Daily Archives: May 15, 2024

Some brittle stars give an arm and a leg (and still another appendage) to reproduce. When mates are scarce, these starfish-like sea creatures split themselves in half. Each side then regrows its missing half, creating two identical clones of the original animal.

This process, known as clonal fragmentation, is practiced by almost 50 species of existing brittle stars and their starfish relatives. However, scientists have found it difficult to determine when brittle stars, a gangly group of echinoderms, started reproducing this way.

A recently discovered fossil from Germany pushes the origin of cloning sea stars back more than 150 million years. In a paper published Wednesday in The Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a team of scientists describe the fossil of a brittle star that was petrified while regenerating three of its six limbs.

Its the first fossil evidence for this phenomenon, said Ben Thuy, a paleontologist at the National Museum of Natural History in Luxembourg and an author of the new study. The specimen, he added, shows that clonal fragmentation is actually much older than people previously thought.

The brittle star fossil was discovered in the Nusplingen limestone deposit in southern Germany. In the late Jurassic period, 155 million years ago, this area was a balmy lagoon home to marine crocodiles, sharks and pterosaurs. When some of these creatures died, they sank to the bottom and were buried by mud. Low oxygen levels slowed their decomposition, preventing scavengers from picking at the carcasses.

These conditions preserved fossils in incredible detail, capturing delicate structures like dragonfly wings and even a dinosaur feather. The newly described brittle star is another treasure imprinted onto the sites limestone slabs. You have this brittle star with every single piece in its original place, just as if it washed up on the beach a day ago, Dr. Thuy said.

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Fossil Catches Starfish Cousin in the Act of Cloning Itself - The New York Times

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The AI cloning industry in China, specifically focused on creating replicas of deceased relatives, has seen significant growth. This development has not only led to a substantial decrease in prices, but also spurred technological advancements. According to MIT Tech Review reporter Zeyi Yang, mourners can now acquire AI replicas of their departed loved ones, for as low as $140. This is a stark contrast to just few years back, when such services would have cost more than $1,000.

Silicon Intelligence, a Nanjing-based firm, is leading the way in this innovative technology. The company's co-founder, Sun Kai, had his team generate an avatar of his mother, following her unexpected death in 2019. Despite initial awkwardness and repetitiveness, the clone provided real comfort. "My mom didn't seem very natural, but I still heard the words that she often said: 'Have you eaten yet?'" Sun shared with MIT Tech Review.

Yang notes that confiding in the dead is an integral part of China's ancestor worship rituals. Although communicating with a digital representation of the deceased, isn't quite the same as writing them letters/burning incense during holidays, the adoption of this technology has accelerated as AI has improved. "So I would say it is catching on, but only a small number for now," Yang told NPR. He also mentioned that two companies have provided this service to over 2,000 clients combined.

Despite ethical concerns surrounding this practice, Chinese companies have been creating these avatars with "explicit consent from immediate family members," according to Yang. He further explained that some believe consent should be obtained from all surviving family members before proceeding with the replication. Yang suggested that this type of "deathbot" or "ghost bot," as some have termed it, could potentially become popular in other countries with varying but compatible relationships with the concept of death.

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AI cloning of deceased loved ones flourishes in China - NewsBytes

Ahmedabad Crime Experts warn of a new voice cloning scam Crooks use AI to clone voice, use it to call victims friends and cheat them Array ( [galleryId] => 85381d2666c57c2fc065a4d30e70bf256cbfa1e131fba6ef [thumbImage] => https://media.ahmedabadmirror.com/am/uploads/mediaGallery/image/1715546558706.jpg-thmb [largeImage] => https://media.ahmedabadmirror.com/am/uploads/mediaGallery/image/1715546558706.jpg-sldr [fullImage] => https://media.ahmedabadmirror.com/am/uploads/mediaGallery/image/1715546558706.jpg-org [videoObj] => => cloning scam [altText] => cloning scam [description] => cloning scam [title] => ) cloning scam Ahmedabad Mirror

May 13, 2024 06:00 AM | UPDATED: May 14, 2024 03:27 AM | 4 min read

The Cyber Police and experts have sounded an alarm against a new type of scam - the Voice Cloning Scam - in which scamsters use AI to clone the voices of a person and call their relatives to cheat them. It should be noted that so far no complaints about Voice Cloning have been recorded with the city police.

