Category Archives: Evolution

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This year, February 7 marks Americas biggest unofficial holiday: Super Bowl Sunday. Whether you partake in this jamboree of athletics for the larger-than-life halftime shows, the seven-layer-dip tastings, or the actual football, youre probably angling to tune into the game this year. But, in our streaming era, access to cable TV is no longer a given and going to your besties annual Super Bowl party this year is not encouraged by the CDC. So, if you want to see Kansas City square off against Tampa Bay and watch The Weeknd perform from the comfort of your computer, weve got you covered with three ways you can tune into Super Bowl Sunday below. Where can I stream the Super Bowl? Treat yourself to a new subscription (or, hey, a free trial!) from CBS All Access, Hulu+, or AT&T TV for a virtual front-row seat to the game this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. (EST). CBS All Access CBS All Access has live TV subscriptions starting at $5.99 and offers a one-week free trial. Subscribers can watch any of the services 20,000 episodes, 150+ movies, original series, or live sports with limited commercial interruptions, across a variety of networks (including BET, Comedy Central, and MTV). Hulu+ With Hulus Live TV, Disney+, and ESPN+ bundle, you can watch the game and tons of other popular shows, starting at $13 a month with a one-week free trial. Whether you take the basic subscription or go for the largest package, subscribers will gain access to Disneys magical vault of movies, groundbreaking Hulu originals (Handmaids Tale, Little Fires Everywhere, etc.), and live sports with ESPN+. AT&T TV AT&T dishes out larger plans starting at $69.99. If you like the wide-range accessibility of cable but want the flexibility of live streaming, you might have just found your perfect match. Subscribe to this service to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday and, if the game gets boring, flip through the other 65+ channels and thousands of on-demand shows that come with it. At Refinery29, were here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuffand, while we do receive commission from Amazon, all of the goods linked to on our site are independently selected and supported by our Shopping team. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?Stream These Emmy Nominated Shows Right NowThe Weeknd Will Perform At Super Bowl LVNew "WandaVision" Promises Utter Chaos

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The Evolution of the Super Bowl Halftime Costume - Yahoo Lifestyle

Facebook was launched in 2004. WhatsApp was introduced in 2009. These have become two of the most used applications. WhatsApp has a total of 2 billion active users around the world and is giving many companies a run for their money with free voice/video calls and messages to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Facebook goes even further with 2.7 billion users; it has become a go-to place for anyone in the world with even a modicum of digital presence.

These social networking applications were envisioned as platforms that could bring people together; even those who are miles apart. However, they have evolved in unexpected ways that their creators themselves might not have envisioned, especially in the last five years. Social platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp are being heavily criticized for how they are now being used for purposes other than needed be it the borderline unethical data extraction or the spread of hatred through propaganda that benefits only a handful.

The best examples of these malicious use-cases are the daily trending Twitter hashtags and hundreds of WhatsApp forwards that work in favour of a particular ideology. The power and monopoly that certain social networking sites have created have forced companies, political parties, and businesses to take it seriously as a part of their outreach campaigns.

Of clouds and silver linings: The need to reclaim social media for positive outcomes

That said, it isnt as if social media cannot be used for driving more positive changes in society. It is giving rise to the Gig Economy by enabling content creators to earn their livelihoods. It is democratizing the concepts of outreach and accessibility traditionally confined to hallowed cloisters of a select few and leading to newer concepts such as Celebrity Influencers. Small businesses can market their products and services through social platforms, for free or at a fraction of the costs associated with traditional marketing, to a much larger base of consumers.

The lockdown, especially, has driven us to embrace social networking apps more than before. Even with the physical limitations imposed to counter the outbreak, social media apps such as WhatsApp helped us celebrate occasions by connecting us with our near and dear ones through video calls. Enterprises adopted social networking platforms such as Google, Zoom, and Skype to support internal operations and ensure business continuity in a turbulent time.

One of the major usages of WhatsApp, especially in India, has been for online education. While many students, especially those studying in metropolitan and tier-1 regions, had access to a variety of tools such as Zoom, Facebook LIVE, YouTube, and edtech platforms, there were others with limited access to the internet and smartphones. WhatsApp came to their rescue by providing a platform for learners and educators to connect, discuss, and learn without risking their physical health.

