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☆ AI was told to design a robot that could walk. Within seconds, it generated a 'small, squishy, and misshapen' thing that spasms.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A group of researchers asked AI to design a walking robot. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhen a group of researchers asked an AI to design a robot that could walk, it created a "small, squishy and misshapen" thing that walks by spasming when filled with air. "We told the AI that we wanted a robot that could walk across land. The AI began with a small rubber block and modeled different shapes before arriving at the final design that could walk. AdvertisementAdvertisementKriegman said the researchers weren't quite sure why the robot had this peculiar shape — and why it was filled with holes.

Persons: —, Sam Kriegman, Kriegman, Mika Organizations: Service, Northwestern University, MIT, University of Vermont —, National Academy of Sciences, Boston Dynamics, Reuters Locations: Geneva

☆ U.S. Colleges Brace for Tensions From Opposing Groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

College campuses around the U.S. braced for tensions Monday as opposing groups spoke out about whether Gaza or Israel was to blame in the escalating conflict. At Harvard University, a joint statement signed by 31 student organizations said they “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.” At the University of California, Berkeley, the local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine issued a statement denouncing the Israeli occupation of Gaza. Matt Vogel, executive director of Hillel, the Jewish student group, at the University of Vermont, posted on Instagram that campus police would increase patrols by the school’s Hillel house this week where a vigil in support of Israel is planned. More than 45 faculty are organizing a teach-in to provide students with historical context, he said. “We keep the memories of those murdered alive and we will keep hope alive for those who are held captive,” Vogel wrote on Instagram.

Persons: Matt Vogel, Hillel, “, ” Vogel Organizations: Harvard University, University of California, Justice, University of Vermont Locations: U.S, Gaza, Israel, Berkeley, Palestine, Instagram

☆ Opinion: Trump’s hat trick is America’s Rorschach test
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Jane Carr | Opinion Jane Greenway Carr | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. “The ramifications of these charges for Trump and the country are enormous,” wrote legal scholar Michael Gerhardt. A sobering new studyAfrica Studio/Adobe StockA recent study has found that alcohol-related deaths are rising more quickly among American women than among American men. There’s no reason to think that will changeMike Shields: A tectonic shift in GOP voter turnout is underwayA back-to-school questionDenver Public School nurse Jennifer Nelson works at McAuliffe Manual Middle School. Every child deserves a school nurse.”

Persons: Pythagoras, It’s, Tobias Smollett, Peregrine Pickle, who’s, won’t, Donald Trump’s, Jack Smith’s, ”, Michael Gerhardt, “, Trump, ” Clay Jones, John Avlon, Ulysses S, Grant, Black, … Trump, ” George Costanza’s, Eric Klein, Jeremi Suri, ” Klein, Tanya Chutkan, Klein, Suri, Russell J, Levenson, Jr, Julian Zelizer, Dean Obeidallah, Phil Hands, Jon Gabriel, Gabriel, Badri, Paul Kane, punctuating, Aimee Phan, wouldn’t, Phan, Morocco’s Nouhaila, …, I’ve, CNN Opinion’s Kirsi Goldynia, Dr, Catherine Donnelly, Donnelly, Whitney Browne, Alvin Ailey, O’Shae Sibley, Clay Cane, Cane, ” Cane, Jill Filipovic, Filipovic, —, ” Filipovic, Eric Winer, Winer, Don’t, Ralph Tedy Erol, Catherine Russell, Rachel Marshall, Georgia Mark Zandi, Mike Shields, Jennifer Nelson, Hyoung Chang, ’ Organizations: CNN, Trinity, Capitol, Trump, Ku Klux Klan, Klan, Reconstruction, US, GOP, Warner Bros, Agency, Sun, FIFA, Canada, Germany, juggernaut, Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences, University of Vermont, Adobe, Yale Cancer Center, Haitian National Police, Denver Public School, McAuliffe, Middle, Denver Post, National Association of School Nurses, American Academy of Pediatrics, Research Locations: Scottish, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, United States, Washington ,, Wisconsin, Phoenix , Arizona, xeriscaping, Morocco, Colombia, South Africa, Jamaica, Vietnamese, Philippines, Zealand, Vietnam, States, Thailand, Washington, Brooklyn, America, New York City, Philadelphia, Africa, American, Port, Prince, Haiti

☆ Why some salads may be unsafe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Kirsi Goldynia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Even harder to contend with is the fact that the food products most susceptible to contamination are often those we eat for their health benefits – produce items. “Produce led the list; about 46% of the foodborne illness that we saw in the US could be attributable to produce. But you bring up a really great point that the processing of packaged meats may actually protect the products from pathogens. I think water is going to emerge as a huge issue. I think we’ve got systems in place that do a good job of making sure that consumers are getting good products.

