Category Archives: Evolution

Oxygen is a fundamental part of life on Earth. Following a surge in this gas in the atmosphere, roughly 2.5 billion years ago, multicellular life on our planet began to thrive.

The timing is no coincidence, yet oxygen can't take all the credit. According to some scientists, there's another element out there also crucial to this evolutionary boom, and its name is iron.

In a new review on the availability of iron for life throughout our planet's history, University of Oxford Earth scientist Jon Wade and team propose this metal's fluctuations helped to drive evolution on Earth.

Today, iron is a necessary element for virtually all life. It's what allows cells to sense oxygen, generate energy, replicate DNA, and express genes. In fact, there are only two known organisms on our planet that currently do not require this metal to survive.

In the early days of Earth, there was plenty of geological iron to go around, especially in the mantle and crust. The solid iron located here was probably 'seeded' by meteorites from outer space, and because this material could dissolve into ancient oceans, iron was also abundant in the marine environment.

Following the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), however, conditions began to change. Soluble iron began to grow scarce and competition for iron among cells increased.

Life-forms therefore had to figure out how to recycle iron from dead cells, steal iron from live cells, or live in another cell and use its iron-grabbing apparatus to stay alive.

These battles over iron are what some scientists believe first triggered multicellular evolution.

"Infection, predation, and endosymbiosis are all behaviors that switch the focus of iron acquisition from mineral sources to other life-forms, and each of the three behaviors may evolve into the others over time for example, initially exploitative infections may become mutually symbiotic," the authors explain.

Compared to modern eukaryotes, or multicellular organisms, older forms of single-celled life, like bacteria and Archaea, are thought to have relied more on iron to survive.

This suggests modern organisms have learned to use the element more efficiently over millions of years, as its presence in the environment fluctuated.

According to this new theory, Earth's oceans lost most of their soluble iron because of an increase in atmospheric oxygen.When water and solid iron interact in the presence of oxygen, the iron is rapidly oxidized which is tougher for living things to make use of.

To grab the element in this form requires cells to evolve small organic molecules, called siderophores. Today, almost all bacteria, plants and fungi have these structures, but billions of years ago, this represented a new form of survival.

As life-forms with siderophores began to gather near a limited number of iron-rich geological sources, researchers think crowding inevitably led to "increasingly complex cell-cell interactions".

Archaea in the thermal springs of Yellowstone, for instance, can only reallythrive on iron oxide mats.Whereas modern eukaryotes can live outside of these geological sources, as long as there are biological forms of iron available.

"Despite the depletion of bioavailable iron, throughout the rebound of life post-GOE and its subsequent diversification (and passage through other successive mass extinction events), iron has retained its preeminence in biological systems," the authors write.

"Presumably, this is because iron has unique electrochemical properties that make possible, or make efficient, a range of biochemical processes such that other elements cannot be broadly substituted for iron within proteins without causing a significant disadvantage."

The sheer lack of replacement for iron means organisms either had to compete, cheat, or cooperate to survive following the GOE, and these developments could very well have caused extreme adaptations in genomes and cellular behavior over time.

When the more recent Neoproterozoic Oxygenation event occurred, about 500 million years ago, it merely exacerbated these changes.

The initiation of terrestrial life may therefore have started from an abundance of iron, but only when iron became scarce did those life-forms begin to grow in complexity.

Given that a rise in atmospheric CO2 could increase iron deficiency in the food chain, researchers say we need to know more about how life copes with the ebbs and flows of this crucial element.

The findings also indicate a possible way to measure the potential of life on other planets, like Mars, where iron oxide can also be found in the mantle. If this planet is rich enough in iron, it could indicate a possible harbor for some of the simplest forms of life.

The research was published in PNAS.

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This Element Could Have Been Crucial to The Evolution of Complex Life on Earth - ScienceAlert

"X-Men: Evolution" is a perfectly named series. Not only is the title literally accurate, as the cast is young and has toevolve, it's also figuratively apt. This was, at the time, a totally new version of the X-Men that hadn't been seen before in any medium. It was, in that sense, the next step in the franchise's evolution.

However, "X-Men: Evolution" wasn't the first name that came to mind for the show's creators. As Steven E. Gordon revealed to The Dork Review, the show's original working title was "Children of the Atom," a common X-Men moniker in the comics. The phrase had gained further popularity at the time, as "X-Men: Children of the Atom" is also the title of a 1999 miniseries and a 1994 video game.

