The genetic code is redundant, and it’s possible to get rid of some of that.
Enlarge/ Like any other E. coli, but different. (credit: CDC)
The genetic code is the basis for all life, allowing the information present in DNA to be translated into the proteins that perform most of a cell's functions. And yet it's... kind of a mess. Life typically uses a suite of about 20 amino acids, while the genetic code has 64 possible combinations. That mismatch means that redundancy is rampant, and a lot of species have evolved variations on what would otherwise be a universal genetic code.
So is the code itself significant, or is it something of a historic accident, locked in place by events in the distant evolutionary past? Answering that question hasn't been an option until recently, since individual codes appear in hundreds of thousands of places in the genomes of even the simplest organisms. But as our ability to make DNA has scaled up, it has become possible to synthesize entire genomes from scratch, allowing a wholesale rewrite of the genetic code.
Now, researchers are announcing that they have redone the genome of the bacteria E. coli to get rid of some of the genetic code's redundancy. The resulting bacteria grow somewhat more slowly than a normal strain but were otherwise difficult to distinguish from their non-synthetic peers.
In a year when phone makers are pushing the boundaries of what you expect from a smartphone, the Red Magic 3 has one of the most surprising features of any smartphone announced in 2019 so far: an active cooling system with a fan that helps keep the pho…
In a year when phone makers are pushing the boundaries of what you expect from a smartphone, the Red Magic 3 has one of the most surprising features of any smartphone announced in 2019 so far: an active cooling system with a fan that helps keep the phone cool when you’re using it for gaming. […]
Google is warning that the Bluetooth Low Energy version of the Titan security key it sells for two-factor authentication can be hijacked by nearby attackers, and the company is advising users to get a free replacement device that fixes the vulnerability.
A misconfiguration in the key’s Bluetooth pairing protocols makes it possible for attackers within 30 feet to either communicate with the key or with the device it’s paired with, Google Cloud Product Manager Christiaan Brand wrote in a post published on Wednesday.
The Bluetooth-enabled devices are one variety of low-cost security keys that, as Ars reported in 2016, represent the single most effective way to prevent account takeovers for sites that support the protection. In addition to the account password entered by the user, the key provides secondary “cryptographic assertions” that are just about impossible for attackers to guess or phish. Security keys that use USB or Near Field Communication are unaffected.
The Trump administration will not sign an international pledge by governments and online services to combat extremist content online. The Christchurch Call is named after the New Zealand city where a terrorist livestreamed the shooting deaths of 50 Muslims in March.
The statement is being formally released today as part of an international summit in Paris. It will bear the signatures of more than a dozen nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Leading technology companies, including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter, have also signed on. But not the US government.
"The United States stands with the international community in condemning terrorist and violent extremist content online in the strongest terms," the White House said in an emailed statement Wednesday. The US government says it will "continue to support the overall goals reflected in the Call," however, it is "not currently in a position to join the endorsement."
Chinese phone maker Oppo sells a line of cheaper phones under its Realme brand… but the company’s new Realme X packs some surprisingly premium features into a low-cost handset. The phone features a 6.5 inch, FHD+ AMOLED display, a Qualcomm …
Chinese phone maker Oppo sells a line of cheaper phones under its Realme brand… but the company’s new Realme X packs some surprisingly premium features into a low-cost handset. The phone features a 6.5 inch, FHD+ AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor, a 16MP pop-up style selfie camera, and an in-display fingerprint sensor, and […]
Rund 9.300 Haushalte und 1.000 Unternehmen in Hamburg bekommen im Festnetz eine Datenrate von weniger als 30 MBit/s. Die Deutsche Telekom hat im Förderverfahren gewonnen und baut jetzt aus. (Telekom, DSL)
Rund 9.300 Haushalte und 1.000 Unternehmen in Hamburg bekommen im Festnetz eine Datenrate von weniger als 30 MBit/s. Die Deutsche Telekom hat im Förderverfahren gewonnen und baut jetzt aus. (Telekom, DSL)
Nach einer Bundestagsanhörung wird etwas klarer, wann Twitter gegen Beiträge zum Thema Wahlen vorgeht. Die vielen unbegründeten Sperrungen bleiben aber weiter nicht ganz nachvollziehbar. (Twitter, Soziales Netz)
Nach einer Bundestagsanhörung wird etwas klarer, wann Twitter gegen Beiträge zum Thema Wahlen vorgeht. Die vielen unbegründeten Sperrungen bleiben aber weiter nicht ganz nachvollziehbar. (Twitter, Soziales Netz)
The Asus ZenBook 13 UX331FAL is a 2.2 pound laptop with a 13.3 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display, an Intel Core i7-8565U Whiskey Lake processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of solid state store. It has a list price of $950… but B&H is currently selli…
The Asus ZenBook 13 UX331FAL is a 2.2 pound laptop with a 13.3 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display, an Intel Core i7-8565U Whiskey Lake processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of solid state store. It has a list price of $950… but B&H is currently selling it for $749. Here are some of the […]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is calling on carriers to block robocalls by default without waiting for consumers to opt in to call-blocking services. But he hasn't proposed making this a requirement and is leaving it up to carriers to decide whether to charge for such services.