Experts said often the voices are cloned through calls in which a victim receives a call but no one responds from the other end. As the person continues to say hello the AI captures the receivers sample voice and uses it for cloning.

Experts said scamsters can use a victims number using VOIP to make a call to his/her relatives on various pretexts and demand money. Experts said Process Artificial Intelligence is used to execute the scam. Experts said cyber cons use various AI-related tools and software to execute such frauds. Cyber thugs can also use certain social media platforms to con people through Voice Cloning Scam.

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Experts warn of a new voice cloning scam - Crime - Ahmedabad Mirror

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As a more somber and arguably grounded piece of Star Wars media, part of the formula for Andor is to focus on the Empire's means of oppression. Imperial forces seem to be everywhere with the Republic fallen and the galaxy now Emperor Palpatine's toy box. And, as seen through Cassian Andor's eyes, they're always a problem. Andor's attention to detail is a strong point of the series. Still, its focus on Imperial security and the use of TIE fighters paints a particularly vivid picture of the Star Wars universe at its darkest moment.

Andor bridges the two decades between the rise of the Empire at the end of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and the destruction of the Death Star in A New Hope. As such, it reveals a key change from Clone Troopers to Stormtroopers, which occurred in the gap between the two films. For instance, a flashback scene in Season 1, Episode 7, "Announcement," shows Clone Troopers on the streets, while contemporary sequences reveal Stormtroopers in the same position. Its a subtle distinction and sometimes looks like nothing but a slightly different armor design. In fact, the difference between Clone Troopers and Stormtroopers is one of the keys to this part of the Star Wars timeline.

Updated by Timothy Blake Donohoo on May 9. 2024: Stormtroopers are one of the most iconic parts of the Star Wars franchise, with the stock soldiers easily recognizable among even casual moviegoers. They're not the only variety of such forces in the series, with Clone Troopers being another mass-produced fighting force. This raises the debate of Clone Troopers vs. Stormtroopers and what separates the two varieties. Of course, these are only the main variations seen in the series, with other notable versions also adding to the question of which soldiers constitute Stormtroopers.

Clone Troopers are genetic copies of bounty hunter Jango Fett, created by the Kaminoans secretly to provide the Republic with an army. While they evince variations and individual identities as their lives take different paths, they all stem from the same DNA and, thus, look and sound exactly like one another. Their armor is best described as "protean Stormtrooper," though decorations and other unique touches were prevalent during the Clone Wars.

They first appear in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones as the Separatists formally break from the Republic. Of course, Senator Palpatine used them as cat's paws the entire time. No one doubts the need for an army with civil war brewing, and the question of who paid the Kaminoans to develop the Clones becomes lost in the need to stop the Separatists. Ironically, Palpatine controls them as well. The Separatists are engineered to create a crisis, which the Clone Troopers magically show up to solve.

That pays dividends in Revenge of the Sith, as Palpatine executes Order 66. The Clones -- programmed from conception to obey it -- turn on their Jedi commanders en masse. In one stroke, they go from loyal comrades to implacable enemies, wiping out the Jedi. Palpatine then orders the Separatist droid armies to shut down, leaving him in control of the galaxy. The Clone Troopers perform exactly as he needs them to, and this begins their transition into the dark foot patrol of the galactic empire.

With the war over, the Clones have served their purpose, and since cloning operations are expensive, the new Emperor decides to change course. Conscripts and volunteers -- who don't need to be raised and trained from birth -- are far more cost-effective and don't require Order 66 levels of loyalty to do their job. The first season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch goes deep into the crossover details, starting with Season 1, Episode 1, "Aftermath." Admiral Tarkin arrives on Kamino to terminate their contract, bluntly telling them that conscripts can do the same job "at half the cost." The first season shows how Clone operations are slowly terminated, climaxing in Season 1, Episode 15, "Return to Kamino," as the Empire attacks and destroys the Kaminoans' cloning facilities.