The comic book seriesis notably similar to "X-Men: Evolution." "X-Men: Children of the Atom," written by Joe Casey and illustrated by Steve Rude, Esad Ribi, and Paul Smith, is a retelling of the team's origin story that focuses on its teenage heroes coming to terms with their powers and lives. Did the show's creators find inspiration in this premise?Perhaps. It's enough to make one wonder how a title like "X-Men: Children of the Atom" might have affected the cartoon's fortunes.

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The Untold Story Of X-Men: Evolution - Looper

Cape Town, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - December 6, 2021) - PhotoChromic, a blockchain protocol enabling ownership and control of user identity back to the individual, asserts that self-sovereign identity and decentralized identity are the key elements to unlock maximum security, privacy, and utility.

The introductory idea behind the internet was to create a digital network that enables connectivity and utilization of digital services. Although, the developers involved in the initial architecture did not create a native identity security layer for people.

This shortcoming has led to people's identities being stolen and misused. With the emergence of Web3, the world has seen a significant improvement in identity management. While Web3 has begun to address several problems, it still cannot give unfettered access to the user's identity back to the users.

With the introduction of blockchain technology, a new concept of decentralized identity evolved as a critical technological priority to enhance native Web3 applications. A robust decentralized identity infrastructure, such as PhotoChromic, can effectively solve the issue of identity theft and create a safer private space for users.

Decentralized identity (DID) is a popularly accepted standard that ensures identity systems can interoperate across various platforms and networks. A DID is stored in a DID document that records information, such as data encryption, sign-in data, communication, and more.

DID acts as an identity hub, but with the added advantage of solely being controlled by the user itself. Some of the interesting use cases offered by decentralized identity include complete control, security, privacy, and portability of the internet. This enables the ability to authenticate and verify NFTs, unlocking the next phase of DeFi, and empowering DAO organizations.

Decentralized identity and self-sovereign identity introduce a new layer of privacy among Web3 applications. Individuals enjoy unrestricted access to their private data. PhotoChromic expertly demonstrates the potential of blockchain technology in securing digital identities.

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PhotoChromic - Biometrically managed self-sovereign identity on the blockchain.

PhotoChromic is a framework for creating and managing user identity on blockchain networks, software services, and decentralized applications. The project uses NFTs to make people's identities programmable, verifiable, universally addressable, and digitally secured while being utilized for blockchain-based identity verification and Web3 applications.

The driving force for creating self-sovereign identities on the blockchain is to put the power back into the individual user's locus of control. This way, users can safely and securely participate in the plethora of services offered by dApps, blockchain apps, and Web3 applications.

To learn how PhotoChromic develops biometrically managed self-sovereign identity, visit https://photochromic.io/.

About PhotoChromic

PhotoChromic is a blockchain-based protocol that tokenizes an individual's identity through an NFT that is programmable, verifiable, universally addressable and digitally secured, verifying the link between the analogue and digital worlds. The product aggregates biometric proof of life, with government-backed identity verification and unique personal attributes, into an on-chain asset that is utilized for blockchain-based identity verification and Web3 applications.

The benefits that the protocol offers include:

Immutable security and independent management of your online identity

Attestation of true biometric identity, tethered to your physical and digital assets

A multi-chain protocol to run initially on Ethereum, Polygon (MATIC), and Cardano

By developing and deploying this protocol onto key blockchains, there are a host of value-added benefits and commercial opportunities that will be created as a result. These can either be pursued by PhotoChromic in isolation, developed in joint-venture with other parties or proposed to third parties who consume the protocol for their own commercial risks and return.

Official PhotoChromic Links

Website: https://photochromic.io/Medium: https://medium.com/photochromicTwitter: https://twitter.com/photo_chromicLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/photo-chromicTelegram: https://t.me/photo_chromicTelegram Announcements: https://t.me/photochromic_blasts

Media Contact:

Email: info@photochromic.io

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/106806

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PhotoChromic Drives the Evolution of Decentralized Identity - Develops Biometrically Managed Self-Sovereign Identity - Yahoo Finance

Alone, one hospital may not have a financial incentive to do contact-tracing, but a game-theory analysis shows if every hospital took this additional step, they would all benefit economically from slowing the evolution of these bacteria.Image: Shutterstock

From antibiotic-resistant bacteria to pests that threaten to undermine global food production, the world is facing harmful evolution that has been accelerated by human behavior.