In doing so, it brought a new ray of hope to many students and teachers who would otherwise be worried about education in these times especially those in government and low-profit private schools where technology rarely knocks. WhatsApp works well for them because of its easy connectivity, low resource requirement, and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, as 80% of the Indian internet users already use WhatsApp, leveraging the application makes the most sense, whether financially or in terms of efficiency; it does not burden parents with buying a high-end smartphone, or teachers and students with learning how to use an application from scratch.

It has also strengthened the parent-teacher relationship in government schools with e-PTMs taking place on WhatsApp calls. Social media is facilitating a new and progressive conversation between the parents, teachers, and students collectively as the barrier of communication has been broken, allowing them to create their own local community. As for the parents, most of those who rarely involved themselves in their childs education, are now actively participating in daily activities and learning sessions.

Luckily, this advantage is not just one way. By entering as a source of education, social networking platforms are changing the narrative around themselves. The biggest tools for distraction have become a source of education for many children.

Leading players in the EdTech space have been using WhatsApp to reach underserved students for their education. Leveraging an application like WhatsApp for education that already has a large user base allows for enhanced visibility, as a mall would for a store set up inside it. There is also a sense of security attached to a platform that is so well known, so users dont feel hesitant or doubtful. Since you get a host of services at a single place, like in a mall, you dont have to waste your phones space by downloading another application. And the best part, if you dont know the premises, or in case of an application, how to use it, there will always be someone with the knowledge to help you find your way.

Social media can democratize education and increase the involvement of all parties required for the education of young Indians. It has already disrupted the entertainment, political, industrial, and professional world; now it can be used to its full potential for the betterment of our future our children. This is one of the most practical methods to make digital education more accessible and affordable. No credible conversation about digital education in the post-pandemic landscape can avoid discussing social media. Both social media and digital education are here to stay, and innovations will continue to combine the two to drive superior outcomes in 2021 and beyond.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

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Outlook for 2021: The evolution of social media and the role it can play in the future of education - The Times of India Blog

As awful as 2020 was, its ability to reveal the genuine strengths and weaknesses of our relationships was an unexpected boon. When severe trouble strikes, whether it be a death in the family, divorce, lost fortune, public cancellation or global crisis, true friends rise above the posers.

Strange as it might sound, severe downturns are watershed moments. They enable us to discern fair-weather friends from friends tried and true. Flush times, when all is going well, do not provide the clarifying moments that enable us to see who will come to our aid when the chips are down. In fact, the ironic implication is that during times of good fortune, we might be less certain of who our friends really are and only glean this insight during times of hardship. Indeed, over the past year, Ive experienced the gratifying strengthening of relationships with people not previously in close orbit, but also the distressing unraveling of relationships I had thought beyond question. Some relationships can withstand intense stress; others break like brittle bones.

As an evolutionary psychologist, I have conducted research on social relationships and emotions for over 20 years. Friendships are an important class of relationships that evolved in response to the benefits of having additional people beyond family invested in ones welfare. But how do we make other people carethat is, redirect their time, money and social benefits to us instead of themselves or their kin?

The answer: we make ourselves valuable.

The evolution of friendships relied on the ability to recognize the unique benefits other people have on offer. Benefits can include the usual suspects of prestige, status and attractiveness, but there are myriad reasons why you might value another person: they are of the same political party, they like the same kinds of foods, they like to golf, surf or play chess, or they enjoy talking endlessly about Star Wars. Friendships tend to begin when one individual perceives value in another and performs a beneficent act: You can borrow my phone if you need to make a call; Can I help you carry that? These actions serve as a fishing line, cast out to see if the target individual might be in the market for a new friend. Signals of their gratitude are promising indicators of a bite; anger and annoyance are indicators of a lost lure.

What begins as a mere platitude, though, can snowball into a deep engagement. If I demonstrate that I value you, then, all else equal, it pays for you to value me in return. Your increased valuation of me can then lead me to care more about you, and so forth. To the extent we can make ourselves valuable to each other, we will have a vested interest in keeping each other around, which comes in handy during times of misfortune.

The talk of value and benefits on offer sounds calculated and coldhearted. It is. But this jargon refers to the rationale behindwhythe thoughts and feelings we experience exist. You do not consciously calculate the likelihood that a person values you or the downstream benefits that could result from a relationshipinstead the algorithms doing these calculations generate outputs, which percolate up from the unconscious as liking. Have you ever met someone, talked for hours, and left feeling like youve found a long-lost brother, sister, or soulmate? Chances are, you noticed similarities and evaluated the kinds of benefits future interactions might yield, which generated a sense of immediate closeness. Mutual valuation, when intense, can create storybook relationships.

