. 20,999 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. It shows a Rs. 9,000 discount over the launch price of Rs. 29,999. The discounted pricing is applicable only through Reliance Digital under the limited-period offer. However, exact details on the period under which the discount is available have not yet been revealed.

Reliance Digital is also offering a 10 percent instant discount on customers purchasing the Samsung Galaxy M52 5G via Citibank cards. There is also a Rs. 1,500 cashback on IndusInd Bank credit card EMI transactions.

It is important to note that the given discount is limited to Reliance Digital. However, Amazon and Samsung India websites both are selling the phone at Rs. 24,999.

The Samsung Galaxy M52 5G was launched in India in September last year. It comes in Blazing Black and Icy Blue colours.

In April, the Samsung Galaxy M53 5G debuted in the country as the successor to the Galaxy M52 5G. The new phone starts at Rs. 26,499.

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G specifications

The dual-SIM (Nano) Samsung Galaxy M52 5G features a 6.7-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,400 pixels) Super AMOLED Plus display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and up to 120Hz refresh rate. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 778G SoC, along with up to 8GB of RAM. In terms of optics, the Galaxy M52 5G carries the triple rear camera setup that houses a 64-megapixel primary sensor, along with a 12-megapixel wide-angle shooter and a 5-megapixel macro shooter.

For selfies and video chats, the Samsung Galaxy M52 5G offers a 32-megapixel selfie camera sensor at the front.

The Samsung Galaxy M52 5G comes with 128GB of onboard storage that supports expansion via microSD card (up to 1TB). The phone comes with a range of connectivity options, including 5G as well as Wi-Fi 6. There is also a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Besides, the Galaxy M52 5G packs a 5,000mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging.

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Huawei Nova Y90 With 6.7-Inch LCD Display, 50-Megapixel Triple Rear Camera Setup Announced

Huawei Nova Y90 was launched on Thursday. As per the company’s global website, the smartphone comes with a 6.7-inch Edgeless FullView display that has a centrally-aligned hole-punch cutout for the front camera and packs an octa-core Snapdragon 680 SoC. Huawei has included a 5,000mAh battery with support of 40W Huawei SuperCharge technology. The Chinese company says that the technology comes with a 22-layer end-to-end charging protection system. There is a triple rear camera setup that is headlined by a 50-megapixel sensor.

The Huawei Nova Y90 comes in a lone 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. It is launched in four colour options: Crystal Blue, Emerald Green, Midnight Black, and Pearl White. As of now, there is no information on Huawei Nova Y90 price and availability.

Huawei Nova Y90 specifications

The dual-SIM Huawei Nova Y90 runs EMUI 12 and sports a 6.7-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,388 pixels) LCD display with 90Hz refresh rate. Huawei is calling it Edgeless FullView Display due to its thin bezels on the sides and on top. Under the hood, the smartphone gets a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 SoC, which is paired with 8GB of RAM.

For photography, the Huawei Nova Y90 features a triple rear camera setup headlined by a 50-megapixel sensor with f/1.8 aperture lens. There is a 2-megapixel sensor paired with an f/2.4 aperture lens and another 2-megapixel depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture lens. There is an LED flash as well. On the front is an 8-megapixel sensor paired with f/2.0 aperture lens for selfies and video calls.

The Huawei Nova Y90 comes with 128GB of inbuilt storage. Connectivity options on the smartphone include GPS/ AGPS, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, USB Type-C, and 3.5mm headphone jack. Sensors onboard include an ambient light sensor, compass, gravity sensor, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The Huawei Nova Y90 packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for Huawei SuperCharge 40W wired charging. As per the company, it can charge the smartphone to 50 percent in 30 minutes. The smartphone measures 163.3×74.7×8.4mm and weighs 195 grams.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Bespoke Edition to Come With Even More Colour Options: Report



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Toyota Recalls 2,700 Electric Cars Produced Between March and June for Faulty Wheel That May Detach

Toyota is recalling 2,700 bZ4X crossover vehicles globally for wheel bolts that could become loose, in a major setback for the Japanese automaker’s ambitions to roll out electric cars.

Toyota Motor said on Friday the cause is still under investigation, but the whole wheel could come off, risking a crash.

“Until the remedy is available, no one should drive these vehicles,” the company said in a statement.

Among the vehicles subject to the latest recall, about 2,200 were destined for Europe, 270 for North America, 112 for Japan, and 60 for the rest of Asia, according to Toyota. They were produced between March and June.

The bZ4X, which went on sale about two months ago, is a key model in Toyota’s plans to strengthen its electric lineup.

Toyota is planning to have 30 EV models by 2030, selling 3.5 million electric vehicles globally that year. Toyota is also investing 2 trillion yen ($17.6 billion or nearly Rs. 130 crore)) in battery research and development to achieve such goals.