After that, Clone Troopers are quickly phased out, and conscripted Stormtroopers become the norm. Clones age more rapidly than non-clones -- another reason the Empire doesn't want them anymore -- and their short shelf-life means that the change takes place comparatively quickly. Andor takes place in the midst of that transition, which the showrunners make careful note of in their use of the Empire's ground forces. The change is incidental for Cassian, but for the Star Wars universe as a whole, it's enormous and reflects the dark rise of the Empire. It also explains why stormtroopers are treated as expendable cannon fodder, as they're easier to replace than clone troops and their lifespans.

Main Variations of Troopers In Star Wars

Name

First Appearance

Clone Troopers

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

Stormtroopers

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Snowtroopers

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Scout Troopers

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Patrol Troopers

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Swamp Troopers

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Shore Troopers

Andor

Stormtroopers and Clone Troopers are just two varieties of such soldiers in the Star Wars franchise. These variations came about after the transition from Clone Troopers to Stormtroopers, and they tend to reflect certain environmental conditions that the foot soldiers are trained for. Sandtroopers operate on desert planets such as Tatooine, and their armor includes cooling fans and a sand filter. This makes them somewhat similar to the Stillsuits used by the Fremen in Dune. Scout Troopers and Patrol Troopers have more lightweight armor, allowing them to traverse distances more easily on their speeder bikes. Of course, they also have different posts, with Scout Troopers operating in forest environments like Endor, while Patrol Troopers are seen in more urban areas.

Snowtroopers from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back fittingly operate in snowy environments such as Hoth, with thicker armor and "skirts" that surround their lower bodies and provide extra warmth. Swamp Troopers, also known as Mud Troopers, eschew the usual white color schemes of the shock troops and instead wear green armor to blend in with their murky surroundings. Shore Troopers (Coastal Defender Stormtroopers) have somewhat ruddier (yet still white) armor and protect shorelines, though their usage across the galaxy tends to be rare. That's without even getting into the different versions of the original Clone Troopers, who all had specific armor and color schemes based on rank and function.

This was somewhat seen in the Disney Star Wars sequels, with Captain Phasma being a First Order Stormtrooper with silver armor. Likewise, TIE Fighter pilots and perhaps even Imperial Red Guards could be seen as tangentially related to Stormtroopers. However, they're not quite the same and have different armor and color schemes. All these variations only add to the debate over Clone Troopers vs Stormtroopers, with an endless supply and variants of the latter throughout the series. Clone Troopers only had a presence before the time of the original trilogy, which is why Stormtroopers are still so ubiquitous in the Star Wars universe.

Andor Season 1 is available to stream now on Disney+.

Prequel series to Star Wars' 'Rogue One'. In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero.

The original trilogy depictsthe heroic development of Luke Skywalker as a Jedi and his fight against Palpatine's Galactic Empire alongside his sister, Leia. The prequels tell the tragic backstory of their father, Anakin, who is corrupted by Palpatine and becomes Darth Vader.

Read more here:

Clone Trooper vs Stormtrooper: What's the Difference? - CBR

Alexis Bogan, whose speech was impaired by a brain tumor, uses an AI powered smartphone app to create a audible drink order at a Starbucks drive-thru on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Lincoln, R.I. The app converts her typed entries into a verbal message created using her original voice.

A woman lost her voice but artificial intelligence helped her get it back.

Alexis Lexi Bogan had a golf ball-sized vascular tumor lodged near the back of her brain, pressing on her brain stem and entangled in blood vessels and cranial nerves.

Doctors removed the life-threatening tumor during a 10-hour surgery in August 2023; however, when Bogan came off the breathing tube, her tongue muscles and vocal cords were damaged.

It affected her ability to eat and talk she struggled to swallow and could barely choke out a hi to her parents.

But AI came to the rescue months later.

In April, Bogan got an AI-generated voice clone that she can use through an app on her phone she just types into her cell, and the app instantly reads her words out loud.

Before the vocal miracle, even after months of rehabilitation, the 21-year-old was still struggling to speak and get her loved ones to understand what she was saying.

Its almost like a part of my identity was taken when I lost my voice, Bogan told the Associated Press. At some point, I was starting to forget what I sounded like.

Her new app-based voice, with help from Rhode Islands Lifespan hospital group, is sourced from a 15-second cooking video she recorded for a high school project, allowing it to use her teenage vocals for a real-sounding voice.