But the tricky part is deciphering which individuals merely say they value us versus those who would be inclined to stand by our side during hardship. Talk is cheap and promises easily spoken: Id totally help you out in a pinch; You can ask me for money anytime; Feel free to stay at my place. Promises cost nothing when friends dont need help, money or a place to stay. As they say, actions speak louder than words. The pandemic has therefore been an unexpected (albeit unwanted) opportunity to test the tensile strength of our relationships.

As 2020 retreats farther into the rearview, it is as good a time as any to take stock of our relationships and to apply the old adage to ourselves and to others: friends in need are friends indeed.

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The Evolutionary Origins of Friendship - Scientific American

This opinion piece was written by Barrie Scardina, Americas leader, Retail with Cushman & Wakefield, and Lee Peterson,executive vice president of thought leadership and marketing at WD Partners. Views are the authors' own.

On Cyber Monday, the retail industry achieved a new milestone the single largest e-commerce day on record with $10.8 billion in sales. According to a report from Creditntell, this represented over a 200% increase from 2016 Cyber Monday sales. Sensormatic Solutions shared that physical store traffic declined 49% for the four-day holiday weekend. Black Friday weekend confirmed that traditional brick-and-mortar retailers face an uphill battle as they enter the new year.

The growth of e-commerce sales and the decline of in-store traffic are creating new challenges for traditional malls. Department stores, which traditionally served as the pillars of these properties, are closing and consumers are looking for new points of engagement and authentic direct-to-consumer brands. When you combine this historical change with the impact that the pandemic has had over the past year,it's understandable that concerns are growing amongst mall owners, investors and developers:

Historically, traditional malls have offered a place where a community can come together to shop, eat and be entertained. Over the past 30 years, savvy developers have shifted their offerings from traditional shopping, focused on department and specialty stores, to new shopping experiences including digitally native brands, exciting food concepts, and larger and more sophisticated forms of entertainment from state-of-the-art movie theaters to water parks and rides. These malls have played an important role in the community providing a place to meet and share experiences, as well as delivering tax revenue that supports schools, health services, and police and fire departments.

Today, traffic is slowing down, stores are going dark, and consumers are expecting developers to reimagine a new experience to drive footsteps back to the mall. Now is the time for developers, owners and investors to revitalize their assets in order to maximize revenue.

To understand this and to help developers, owners and investors move forward, Cushman & Wakefield and WD Partners joined forces WD Partners compiled consumer insights to understand what they want in the mall today. When asked what concepts would increase visits to the mall, consumers demonstrated that they are looking for concepts that are valuable and desirable. The survey highlighted the following key trends:

Food was the winner two years in a row. Consumers didn't just mention restaurants, they also cited interest in grocery, farmer's markets, curated food courts, and quick service food. Food brings us together. It is an important point of engagement, offers memorable moments, and can be the cornerstone of a community. Food also drives traffic and extends mall foot traffic beyond the conventional store hours. Over 60% of those surveyed focused on this amenity.

Health and Wellness came in a strong second two years in a row with 43% surveyed leaning towards wellness and 36% towards fitness. Consumers continue to see tremendous value in staying well and physically fit. These concepts include the obvious walk-in medical clinics and gyms, to brands that sell fitness equipment and apparel.

New Concepts and Experiences were third with 35% of consumers looking for new concepts, experiential retail, and co-working spaces. These include pop-up shops, ax throwing bars, and gaming arenas. Some of these concepts are new additions to the survey illustrating how retail is evolving and focusing on consumer engagement.

Also emerging as an important trend were safety and convenience factors like buy online pick up in store and curbside pickup. Forty-four percent of those surveyed were looking for speed, convenience, touchless technology and safety. Consumers also indicated that "green space" would be an important part of engagement. These trends are not surprising given the pandemic's impact on consumer behaviors and experiences.

When analyzing the data by age, WD Partners reviewed the differences between two key groups: digital natives (ages 18 to 29) and digital immigrants (ages 45 to 60) and found that food continued to be the biggest draw, and that the largest spread was in the areas of fitness (19% spread) and gaming (18% spread). All age groups were focused on safety and wellness, as well as co-working spaces. Digital immigrants, who grew up in malls, have a greater attachment to the structure and purpose of malls. Digital natives are looking for a more creative experience overall. They are also very receptive to new ideas and concepts, especially when based on two premises: food and fitness. Much has been written recently about millennials and Gen Z in regards to behavior, but increasing their visitation to retail properties looks pretty straightforward.