In a new paper in the journal PLOS Biology, researchers suggest that in order to slow this adverse evolution, experts must view the problem through a lens of economics, studying human behavior and how behavior changes could result in long-term economic benefit.

Evolution responds to biological changes, but it can also respond to policy changes," he said. So we must think about the theory of evolution while also factoring in human behavior, or economics.

In their research, McAdams and collaborators from Queens and Penn State universities present mathematical formulas to determine when it is economically beneficial to invest in measures to manage evolution, such as when its beneficial for a farmer to intentionally plant an unprotected corn crop that will be destroyed by the Western corn rootworm.

In the short term, planting this sacrifice to pests makes the farmers overall crop smaller. In the long-term, luring the pests to consume unprotected corn could stop the larvae from becoming immune to the methods used to control it. This means current genetic modifications to corn plants that protect against rootworm damage could work on the pest for many more years, McAdams explained.

Evolution can be sped up or slowed down by human behavior, and therefore, can be managed.David McAdams, Fuqua School of Business

The researchers take the mathematical model further by implementing game theory, which analyzes how individuals decisions are interconnected and how they impact each other such as how doctors treat superbug infections and whether those infections spread to other patients in a clinic or hospital.

In the example of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, hospitals could go above and beyond to control the spread of superbugs through methods like contact-tracing, McAdams said. This would be an additional cost on their part that doesnt necessarily provide immediate benefit. Alone, one hospital may not have a financial incentive to do this, but a game-theory analysis shows if every hospital took this additional step, they would all benefit economically from slowing the evolution of these bacteria. Game theory gives you a systematic way to think through those possibilities and maximize overall welfare.

[This article has been reproduced with permission from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. This piece originally appeared on Duke Fuqua Insights]

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Applying economics and game theory to evolution can slow antibiotic resistance - Forbes India

The firearms hunters carry afield vary considerably, from antique replica muzzleloaders to modern AR-style autoloaders, but they all have one thing in common. Make, model and action, they all originated for use in military conflict and were subsequently adopted by sportsmen, some eagerly, others reluctantly.

At the outset of the American Revolution, muskets were the most common military weapon. They were loaded through the muzzle with loose powder, patch and ball and had smooth barrels. As a result, they werent particularly accurate, but when firing into a crowd of soldiers standing in parade formation, they were effective.

It didnt take the rebels long to figure out that wasnt a very practical tactic, and they soon switched to guerrilla tactics like hiding behind trees and stone walls. While frowned upon by military purists, they gave smaller forces an advantage. However, longer shots required greater accuracy so the patriots replaced their muskets with rifled-barrel guns. Tiny spiral grooves machined into the barrels made the bullets spin, and fly straighter over long distances.

Over time, flintlock ignition systems were replaced with more reliable caplocks, just in time for the next conflict between the states. Loose powder loads were replaced first with paper cartridges, particularly in handguns. Then came the enclosed cartridge a brass case containing primer, powder and bullet. Rather than through the muzzle, it could be loaded into the breech, one cartridge at a time. It was slow, but still a much more reliable system. Johnny went to war with a muzzleloader but he came marching home with a breech loader, and took it hunting.

The latter part of the Civil War also saw early examples of firearms capable of firing multiple shots without reloading like the Gatling Gun the Devils Breath. Next came smaller versions of repeating rifles in either bolt or lever action. Shooters could reload simply by working the action, and the number of shots was limited only by magazine capacity.

While cowboys preferred the lever action, bolts were de rigueur in the military and the most common firearm carried during the first war to end all wars. They remained popular into the outset of the second war to end all wars, but were soon replaced with another innovation.

Ever seeking new and better tools, manufacturers perfected means of using recoil to automatically cycle another round, and the autoloader or semi-automatic was born. It was most prevalent in guns like the M-1 Garand and the M14, the latter of which was later morphed into Rugers immensely popular Mini 14. With a little tweaking, they eventually found ways to fire, reload and fire again, and again with a single pull of the trigger a fully automatic firearm.