Persons: Dr, Catherine Donnelly, Listeria, ”, Donnelly, “ Produce, ” That’s, –, ” Donnelly, I’m, we’ve, Edwin Remsberg, they’re, there’s, Barack Obama’s, Bridget Bennett, Vibrio, Facebook There’s Organizations: CNN, Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences, University of Vermont, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, “, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, US Department of Agriculture, Getty, Bloomberg, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Western Washington, Cronobacter, Michigan, KFF, Vermont, hydroponics

☆ Lost samples from a secret army base reveal that Greenland's ice vanished 416,000 years ago. That means it could melt way faster than expected.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The data comes from long-lost ice cores obtained during a secret army mission during the Cold War. Grabbing ice cores for scientists to study served as a perfect cover for their real intention, burying nuclear missiles within Greenland's ice sheet, in a scheme known as Project Iceworm. Along with the ice, scientists grabbed 12 feet of sediment that sat beneath the ice sheet. "The ancient frozen soil from beneath Greenland's ice sheet warns of trouble ahead," Bierman and co-author Tammy Rittenour wrote in The Conversation. Essentially, in the coming centuries, climate change will cause the Greenland ice sheet to melt completely, the researchers said.

Persons: Paul Bierman, Bierman's, Andrew Christ, Josh Brown, Bierman, Tammy Rittenour, Kasl, David Atwood, Emilio, It's Organizations: Service, University of Vermont, U.S . Army, Oceanic Locations: Greenland, Danish, U.S, Miami, Manhattan

☆ Long-lost Greenland ice core suggests potential for disastrous sea level rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Instead, moderate, natural warming led to large-scale melting and sea level rise of more than 1.4 meters (4.6 feet), according to the report published Thursday in the journal Science. This would have significant impacts on sea level rise. The potential implications for sea level rise are enormous, Tammy Rittenour, a professor from Utah State University and study co-author said in a statement. “We are looking at meters of sea level rise, probably tens of meters. “The current greenhouse gas emission-driven warming may reduce the Greenland ice sheet faster than forecast,” he told CNN.

Persons: ”, Paul Bierman, Bierman, “ It’s, “, Tammy Rittenour, Andrew Shepherd, Jason Box, “ we’re Organizations: CNN, University of Vermont, Utah State University, Northumbria University, Geological Survey Locations: Greenland, Denmark, Copenhagen, New York City, Boston, Miami, Amsterdam, India, Africa, glaciology

☆ University of Vermont fires hockey coach after investigation into ‘inappropriate text messages’ with a student
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The University of Vermont fired its men’s hockey head coach, Todd Woodcroft, on Tuesday after the university conducted an internal investigation of “inappropriate text messages with a UVM student on multiple occasions that failed to maintain professional boundaries,” according to a statement released by Vermont Director of Athletics Jeff Schulman. Schulman appointed assistant coach Steve Wiedler as interim head coach. “After reviewing the findings of an investigation conducted by UVM’s Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity that was completed this week, it is clear that Coach Woodcroft failed to meet those expectations. “The specific conduct leading to the investigation involved inappropriate text messages with a UVM student on multiple occasions that failed to maintain professional boundaries,” Schulman’s statement continued. “Earlier today, I met with the Men’s Hockey team to inform them of my decision and to introduce Steve Wiedler as interim head coach for the 2023-2024 season.