The evolution of shopping malls has been an ongoing focus for decades. In the 1980s, we could not imagine that they would one day contain brands that extend from high-end dining to fitness to experiential concepts that sell sophisticated technology like phones and laptops. We could never envision trading in our Levi's for athleisure. Nor would we believe that we could work out at our gym and then grocery shop in the same place. The next evolution will bring new and exciting experiences that will differentiate the new decade from the last. Retail is an evolving ecosystem where consumers explore and experience brands, and malls are one of the most important hosts of that experience.

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The evolution of the shopping mall: What consumers want - Retail Dive

Tickets on sale now for the new traveling exhibit which opens on February 13.

BUFFALO, N.Y. If you play the guitar or just love guitar music, make plans to head to the Buffalo Museum of Science next month.

Medieval To Metal: The Art & Evolution Of The GUITAR opens to the public for a limited engagement on Saturday, February 13. Tickets are on sale now.

The guitar has been a signature element of world culture for more than 500 years. Now, visitors can explore the design history and artistry that has played a major role in the guitars evolution, said HP Newquist, executive director of the NGM. Its hard to find anyone who hasnt been affected by the guitar, whether as players or just fans of all types of music. And while this may be apocryphal, its a widely held belief that the two most recognizable man-made shapes on the planet are those of the Coca-Cola bottle and the electric guitar., a new traveling exhibit, opens at the museum on February 13 for a limited engagement. Tickets are on sale now.

The exhibit includes 40 historical and notable instruments as well as life-size photorealistic illustrations of historically important guitar designs.

The guitar has been a signature element of world culture for more than 500 years. Now, visitors can explore the design history and artistry that has played a major role in the guitars evolution, said HP Newquist, executive director of the NGM. Its hard to find anyone who hasnt been affected by the guitar, whether as players or just fans of all types of music. And while this may be apocryphal, its a widely held belief that the two most recognizable man-made shapes on the planet are those of the Coca-Cola bottle and the electric guitar.

The Science Museum is currently open at 25% capacity as mandated by New York State. With the opening of this latest exhibit, it will expand operating hours to five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday from 10 AM - 4 PM to ensure anyone who wants to see the exhibit has an opportunity to do so.

Entry to Medieval To Metal: The Art & Evolution Of The GUITAR is included with general admission ($16 for adults, $13 children 2-17, seniors, students and military) and free for members. Entry is timed and admission must be reservedonline in advance or by calling the Museum at (716) 896-5200.

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Medieval To Metal: The Art & Evolution of the GUITAR heading to Buffalo Science Museum in February - WGRZ.com

January 19, 2021

From a pair of simple principles of evolution chance mutation and natural selection nature has constructed an almost unfathomable richness of life around us. Despite our scientific sophistication, human design and engineering have struggled to emulate natures techniques and her inexhaustible inventiveness. But that may be changing.

In a new perspective article,Stephanie Forrestand Risto Miikkulainen explore a domain known as evolutionary computation (EC), in which aspects of Darwinian evolution are simulated in computer systems. Stephanie Forrest directs the Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society. Download Full Image

The study highlights the progress our machines have made in replicating evolutionary processes and what this could mean for engineering design, software refinement, gaming strategy, robotics and even medicine, while fostering a deeper insight into foundational issues in biological evolution.

With the vast computing resources available today, evolutionary computation is poised to provide the next generation of advances in AI, Forrest said.

Forrest directs theBiodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Societyat Arizona State University. Miikkulainen is from the University of Texas, Austin.

Their research findings appear in the current issue of the journalNature Machine Intelligence.

The paper focuses on six hallmarks of Darwinian evolution and examines how well digital systems have managed to duplicate these features in order to find solutions to complex problems and generate novel outcomes. These are: openendedness, major transitions in organizational structure, neutrality and random drift, multi-objectivity, complexgenotype-to-phenotype mappings, and co-evolution.

Darwins remarkable insight reveals how a random iterative process can act on an initial set of conditions to continually improve an organisms fitness its ability to flourish and reproduce. By implementing these mechanisms, known as evolutionary computation, computer scientists attempt to evolve solutions to various problems over time, through similar processes of mutation and selection, rather than by designing such solutions by hand.

The use of evolutionary computation involves creating an initial population of individuals on a computer, then evolving the population over time, using principles of variation, selection and inheritance. While the basic idea is simple, the subtleties involved can become dizzyingly complex. Evolutionary computational approaches are also highly versatile, allowing researchers to model biological systems that change with time, such as ecologies or cancer, as well as social systems, including economies or political dynamics.