To encourage carriers, Pai is proposing rule changes making it clear that carriers are allowed to block calls by default. Call blocking by default isn't explicitly outlawed by the FCC, but Pai's announcement today said that "many voice providers have held off developing and deploying call-blocking tools by default because of uncertainty about whether these tools are legal under the FCC's rules."
In a call with reporters this morning, Pai said the uncertainty stems from a 2015 FCC order in which "the FCC suggested that its rules and regulations would not prohibit call-blocking services to the extent that consumers opted into them. Many members of the industry perceived that interpretation to make illegal, potentially, the blocking of calls by default."
The RIAA is attempting to unmask the operator of YouTube ripping site YouTubNow. The popular platform receives around 15 million visits per month but now stands accused of infringing RIAA members’ copyrights by offering content by Gloria Estefan, Robert Palmer and Nu Shooz, among others.
Stream-ripping tools have become a big deal for the music industry over the past several years.
Instead of having to revisit platforms like YouTube, Spotify or Deezer, users of ripping tools or sites are able to download content to their own machines. The labels argue this deprives artists and indeed platforms of revenue while breaching music licensing conditions.
Perhaps the biggest problem is presented by sites that allow people to rip content from YouTube, whether that’s video or audio, or audio alone. While this can be for legitimate purposes, millions use stream-ripping platforms to obtain copyrighted content for free.
One such site is YouTube-ripping service YouTubNow.com. According to SimilarWeb stats, the site currently receives around 15 million visits per month, with the highest share of its visitors hailing from the U.S.
“YouTubNow is a powerful service that allows you to find and download your favorite YouTube videos as well as music tracks quickly, easily and absolutely for free,” the site’s promo material reads.
“It’s an excellent YouTube to MP3 downloader as it makes any soundtrack a separate audio file tailored especially for you!”
This clearly isn’t something the RIAA appreciates. The music industry group targeted YouTubNow last week via a DMCA subpoena directed at the site’s domain name registrar, NameCheap.
In common with a similar process aimed at file-hosting platform NoFile and first reported here on TF, the RIAA filed its request at a federal court in Columbia, demanding that NameCheap hands over the personal details of its client. The Court was happy to oblige.
“We believe your service is hosting [YouTubNow.com] on its network,” a subsequent RIAA letter to NameCheap reads.
“The website associated with this domain name offers files containing sound recordings which are owned by one or more of our member companies and have not been authorized for this kind of use, including without limitation those referenced at the URL below.”
The allegedly-infringing URLS
It isn’t clear whether the RIAA has already filed any DMCA takedown notices with YouTubNow via the email address published on the site. Nevertheless, from the ‘copyright notice’ published on the site itself, YouTubNow claims no responsibility for what users do with the service.
At users’ own risk….
From the wording of the letter sent to NameCheap and the subpoena itself, the RIAA appears more concerned about the entire YouTubNow service, rather than just a few seemingly random URLs.
“The purpose for which this subpoena is sought is to obtain the identity of the individual assigned to this website who has induced the infringement of, and has directly engaged in the infringement of, our members’ copyrighted sound recordings without their authorization,” the RIAA writes.
In addition to demanding the operator’s name, physical address, IP address, telephone number, email address, payment information, account updates and account history, the RIAA suggests a termination of the service’s domain might also be in order.
“We also ask that you consider the widespread and repeated infringing nature of the site operator(s)’ conduct, and whether the site(s)’ activities violate your terms of service and/or your company’s repeat infringer policy,” the RIAA writes.
This is at least the third DMCA subpoena the RIAA has obtained against allegedly-infringing sites in recent weeks. TF previously reported that the group is targeting several ‘pirate’ sites that use Cloudflare and file-hosting platform NoFile.
A copy of the RIAA’s letter, obtained by TF, is available here (pdf)
Rund 9.300 Haushalte und 1.000 Unternehmen in Hamburg bekommen im Festnetz eine Datenrate von weniger als 30 MBit/s. Die Deutsche Telekom hat im Förderverfahren gewonnen und baut jetzt aus. (
Nach einer Bundestagsanhörung wird etwas klarer, wann Twitter gegen Beiträge zum Thema Wahlen vorgeht. Die vielen unbegründeten Sperrungen bleiben aber weiter nicht ganz nachvollziehbar. (
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