Persons: Todd Woodcroft, Jeff Schulman, Schulman, Steve Wiedler, ” Schulman, “, Woodcroft, Wiedler’s, ”, Andrew Miltenberg, ” Miltenberg, ” Woodcroft Organizations: CNN, The University of Vermont, “, University of Vermont Athletic Department, UVM’s, Men’s Hockey Locations: Vermont

☆ Climate event El Niño could hit the economy from food prices to clothing sales this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But that’s not the only effects expected: Combined with climate change, El Niño this year could dent US economic growth, potentially impacting everything from food prices to the winter clothing sales. Higher food prices are a common theme across El Niño events, according to a recent Deutsche Bank report. Dry weather has parched crops in El Salvador as the El Niño weather threatens food security. The last time there was an El Niño in 2018 through 2019, NOAA dubbed it “The Great Puny El Niño” due to its relatively weak impact on weather conditions. He projects that El Niño weather events could cause $84 trillion in economic losses in the 21st century.

Persons: Niño, that’s, ”, Christopher Callahan, ” Christopher Callahan, El, Lesley, Ann Dupigny, Giroux, Yi Yu, Linh Pham, Winters, Yu, Callahan, Simeon Siegel, “, Chris Scheuring, “ It’s, Camilo Freedman Organizations: CNN, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Dartmouth, Southern, University of Vermont, University of California, Southwestern, Vietnam Electricity Group, Bloomberg, Getty, Deutsche Bank, BMO Capital Markets, Dupigny, US Federal Aviation Administration, California Farm Bureau, La Union, Prediction Locations: Niño, University of California Irvine, Asia, Australia, Southwestern United States, Tri An, Vinh Cuu, Dong Nai Province, Vietnam, United States, rainier, El, Pasaquina, La, El Salvador

June 14 (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch InBev's (ABI.BR) Bud Light has lost its top spot in the U.S. beer market to Constellation Brands' (STZ.N) Modelo Especial, following a backlash from conservatives over a social media promotion with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Cans of AB InBev's Bud Light hard seltzer are displayed in a fridge in Jewel-Osco supermarket in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. October 21, 2020. REUTERS/Richa NaiduConstellation's Modelo Especial was the top-selling beer brand in the United States with an 8.4% share of overall beer sales through retail stores for the period ending June 3, data from Bump Williams showed. Bud Light came in second with a 7.3% share. AB InBev's overall sales growth declined 12% in the four weeks ended May 20, data from NielsenIQ and TD Cowen showed.

Persons: Busch, Bud Light, influencer Dylan Mulvaney ., Bump Williams, Michel Doukeris, Bud Light's, Dylan Mulvaney, Miller, Jon Reynolds, Bud, seltzer, Richa Naidu, TD Cowen, Cowen, Vivien Azer, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Anheuser, Constellation Brands, Modelo, Budweiser, Modelo Especial, InBev, Conservative, Target, Molson Coors, University of Vermont, REUTERS, Euromonitor International, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, NielsenIQ, Chicago , Illinois, United States, Bengaluru

Overall U.S. beer sales grew 1.8% in the 12 weeks ended May 20, according to data from research firms NielsenIQ and TD Cowen. Sam Adams maker Boston Beer, the largest craft beer maker, saw its market share slip last year. Bud Light and Coors Light, popular premium light beers, average about $7.40 for a 12-ounce six-pack, while Boston Beer's Sam Adams costs between $10 to $12. "The American consumer likes light beer," Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley said at a conference in early June. "I think dynamics within the subsegment might change, but the overall consumption of light beer is not going to change materially."

Persons: Beer, Neil Reid, TD Cowen, Vivien Azer, Sam Adams, Boston Beer, Bud Light, Jon Reynolds, Reid, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Michel Doukeris, Gavin Hattersley, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Anheuser, Busch InBev, Molson Coors Beverage, University of Toledo, Refinitiv, Molson Coors, InBev, Boston Beer Co, Reuters Graphics, Boston, Constellation Brands, Modelo, Reuters, Brewery, Miller, University of Vermont . Giants, AB InBev, Thomson Locations: United States, NielsenIQ, Corona, American, Bengaluru

☆ Is This Octopus Having a Nightmare?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Carolyn Wilke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Costello the octopus was napping while stuck to the glass of his tank at the Rockefeller University in New York. A minute later, Costello scuttled along the glass toward his tank’s sandy bottom, curling his arms over his body. “This was not a normal octopus behavior,” said Dr. Ramos, who is now at the University of Vermont. Perhaps Costello was having a nightmare, he and a team of researchers speculated. They shared this idea and other possible explanations in a study uploaded this month to the bioRxiv website.