In principle, virtually any system or technique has the potential for some degree of computer automation, including the design, development and debugging of computer programs, a longstanding goal in computer science.

One reason researchers are so excited about borrowing a page from natures playbook is that the use of evolutionary principles can lead to wildly original solutions that cannot be predicted in advance, allowing computers to make better guesses than their flesh-and-blood counterparts.

The exciting developments in evolutionary computation are being driven by ever-more-sophisticated algorithms as well as enormously advanced computing power, which has increased millions of times over the past 20 years. This has enabled the careful modeling of a broad range of real-world processes, including the simulation and design of new formulas for agricultural growth, smart treatments for injuries and disease and the fine-tuned control of robots and autonomous machines.

Of the six evolutionary hallmarks highlighted in the study, researchers have made significant inroads in applying several of them. One startling feature of evolution is its openendedness, or ability to advance transformational processes indefinitely, without an established final state. The study cites several examples of artificial life programs that have achieved a measure of openendedness.

Multi-objectivity alludes to the complexity of biological fitness, which results as a consequence of various trade-offs, for example, between resources expended to find food as opposed to attracting mates, producing sufficient offspring and protecting young. Many such features must balance one another to achieve maximum reproductive success. Researchers have recently made progress mimicking multi-objectivity in programs using EC.

Another critical feature of Darwinian evolution that has been modeled in EC systems is coevolution the phenomenon of multiple species interacting over the course of evolutionary time, through complex networks of cooperation and competition. Such dynamics have found their way into EC applications including game playing, robot navigation and multiagent problem solving.

Nevertheless, nature keeps some evolutionary cards close to her vest. Certain Darwinian processes have proven more difficult than others to co-opt for problem-solving computer programs. Further, while techniques of evolutionary computation can often mimic processes found in nature, there are also significant differences. Unlike Darwinian evolution among living species, EC tends to operate by applying strong selection pressure to small populations, where more neutral processes such as genetic drift are suppressed.

Further, in nature, the genetic template from which the final organismic form or phenotype will emerge is much more flexible and subject to embryological and epigenetic modifications, allowing for more creative and unpredictable outcomes. Researchers would like to improve this genotype-to-phenotype mapping, incorporating rich environmental interactions to better approximate natures profound ability to generate novelty.

Finally, evolutions most impressive feat remains too poorly understood to be replicated by computer, namely the ability to achieve major organizational transitions. Here, Darwinian processes can act over time to yield convulsive and unforeseen alterations in structure, for example, the progression from self-replicating molecules to membrane-bound cells, multicellular organisms, advanced social structures and societies with language and culture. Much more work is needed to ferret out the details of natures organizational transitions.

Nevertheless, the startling advances in evolutionary computation are likely to play a guiding role in the development of machine creativity, drive innovations in engineering and hopefully, elucidate some of the many mysteries still remaining in the study of evolution.

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Cyber-evolution: How computer science is harnessing the power of Darwinian transformation - ASU Now

Johnny Crowder, founder Cope Notes

Digital mental health services have been on the rise for several years. Apps like BetterHelp, Talkspace, and Ginger offer virtual mental health services for users from therapy sessions with a licensed professional, to chatbots that can help offer regular support.

Now theres a new service thats offering a different type of mental health support to users. Last year Cope Notes, a peer support-based, digital mental health platform received government approval to provide Orange County, FL residents with daily support, paid for in full by CARES Act funding. In a matter of weeks, as word spread and demand grew, more governments, businesses, and schools from coast to coast began lining up to follow suit.

Launched in 2018 by suicide attempt survivor and rock musician Johnny Crowder, Cope Notes is a digital subscription service that uses daily text messages to improve mental and emotional health. Their positive psychology-based, trauma-informed messages contain psychology facts, exercises, and journaling prompts that train the brain to think in healthier patterns.

In his moving TEDx Talk, Crowder opened up about how his experiences with childhood trauma and mental illness have fostered a passion for advocacy. Over the past decade, hes partnered with organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Mental Health America to fight stigma and shine a light on taboo topics like self-harm and abuse.

In a few short years, Cope Notes has exchanged more than half a million text messages with thousands of users worldwide. Each text is carefully crafted by peers with firsthand experience overcoming hardship, trauma, or loss. Then, theyre reviewed by a panel of mental health professionals before being delivered at random times to facilitate the formation of new mental habits, thought patterns, and neural pathways in the brain.