The “bz” in the recalled model’s name, as well as others in the works, stands for a “beyond zero” series, including sport-utility vehicles of all sizes, pickup trucks and sportscars, according to Toyota.

The maker of the Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models has been seen by some critics as a straggler in pushing electric vehicles, partly because it has been so bullish, and successful, in other green technology, such as hybrids and fuel cells, as well as efficient gas engines.

Demand for electric cars is expected to continue growing, especially with gas prices soaring recently, amid worries about inflation and the war in Ukraine, and people around the world become more conscious about climate change and the environment.

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YouTube Music Rolls Out Support for Android 12’s Media Recommendations Feature: Report

YouTube Music has reportedly started rolling out support for Android 12 media recommendations feature that shows the recent albums and playlists, enabling users to directly start music playback. The new update will show users three recently played tracks in the compact card, while opening quick settings will show six songs, the report added. The compact card is also said to show up when the smartphone has been locked. The notification card for YouTube Music has an option for shuffling tracks and shortcut for user’s offline mixtapes as well.

According to a report from 9To5Google, YouTube has recently started rolling out an update for YouTube Music with support for media recommendations of Android 12. With the new update, media recommendations are said to automatically start appearing after a user has connected an audio device over Bluetooth, like headphones or speakers.

The report added that the YouTube Music application icon and name will appear in the top-left corner, along with three recently played tracks towards the right corner when the notification card is in compact form. On the other hand, opening quick settings is said to show six recently played tracks. The compact card also appears on the lock screen of the smartphone, as per the report.

Users can start playing the track in background on YouTube Music application with a single tap that will also show them Now Playing controls, the report added. The playback recommendations are said to only appear for a few minutes and after this, users will have swipe to access them again. These recommendations will reportedly appear after playback controls and will start playing a different track. As per the report, the notification card will also show a shuffle button and shortcut to start a downloaded offline mixtape.

Users can disable the recommendations for YouTube Music notification card by heading over to Settings > Sound & Vibration > Media > turn off Show Media Recommendations.

The new YouTube Music update is said to appear more widely for Google’s streaming service than in the past and some Spotify users have already spotted so. The report presumes that the notification card will appear in full-height on Android 13.

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NASA Orders to Halt the Sale of Moon Dust Collected During the 1969 Apollo 11 Mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has asked Boston-based RR Auction to halt the sale of moon dust collected during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission that had subsequently been fed to cockroaches during an experiment to determine if the lunar rock contained any sort of pathogen that posed a threat to terrestrial life.

The material, a NASA lawyer said in a letter to the auctioneer, still belongs to the federal government.

“The material from the experiment, including a vial with about 40 milligrams of moon dust and three cockroach carcasses, was expected to sell for at least $400,000 (nearly Rs. 3 crore), but has been pulled from the auction block,” RR said on Thursday.

“All Apollo samples, as stipulated in this collection of items, belong to NASA and no person, university, or other entity has ever been given permission to keep them after analysis, destruction, or other use for any purpose, especially for sale or individual display,” said NASA’s letter dated June 15.

It went on: “We are requesting that you no longer facilitate the sale of any and all items containing the Apollo 11 Lunar Soil Experiment (the cockroaches, slides, and post-destructive testing specimen) by immediately stopping the bidding process,” NASA wrote.

In another letter dated June 22, NASA’s lawyer asked RR Auction to work with the current owner of the material to return it to the federal government.

The Apollo 11 mission brought more than 47 pounds (21.3 kilograms) of lunar rock back to Earth. Some was fed to insects, fish and other small creatures to see if it would kill them.

The cockroaches that were fed moon dust were brought to the University of Minnesota where entomologist Marion Brooks dissected and studied them.

“I found no evidence of infectious agents,” Brooks, who died in 2007, told the Minneapolis Tribune for an October 1969 story. She found no evidence that the moon material was toxic or caused any other ill effects in the insects, according to the article.

But the moon rock and the cockroaches were never returned to NASA, instead displayed at Brooks’ home. Her daughter sold them in 2010, and now they are up for sale again by a consignor who RR did not disclose.

It’s not unusual for a third party to lay claim to something that is being auctioned, said Mark Zaid, an attorney for RR Auction.

“NASA has a track record of pursuing items related to the early space programs,” although they have been inconsistent in doing so, Zaid said. By its own admission, NASA acknowledged in one of its letters that it did not know about the previous auction of the cockroach experiment items.

“We have worked with NASA before and have always cooperated with the US government when they lay claims to items,” Zaid said. “At the end of the day, we want to act appropriately and lawfully.”

RR Auction is holding on to the lot for now, but ultimately, it’s up to the consignor to work something out with NASA, he said.

 

 

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BIS Said to Roll Out New Performance Standards for EV Batteries to Ensure Consumer Safety

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has come out with performance standards for electric vehicle batteries in order to ensure the safety of consumers, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said on Thursday.