☆ 6 Takeaways From Ed Sheeran’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ Copyright Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Ben Sisario | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Instead, the jury heard a computerized “Let’s Get It On,” based on the original sheet music. Ed Sheeran showed two very different sides. Sheeran attended every day of testimony in the trial, and on the stand he could be charming, demonstrating his songwriting with a guitar. A key part of any music copyright trial is the testimony of musicologists hired as expert witnesses for each side, who present dry, abstract analyses of the music. At the Sheeran trial, the two experts also seemed to take every opportunity to put each other down.

☆ Ed Sheeran Wins Copyright Case Over Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Ben Sisario | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The case involved only the compositions underlying both tracks — the lyrics, melodies and chords that can be notated on paper — and not their recordings. For older songs like “Let’s Get It On,” copyright is limited to the sheet music, or “deposit copy,” that was originally submitted to the United States Copyright Office. Kathryn Griffin Townsend, Mr. Townsend’s daughter, who wore a tan-colored coat with the word “integrity” emblazoned on the back, said she had filed her suit to protect her father’s legacy. On Day 3 of the trial, the proceedings were interrupted when she collapsed and was taken to a hospital. When Ms. Townsend returned to the courtroom on Monday morning, Mr. Sheeran embraced her.

This valuation comes after a rich global history showcasing wars fought over salt, trade routes built for commodities, taxes levied against the mineral and even cities named in sodium's legacy. "You could not have an international economy if you didn't have salt," Mark Kurlansky, author of "Salt: A World History," told CNBC. "We're seeing that the majority is deicing salt," Seth Goldstein, equities analyst with Morningstar, told CNBC. However, if too much salt permeates our environment, the effects can be dangerous, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Runoff from deicing salts that keep our roads safe in wintry weather is the most obvious way that salt enters the environment.

☆ TikTok banned on government devices under spending bill passed by Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The bill includes an exception for law enforcement, national security and research purposes. TikTok has repeatedly said its U.S. user data is not based in China, though those assurances have done little to alleviate concern. While it fell short of antitrust advocates' hopes, the inclusion of the merger filing fee bill still gained praise. Miller said the bill will "significantly strengthen antitrust law for the first time since 1976." Empowering state AGs in antitrust casesAnother antitrust bill included in the package was a version of the State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act.

☆ Americans are flocking to wildfire country
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Our main finding is that people seem to be moving to counties with the highest wildfire risks, and cities and suburbs with relatively hot summers. This is concerning because wildfire and heat are only expected to become more dangerous with climate change," Mahalia Clark, the lead author of the study, told CNBC. "People tend to think of wildfire as something that affects the West, but it also affects large areas of the South and even Midwest." On the other hand, sometimes high risk areas are more affordable, creating an unfortunate incentive for people to move there." But homebuyers also need to be doing their due diligence on the climate risks associated with the location where they are considering buying a new home.

☆ Darker Days Are Coming. Don’t Let Them Get You Down.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Alina Dizik | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

For people dreading the approach of shorter days and fewer hours of sunlight, now is the time to prepare your body to fend off the winter blues. Many of us notice a natural turndown in mood as the brain responds to less daylight in the winter, especially in the northern part of the country, says Kelly Rohan, professor of psychological science at the University of Vermont, who researches seasonal affective disorder. You might have a dip in energy levels, want to sleep more or crave more carbohydrate-heavy foods, she says.

☆ Nutrition content is huge on TikTok, but a new study shows trends like #WhatIEatInADay may influence disordered eating behaviors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Researchers at the University of Vermont analyzed 1,000 TikTok videos under the most popular hashtags related to body image and eating by using search terms like food, nutrition, weight and body image. The study included 10 hashtags with at least one billion or more views. On the list were #WhatIEatInADay and #WeightLoss, which had 3.2 billion views and nearly 10 billion views respectively at the start of the study. Less than 3% of the nutrition-related TikTok videos analyzed by the study's researchers were weight-inclusive. Nearly 44% of the shared videos included content about weight loss; 20.4% portrayed someone's weight transformation.

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