Peer support isnt just for people living with a diagnosis. Everyone with a brain needs to prioritize mental health, Crowder says. Especially during a time like this.

As the world battles against the COVID-19 pandemic, and the United States faces political unrest, that assertion is proving more relevant than ever. According to Boston Universitys Catherine Ettman, a recent study showed that rates of depressive symptoms were higher than what we've seen after other large-scale traumas like September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, and the Hong Kong unrest.

Unsurprisingly, Cope Notes growth has spiked dramatically in the past year, amassing users in nearly 100 countries around the world. CNN even did a recent spotlight on Crowders work, spotlighting the fact that in the midst of significant trauma, peer-led resources like Cope Notes are essential to rebuilding the mental wellness, stamina, and resilience well need to face the year ahead.

I spoke with Crowder recently about the need hes seeing for digital mental health services.

Shama Hyder: Whats the main reason you see for users signing up for Cope Notes?

Johnny Crowder: Many of us ignore or bury our feelings, looking the other way and hoping they wont be there tomorrow. What were seeing now is a result of pent-up feelings that we havent dealt with: anger, fear, anxiety, depression, and even loneliness. An unwatched pot will always boil over, and as a nation, I think weve reached a boiling point. Cope Notes is actively helping people identify and cope with these complex feelings of unrest in healthy ways.

Hyder: How does Cope Notes use digital systems to support mental health?

Crowder: From content and delivery to prevention and intervention, every aspect of Cope Notes is designed to facilitate the formation of newer, healthier neural pathways in the brain. Each text is intended to interrupt negative thought patterns in real time, teaching the brain to default to healthier patterns instead. Users can text back at any time, treating the thread as a digital journal to improve emotional IQ and independence. Mental health crises are outsourced to trained counselors, but because people rely on Cope Notes for daily support rather than crisis services, these situations are extremely rare.

Hyder: What challenges do you think will be present for 2021, as we all work towards addressing this generational trauma?

Crowder: The biggest challenges are awareness and education. Most people dont even think the topic of mental health applies to them. We have to take a long, hard look at what weve been living through, assess the damage, and get real with ourselves and the people around us about how its affecting us. You cant deal with trauma until you acknowledge that it exists.

America has been turning a blind eye to mental health on a systemic level as well. Providers are under-funded and under-staffed. The demand for services far outpaces supply, and the powers that be will need to make some serious investments if they want to see real change.

Digital systems are making services that were previously inaccessiblewhether because of cost, transportation, a lack of therapists in ones area, or other reasonsavailable to exponentially more people, as in the case of Crowders app. As these systems continue to evolve into more sophisticated delivery models, we may find ourselves entering a new era of mental wellness.

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The Next Evolution Of Digital Mental Health Support - Forbes

In the recent film on Amazon Prime Video, A Call to Spy, we are told the story of how Winston Churchill approved the recruiting of amateur spies via the agency known as SOE (Special Operations Executive). Romanian-born British spymistress Vera Atkins (Stana Katic) is placed in charge of this initiative and one of the two women she hand-picks is Noor Inayat Khan (Radhika Apte), a half-Indian Muslim pacifist, who also happens to be the most skilled wireless operator Atkins knows of. Despite being a Muslim woman at a time when spies were mostly white and male, Khan is chosen for a dangerous mission in the French city of Lyon, and this risky choice boils down to her skills with the radio. The real-life Khan went on to transmit reams and reams of crucial briefings from Lyon to the Allied forces, before she was captured and killed by the Nazis.

Exploding pens and vintage cars spewing machine gun fire might be the stuff of Bond films. But real-life espial also involves a whole lot of technological knowhow, some pretty cool gadgets, and nearly endless reserves of patience and determination, as a host of recent online films and series show us.

Of codes and ciphers

The most recent among these is Netflixs new documentary series, Spycraft. It focusses on the tools of the trade: the espial/surveillance equipment used by famous spies down the years. Through the eight-part series, we learn about codes, ciphers, weapons, poisons basically, a spys complete bag of tools.

Using now-declassified reports on the major espionage circles of the 70s onwards, Spycraft is by proxy the no-longer-covert history of western espionage, beginning with World War I. During that era, gigantic microphones placed close to, but not within enemy territory, were the height of audio surveillance. The era of listening devices, or bugs, began in real earnest with the 60s and the height of the Cold War. The typical practice was to combine a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone that could also be operated with batteries.

