Lifeboat Foundation

A new “all-in-one” stealer malware named EvilExtractor (also spelled Evil Extractor) is being marketed for sale for other threat actors to steal data and files from Windows systems.

“It includes several modules that all work via an FTP service,” Fortinet FortiGuard Labs researcher Cara Lin said. “It also contains environment checking and Anti-VM functions. Its primary purpose seems to be to steal browser data and information from compromised endpoints and then upload it to the attacker’s FTP server.”

The network security company said it observed a surge in attacks spreading the malware in the wild in March 2023, with a majority of the victims located in Europe and the U.S. While marketed as an educational tool, EvilExtractor has been adopted by threat actors for use as an information stealer.

Pneumonia is a potentially fatal lung infection that progresses rapidly. Patients with pneumonia symptoms – such as a dry, hacking cough, breathing difficulties and high fever – generally receive a stethoscope examination of the lungs, followed by a chest X-ray to confirm diagnosis. Distinguishing between bacterial and viral pneumonia, however, remains a challenge, as both have similar clinical presentation.

Mathematical modelling and artificial intelligence could help improve the accuracy of disease diagnosis from radiographic images. Deep learning has become increasingly popular for medical image classification, and several studies have explored the use of convolutional neural network (CNN) models to automatically identify pneumonia from chest X-ray images. It’s critical, however, to create efficient models that can analyse large numbers of medical images without false negatives.

Now, K M Abubeker and S Baskar at the Karpagam Academy of Higher Education in India have created a novel machine learning framework for pneumonia classification of chest X-ray images on a graphics processing unit (GPU). They describe their strategy in Machine Learning: Science and Technology.

Resolving activity in cortical columns and cortical layers in the human brain with ultra-high field fMRI — new insights for biological models of cognitive functions.
Speaker: Rainer Goebel, Maastricht University, Netherlands.

HBP School — The Human Brain Atlas: Neuroscientific basis, tools and applications.
3–7 September 2018
Düsseldorf/Jülich, Germany.
Maastricht, Netherlands.

Continue reading “Goebel Rainer — Resolving activity in cortical columns and cortical layers in the human brain (…)” »

Calorie restriction, a proven intervention to slow aging in animals, showed evidence of slowing the pace of biological aging in a human randomized trial.

In a first-of-its-kind randomized controlled trial, an international team of researchers led by the Columbia Aging Center at Columbia University.

Columbia University is a private Ivy League research university in New York City that was established in 1754. This makes it the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest in the United States. It is often just referred to as Columbia, but its official name is Columbia University in the City of New York.

Every other Wednesday we present a new video, so join us to see the truth laid bare…

Machines are evolving 10 million times faster than we are. Are you ready for robots that run our homes, watch our neighborhoods and even fight our wars? One day in the not too distant future, robots will travel to the far reaches of the universe, they will be the first to colonise new worlds. Robots will lead the way in the exploration of deep space.

Continue reading “Incredible Robots — Rise of the Machines” »

This film by Ken Gumbs tackles the issue of pending greater-than-human artificial intelligence and the possible ramifications. Different individuals with different backgrounds are interviewed on the subject, including a theologian, a philosopher, a brain builder and a cyborg. A wide spectrum of topics are discussed, including trans-humanism, mind-machine mergers, uploading, and artificial super-intelligence.

To build a workforce that can meet the expected future demand in the quantum sector, we need to train many more quantum-literate educators and marshal support for them.

In 2018 the US federal government passed the National Quantum Initiative Act, a program designed to accelerate the country’s quantum research and development activities. In the next decade, quantum information science and quantum technologies are expected to have a significant impact on the US economy, as well as on that of other countries. To fulfill that promise, the US will need a “quantum-capable” workforce that is conversant with the core aspects of quantum technologies and is large enough to meet the expected demand. But even now, as quantum-career opportunities are just starting to appear, supply falls behind demand; according to a 2022 report, there is currently only around one qualified candidate for every three quantum job openings [1]. We call for education institutions and funding agencies to invest significantly in workforce development efforts to prevent the worsening of this dearth.

Most of today’s jobs in quantum information science and technology (QIST) require detailed knowledge and skills that students typically gain in graduate-level programs [2]. As the quantum industry matures from having a research and development focus toward having a deployment focus, this requirement will likely relax. The change is expected to increase the proportion of QIST jobs compatible with undergraduate-level training. However, 86% of QIST-focused courses currently take place at PhD-granting research institutions [3]. Very few other undergraduate institutions offer opportunities to learn about the subject. To meet the future need, we believe that aspect needs to change with QIST education being incorporated into the curricula at predominantly undergraduate institutions and community colleges in the US. However, adding QIST classes to the curricula at these institutions will be no easy task.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QHHrph7zDLw

How do viruses make more copies of themselves? They do this by taking over human cells. When a virus infects a cell, it hijacks the protein-making machinery of the cell by releasing its own genetic code, or instructions, into the cell. Now, instead of making proteins for the body, the cell starts working for the virus, helping it replicate. The cell makes more and more virus particles that are released to go on and infect more cells.

Play a Kahoot! trivia game based on this animation: http://www.vaccinemakers.org/trivia.

Continue reading “How do Viruses Reproduce?” »

See why history may hang in the balance on this critical launch attempt.

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Continue reading “Starship Launch Set 8am 17 Apr 23 Historic Launch Attempt” »