BIS, the national standards-setting body that functions under the consumer affairs ministry, has published the “performance standards for electronic vehicle batteries”, the official said.

The standard “IS 17855: 2022” has been formulated for lithium-ion traction battery packs and systems of electrically-propelled road vehicles and it has been harmonized with ISO 12405-4: 2018, the official added.

According to the official, the new EV batteries’ standard incorporates the test procedure for the basic characteristic of performance, reliability and electrical functionality for the battery packs and system for either high power or high energy application.

This standard is formulated considering real-life scenarios for an electric vehicle such as vehicle in parking (battery is not used for an extended period of time), the battery system is being shipped (stored) and operating battery at low and high temperature. Accordingly, various tests are incorporated in this standard.

Electric vehicles operate on an electric motor and rechargeable batteries. Over the past decade, electric vehicles have grown in terms of visibility and availability in the market. Most electric vehicles use lithium-ion batteries because of their high power-to-weight ratio.

Considering the safety aspect of batteries for electronic vehicles, the BIS is in the process of publishing two more standards related to batteries for various passenger and goods carrying vehicles (L, M and N categories), the official said.

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Government Reportedly Orders Probe Into Nexon EV Fire Incident, Report to Be Submitted This Month

The government has ordered an independent enquiry into a Nexon electric vehicle catching fire in Mumbai, a senior Road Transport and Highways ministry official said on Thursday.

“We have ordered an independent enquiry to investigate the Nexon EV fire incident,” the official told PTI. The Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam have been asked to probe the circumstances that led to the incident and also suggest remedial measures, the official added.

Tata Motors said it is also investigating the incident of its Nexon EV catching fire in Mumbai.

Responding to the incident that has been widely shared on social media, Tata Motors in a statement on Thursday said, “A detailed investigation is currently being conducted to ascertain the facts of the recent isolated thermal incident that is doing the rounds on social media.” Further, it said, “We will share a detailed response after our complete investigation. We remain committed to the safety of our vehicles and their users.”

The company asserted, “This is a first incident after more than 30,000 EVs have cumulatively covered over 100 million km across the country in nearly 4 years.” In the electric two-wheeler segment there have been many incidents of vehicles catching fire in the recent past. Electric two-wheeler makers such as Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech and PureEV had recalled their scooters in the wake of separate fire incidents.

The fire incidents had prompted the government to form a panel to examine and had warned companies of penalties if they were found to be negligent.

The government-appointed panel is expected to submit its report on electric two-wheeler fire incidents this month, according to a road ministry official.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had recently said companies found negligent will be penalised and a recall of all defective vehicles will be ordered after the expert panel submits its report.

The government had earlier ordered a probe in April after an e-scooter launched by ride-hailing operator Ola’s electric mobility arm engulfed in fire in Pune.

The Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) had been asked to probe the circumstances that led to the incident and also suggest remedial measures, according to the road transport ministry.

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Social Media Should Act in Accordance With Indian Laws, Cannot Contravene the Rights of Citizens: MeitY

The Indian government’s proposal to set up a grievances appellate panel follows several complaints that social media platforms are not adequately redressing the issues raised by the people, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Thursday.

The Minister of State for Electronics and IT held an open house discussion with stakeholders on a draft notification to amend the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The government has proposed to set up a grievance panel that will have the power to override the decisions of social media companies and other internet firms.

“While we have laid out a grievance officer and an accountability framework that was missing before February 2021, we have been flooded with people saying that is not enough and not working adequately. Platforms and intermediaries do appoint grievance officers but there is no real redressal of the grievance and there is a need to address that,” Chandrasekhar said.

The social media platforms need to act on complaints that violate Indian laws and cannot contravene the rights of citizens granted under the constitution, he added.

“While we encourage intermediaries from all over the world to make their presence in India felt but their rules and condition of their service cannot, at any point of time, contravene Article 14, 19 and 21 of the constitution in particular and the constitution in general,” the minister said.

Chandrasekhar noted that social media firms cannot discriminate, play with the right to free speech and privacy and rights of citizens ingrained in the constitution.

The minister pulled up an industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) representative for not giving a convincing reason to extend the deadline of July 5 by a month for submission of comment and on concerns around the rise in regulatory cost burden due to the enforcement of the proposed rules.

On the question of whether the government is open to an industry-led voluntary mechanism to handle grievances, the minister responded affirmatively.

He said that the government is ready to accept any alternative that stakeholders offer, which is credible and people get to feel that social media platforms are accountable to them when they raise their concerns.

“The current grievance redressal mechanism is far from being complied with by the platforms that should. Therefore consider this appellate panel as an interim mechanism till the industry steps forward and offers something that is credible,” Chandrasekhar said.

The rules are constantly going to evolve based on feedback from stakeholders, he noted.

“Safety, trust and accountability are very relevant in these rules,” the minister said.

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