Then and now

It is fair to say, however, that spycraft has evolved rapidly down the ages. Today, the most feared attacks are cyber-attacks. As Parrack explains in the Netflix series, An online attack has an immediate, catastrophic impact on a nation, as opposed to actual, in-person espionage which takes time and effort and human decision-making... Literally every single aspect of the vocation has changed poisons used to be delivered via blow darts from a height and now there are skin-soluble or even adhesive compounds that can deliver neurotoxins with a simple handshake. Take, for instance, the case of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny who was poisoned last year with Novichok, a lethal nerve agent. Cold War-era spies had custom-made tools like a small gun hidden in a tube of lipstick or a simple spy purse with a hidden camera. Now, we have hand-held encryption devices as well as computational engines that can decrypt via brute-force methods, trying millions of combinations per second until one fits.

The final episode of Spycraft is devoted to perhaps the most infamous American espionage case of the last few decades, Ana Montes. In 2001, the former American intelligence analyst was arrested on charges of spying against her own country on behalf of the Cuban government; she pleaded guilty and, in 2002, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Looped in tech

Montes case also demonstrates, ironically, the limitations of hi-tech gear in espionage. As an analyst working at the Defense Intelligence Agency, she could not rely on any electronic measures of surveillance. The risk of getting caught was simply too high. Instead, what she did was old-fashioned and ingenious: according to the FBI, she memorised important details from classified documents. When she got home, she would type from memory on her laptop, copy the data on to encrypted discs and wait for her Cuban handlers to tell her how to pass on the discs to a trusted contact.

This is one strand thats common to espionage films and shows like Netflixs own earlier miniseries The Spy, starring Sacha Baron Cohen. No matter how advanced your technology is, some of the most crucial espionage interventions of the last 50-odd years have happened due to human ingenuity and raw courage and that seems unlikely to change anytime soon.

Also, the novels of John Le Carre, the British novelist who died last month, exemplify this point his spies are, above all, champion observers of human nature. They notice who talks, eats, and walks in a certain way, they sense what opinion is acceptable where, and they are highly skilled at blending in. This is why a typical Le Carre novel resembles not just spy stories, but also comedies of manner. A Call to Spy, Spycraft et al dont quite capture the comedic beats of this life in the way Le Carre does, but that is not their brief. Eventually, they settle for demystifying the likes of James Bond for the lay viewer, and thats entertaining enough by itself.

Originally posted here:

The evolution of spycraft - The Hindu

ST. LOUIS The idea that led to EverGrain traces back to a brewery in Belgium in 2013. Greg Belt, then leading a sustainability program for Anheuser-Busch InBev, became aware of spent grains, which he calls a misnomer.

The brewers dont capture all the nutrients that are there, he said. Whats left is a great source of protein and fiber. We call it the golden remainder.

He became involved in a project at AB InBev, Leuven, Belgium, to find a use for spent grains/golden remainder. Two years ago, it was decided the project would become EverGrain, a St. Louis-based company that is separate from AB InBev although AB InBev invests in EverGrain and supplies spent grains.

We operate separately, said Mr. Belt, a founding member of EverGrain and its chief executive officer. Anheuser-Busch is our partner and obviously our raw material supplier.

EverGrain offers two ingredients. EverVita is ideal for baked foods like bread, pasta and pizza crust, Mr. Belt said. EverPro is more conducive to protein shakes and plant-based milks.

EverVita will allow bakers to achieve claims of excellent source of fiber or excellent source of protein in their products, he said.

So if there is someone who maybe wants to consume bread but feels guilty about having bread because of the starch that comes along with it, were seeing some really cool innovative breads being brought to the market, whether its high protein or high fiber, Mr. Belt said.

EverVita offers other benefits besides health to baked foods, according to the company. In bread, it increases specific volume and moistens crumb compared to whole meal flour. In cakes and muffins, it provides water-binding properties to retain moisture during baking. In cookies and biscuits, EverVita provides a golden-brown color and promotes crispiness and crunchiness.

EverVita is made in Lige, Belgium, and will have more of a European focus since people there are more knowledgeable about barley, Mr. Belt said.

The US consumer is aware of barley, Mr. Belt said. They view it as healthy, but they often dont see barley in applications outside of cereal.

EverPro is made in Newark, NJ. It will have more of a US focus, especially because of the popularity of plant-based milk alternatives.

Both ingredients have patents pending. Both may be labeled as barley protein, barley fiber or barley flour.

