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New large docodont fossil sheds light on Jurassic mammaliaform diversity

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New large docodont fossil sheds light on Jurassic mammaliaform diversity <br> An international team led by Chinese scientists has discovered a new docodont mammaliaform species, the largest known of its kind, in Jurassic strata dating back about 160 million years, enriching scientific understanding of Jurassic mammaliaform diversity. The new species has been named Megacauda sungei. Its fossil specimen, discovered in Ningcheng, north China&#39;s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, measures roughly 52 centimeters in length and is estimated to have weighed around 2 kilograms, making it the largest known docodont mammaliaform. Its skull is clearly preserved, its trunk is robust, and its most striking feature is an unusually long, coiled tail. The specimen also retains well-preserved pelvic bones, hind limbs and tail vertebrae, suggesting it was adapted for swimming. Based on its distinctive teeth, researchers believe it could have hunted small animals living in the same envi...
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3 in 5 AI models fail terrorism safety tests: Study

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3 in 5 AI models fail terrorism safety tests: Study <br> Three in five artificial intelligence (AI) models have failed terrorism safety tests, with models stripped of safeguards consistently providing potentially dangerous information, according to research reported by CBC News on Friday. The study, conducted by the UK-based nonprofit Tech Against Terrorism, evaluated more than 130 AI models using hundreds of requests resembling those a terrorist planning an attack might submit. Researchers found that models modified through a process known as &quot;abliteration,&quot; which removes safety safeguards, failed every test. Meta&#39;s Llama 3.1 8B model scored 97 out of 100 on the organization&#39;s safety benchmark before modification, compared with approximately three afterward. Researchers said the modified model provided detailed responses to requests involving attacks, terrorist financing and radicalization, while its original version refused such reques...
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Under new regulations, Turkiye bans children under 15 from social media

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Under new regulations, Turkiye bans children under 15 from social media <br> Turkiye has barred social network providers from offering services to minors under the age of 15, according to new Cyber Security Directorate regulations published on Saturday in the Official Gazette. The regulation said providers &quot;cannot provide services to children who have not reached the age of 15.&quot; Providers must also offer differentiated services and take necessary measures for users 15 and older, according to the regulations, adding that they should consider the minor&rsquo;s best interests and their physical, mental, psychological, social, and emotional development. Age verification must prioritise personal data protection, using methods that determine only whether a user meets the age threshold rather than establishing identity, it added. Read:&nbsp;Making sense of AI on social media Saying that providers must make the reliability of verification methods, thei...
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Margaret Hamilton, scientist who worked on NASA's Apollo programme, dead at 90

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Margaret Hamilton, scientist who worked on NASA's Apollo programme, dead at 90 <br> American scientist Margaret Hamilton, who led development of the computer system used by NASA&#39;s Apollo lunar programme, has died at the age of 90, her former employer said Wednesday. In a statement, the Massachussetts Institute of Technology called Hamilton, who taught at the prestigious university from 1959 to the mid-1970s, a &quot;computing pioneer&quot; and said she died on September 30. We&rsquo;ve lost an icon. Margaret Hamilton, a computer science pioneer best known for her work at MIT leading development of the flight software for the Apollo missions to the moon, has died at 90. Read about her legacy via MIT News: https://t.co/ODkbdIsoHw pic.twitter.com/M2xauYYUkU &mdash; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (@MIT) October 7, 2026 &quot;To say Margaret Hamilton was a pioneer &mdash;&nbsp;to say she was ahead of her time &mdash;...
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Trump discloses Nvidia stock trades as he prepares to honor CEO Huang

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Trump discloses Nvidia stock trades as he prepares to honor CEO Huang <br> President Donald Trump bought as much as $1.6 million and sold as much as $1 million in Nvidia stock ​in August, according to his latest financial disclosure, which &zwnj;was released on Thursday as he prepared to award Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang the nation&#39;s highest honor for scientific achievement. The new disclosure of ​the president&#39;s investment in one of the world&#39;s most ​valuable companies comes as his administration weighs policies ⁠that could shape Nvidia&#39;s fortunes, including rules governing exports of ​its advanced chips. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement ​to Reuters that third-party financial institutions independently manage the president&#39;s portfolio and replicate &quot;recognised indexes, such as the Schwab 1000.&quot; Read More: US suspends Microsoft, major IT firms from key green card programme Huang is set to r...
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India denies Elon Musk's claim Starlink 'blocked by oligarchs'

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India denies Elon Musk's claim Starlink 'blocked by oligarchs' <br> India on Thursday denied Elon Musk&#39;s claim that &ldquo;certain oligarchs&rdquo; were blocking Starlink&#39;s satellite communication services in the country to maintain their monopoly, terming it baseless. Without directly naming Musk, India&rsquo;s Communications Ministry said in a statement that the government has put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services. It said telecom licences have been granted to three global mobile personal communication by Satellite services based on &ldquo;non-geosynchronous satellite orbit based satellite communications.&rdquo; pic.twitter.com/qIOih9RtMp &mdash; PIB_INDIA Ministry of Communications (@pib_comm) October 8, 2026 The statement said security assessment &ldquo;as part of this process is currently under way in ...
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Most US voters say Trump, Congress don't take AI risks seriously, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

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Most US voters say Trump, Congress don't take AI risks seriously, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds <br> Most US voters think President Donald Trump&#39;s administration and Congress are not&nbsp;taking AI risks seriously enough and want the government to ​write new regulations for the technology, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The six-day survey, which ended on Monday, showed that large swaths of the electorate see AI as a major threat to American jobs, underscoring growing scepticism of the technology across the political spectrum. The fast-advancing technology has become a matter of keen national interest amid reports of AI agents running amok and hacking into corporate computer networks, and warnings from prominent researchers that it could one day pose an existential threat to humanity. Noisy, power-hungry data centres that power AI also increasingly pose a nuisance when they pop up near neighbourhoods while jacking up ​utility bills. Read:&nbsp;OpenAI...
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