I get so emotional every time I hear her voice, her tearful mother Pamela said.

Bogan is one of the first people to use OpenAIs new Voice Engine to bring back a lost voice and the doctors believe that this is one use of AI that outweighs the risks.

Were hoping Lexis a trailblazer as the technology develops, Dr. Rohaid Ali, a neurosurgery resident at Brown Universitys medical school and Rhode Island Hospital, told AP, adding that it could greatly benefit those with debilitating strokes, throat cancer or neurogenerative diseases.

Bogan now uses the app everywhere, including Starbucks, Target and Marshalls, to help with every day encounters.

I think its awesome that I can have that sound again, said Bogan, who noted that it helped boost my confidence to somewhat where it was before all this happened.

Some risks of AI voice-cloning technology include non-consensual voice recreation making people say things they never said plus phone scams, deepfake robocalls and more.

We should be conscious of the risks, but we cant forget about the patient and the social good, said Dr. Fatima Mirza, another resident working on the pilot. Were able to help give Lexi back her true voice and shes able to speak in terms that are the most true to herself.

Since Bogan is the first with her condition to use the technology, shes been able to give feedback on how to make it better and more accessible, such as having the voice age as she ages.

Shes been a great inspiration for us, Mirza said.

Even though I dont have my voice fully back, I have something that helps me find my voice again, Bogan said.

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I lost my voice because of a tumor but an AI clone gave it and my confidence back to me - AOL

Summary

A new Orphan Black: Echoes trailer reveals a unique spin on the clone-themed story used in the spinoff show. Following on from the critically acclaimed science fiction show that starred Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black: Echoes is set to introduce a new heroine played by Jessica Jones star Krysten Ritter. Waking from a mysterious procedure with no memory of who she is, Ritters Lucy embarks on a harrowing journey to uncover her true identity and the truth of how she came to be.

Now the latest Orphan Black: Echoes trailer from AMC+ provides fresh insights into the direction of the spinoff, introducing a character presumed to be Ritters younger teenage clone (played by Amanda Fix). Check it out below:

Bearing a striking resemblance to Ritters Lucy, this latest revelation marks a significant departure from the original show, where Maslany played multiple clones of the same age. Moreover, in addition to revealing Fixs younger clone, this latest trailer also references the events of the previous series by showing framed photographs of Maslanys characters Sarah Manning and Cosima Niehaus.

With the original Orphan Black already well known for having Maslany act opposite alternate versions herself, this new spinoff must seek to distinguish itself from the show that inspired it.

Earning an impressive 140 award nominations throughout its five-season run, the original Orphan Black was consistently praised by critics and is still regarded as one of the best science fiction shows from the previous decade. Significantly bolstered by the Emmy Award-winning performance of Maslany, who was able to convincingly portray and differentiate multiple clones, many have wondered whether the new spinoff would also have Ritter follow in her predecessors footsteps.

Yet while this latest trailer does not necessarily discount the possibility of Ritter playing more than one character, the introduction of a younger clone offers a unique spin on the original shows underlying concept. With the original Orphan Black already well known for having Maslany act opposite alternate versions herself, this new spinoff must seek to distinguish itself from the show that inspired it. The use of different actors playing clones at varying ages seems the ideal way to do just that.

Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany played 14 different clones over the show's five seasons, all with the same face but radically different looks.

Of course, Ritter is also an accomplished actor and more than capable of playing multiple characters in Orphan Black: Echoes if needed, but at least this way, her new show can avoid accusations of merely being a pale reflection of the flagship series. Moreover, with the trailer also making it clear that the events of the new show take place in the same world as the original Orphan Black, having a new group merely attempt to replicate the same Project LEDA cloning experiments that birthed Maslanys clones also seems unlikely.

Orphan Black: Echoes premieres on June 23 on AMC, AMC+ and BBC America.

Source: AMC+

Orphan Black: Echoes is the sequel series to the original that aired in 2013. In Echoes, Krysten Ritter stars as Lucy, a woman trying to find her place in the world. She will soon discover that she may be part of the clone experimentation process that former protagonist Sarah Manning and her "sisters" were.

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Orphan Black: Krysten Ritter Uncovers Wide Conspiracy With Young Clone In Action-Packed Echoes Trailer - Screen Rant