AB InBev is proud to support such a remarkable, purpose-driven venture with a mission to create incredible ingredients to nourish the world through the transformative power of circularity, said Tony Milikin, chief sustainability and procurement officer for AB InBev. EverGrain marks an important milestone in our ultimate goal of building a better world as we look to the next 100 years and beyond.

EverGrain has other partners besides AB InBev. Univar Solutions, Inc., Downers Grove, Ill., is distributing the ingredients for food, beverage and nutraceutical products in the United States, Canada and various countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Belgium-based Puratos and EverGrain are working together on bread applications.

Puratos is probably the best company in terms of making artisan and great-tasting breads, Mr. Belt said. Weve partnered with them on some of these types of concepts, of bringing additional nutrition into bread.

Frederik Lievens, group products director for Puratos, said, At Puratos, our ambition is to accelerate the transformation of our industry. EverGrains barley offers a unique plant-based protein and fiber option that doesnt require additional land, saves water and lowers a products overall carbon footprint. At Puratos we are working with EverGrain to develop the ingredient technology that will allow bakeries to make great-tasting, nutritious and sustainable breads featuring barley ingredients in line with consumer preferred texture and freshness expectations.

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The evolution of EverGrain | 2021-01-20 - Food Business News

Artistic reconstruction of Cretophengodes azari male and female in the undergrowth of a Cretaceous rainforest.

Nature hosts astonishingly diverse types of species, which have been continuously evolving for hundreds of millions of years. Among them, some of the most fascinating living creatures are bioluminescent insects, which hone the ability to shine an eerie light in the dark. But scientists agree that not much is known about these tiny creatures and there are several missing puzzles in their evolutionary history, including the origin of their glow.

Now, a fresh study might have solved this mystery by studying an exceptionally well-preserved fossil of light-producing beetles caught in an ancient piece of amber. The exceptionally well-persevered amber was excavated from northern Myanmar, which belongs to the Cretaceous period, roughly over 100 million years old. As per the study authors, the location had a lot of insects during that time.

Missing clues

Cretophengodes azari, a fossil light-producing beetle from Cretaceous Burmese amber (~100 million years old).

The study states that finding this fossil provides some missing clues about the property of bioluminescence among ancient glowing insects, specifically beetles. On record, there exists more than 3,500 species of bioluminescent beetles and are known to be the most diverse light-emitting terrestrial animals. The modern-day insectsfireflies, fire beetles, and glow-worm beetlesuse the light-emitting ability to ward off predators, and attract mates. All these insects are part of a superfamily known as Elateroidea.

"Elateroidea is one of the most heterogeneous groups of beetles and that has always been very difficult for entomologists to deal with, particularly because important anatomical innovations evolved many times independently in unrelated groups, explains Erik Tihelka.

This rank includes about 24,000 known species, while many of them are still not known to scientists and there is a wider knowledge gap around the evolution of bioluminescence in beetles. By bridging this gap, scientists are striving to understand how the beetles evolved. For this study, the authors examined the well-persevered amber belonging to the Cretaceous periodwhen dinosaurs thrived on land. Some of our current understanding of beetles is because of the recovered fossils from that period.

The team found a light organ nestled in the abdomen of the insect species known as Cretophengodes. This is regarded to be one of the oldest-known bioluminescent beetles, and therefore can give some insight into the early evolution of beetles.

"The newly discovered fossil, preserved with life-like fidelity in amber, represents an extinct relative of the fireflies and the living families Rhagophthalmidae and Phengodidae," said Yan-Da Li from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (NIGP) and Peking University in China.

Emitting light as defence

The researchers estimate that most of the light-producing beetles have a soft and small body, which makes them impossible subjects for vigorous lab tests. However, this new fossil was completely intact. For this study, the researchers examined fossilized amber of an adult beetle.

Experts have hypothesized that the bioluminescence property initially evolved in the beetle's soft and vulnerable larvae, which acted as a defense system to keep off predators. The fossil indicates that by the Cretaceous period the light production started to occur in adults as well. There is also a possibility that the function may have been opted by the adults in order to search for mates.

The phenomenon of bioluminescence is widely known through fireflies. The modern-day fireflies emit eerie light through the process of chemical reaction in their body. This is mainly due to the presence of an enzyme luciferase, which catalyse compounds named luciferin, which in turn releases a lot of energy in the form of light.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B and can be accessed here.

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Scientists Unravel Missing Clues on Glowing Beetles' Evolutionary History Using 100 Million-Year-Old Amber | The Weather Channel - Articles from The...