With the return of peace time, fully automatic weapons never really caught on with the sporting crowd, but they were quite popular with gangsters, until the federal government restricted ownership by private citizens. Semi-autos, on the other hand, became immensely popular with hunters, some popular examples being the Browning BAR, the Remington Model 740 and Winchester Model 100. Those, and the next big advancement in military arms represented changes in form, but not in function.

Gearing up to battle the global threat of communism, gun makers took the same auto-loading or semi-auto actions, replaced the fancy walnut stocks with synthetics and added a pistol grip behind the trigger. Among the first such weapons to see widespread use was the M-16, later replaced by the AR-15 (AR standing for Armalite Rifle).

When hostilities ceased, hunters werent as quick to adopt these post-military weapons into their arsenals. Thats probably in part because they offered no mechanical advantage to mainstream sporting arms, and they werent particularly attractive. Even at gun shows they were segregated into separate areas for tactical weapons or black guns.

Remington was the first U.S. manufacturer to build and sell production autoloaders based on the AR-style platform with their R-5. It took a while to catch on, but sportsman slowly realized while the collapsible, tactical stock lacked the comfort and style of polished walnut, it allowed for custom length-of-pull adjustment and compact transportation. And, these ARs were particularly accurate for an autoloader.

The recent proliferation of AR-style guns is somewhat akin to craft breweries. While most of the major gun makers like Winchester, Ruger and Browning stuck with their existing old-style guns, dozens, and then hundreds of smaller companies started to spring up, making whole guns and components. Unlike most other modern sporting arms, ARs are modular. Shooters can mix and match uppers, lowers, stocks and barrels from various manufacturers to build a gun that suits their personal preference. Rail systems also allow for the addition of accessories like optics and lights, making these guns particularly popular with varmint and predator hunters.

Because recent conflicts are still fresh in our minds and these modern sporting arms are somewhat intimidating, but thats largely a matter of perspective. Your grandparents or great grandparents probably had a similar reaction to semi-auto actions replacing the bolt. Theirs likely had a similar response to enclosed cartridges and breech loaders instead of loose powder and muzzleloaders; and a few generations earlier they might have cringed at the idea of rifled barrels instead of smoothbores.

Times change. Four-channel black and white TVs with rabbit ear antennas have been replaced with smart TVs, AM radios the size of a small bureau with satellite radio you can listen to on a smart phone and increasingly more cars run on electricity rather than fossil fuels. Change doesnt always come easily, but its inevitable.

Bob Humphrey is a freelance writer and Registered Maine Guide who lives in Pownal. He can be reached at:[emailprotected]

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Hunting: Change gets adopted by hunters in evolution of firearms - pressherald.com

An adult and two juvenile individuals of the dinosaur Tethyshadros insularis showing the different appearances exhibited by immature and mature specimens in the ancient environment of Villaggio del Pescatore, the first locality in Italy preserving many dinosaur individuals of the same species. Credit: Davide Bonadonna

A dinosaur trove in Italy rewrites the history, geography, and evolution of the ancient Mediterranean area.

Italy is not exactly renowned for dinosaurs. In comparison to its excellent artistic and archaeological heritage, dinosaur fossils are very rare. Not surprisingly, the discovery of the first isolated remains from these animals, in the early 1990s, generated quite an excitement, but were shortly after considered nothing more than an exception to a general rule. During the reign of dinosaurs, between 230 and 66 million years ago, the ancient Mediterranean area would have been hard to map, formed by countless small islands far from all major mainlands Europe, Africa, and Asia unsuitable to sustain large animals like the dinosaurs. Or so we believed.

Now, a new study published on Scientific Reports and coordinated by researchers from the University of Bologna unveils the first palaeontological site with multiple, exceptionally complete dinosaur skeletons from Italy: the Villaggio del Pescatore site, located in the Duino-Aurisina municipality, near Trieste, in north-eastern Italy.

The skeleton of Bruno, an adult individual of the dinosaur Tethyshadros insularis described in this new study. Credit: P. Ferrieri (courtesy of Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio del Friuli-Venezia Giulia)

These beautiful skeletons belong to the species Tethyshadros insularis and represent the biggest and most complete dinosaur ever found in this Country. The team describes the skeletons of some of the most beautiful and pristine dinosaurs from the site (in particular of a new individual nicknamed Bruno) and highlights the occurrence of seven (probably eleven) individuals at the Villaggio del Pescatore.

Skeletal reconstructions of the two individuals of Tethyshadros insularis, with the immature specimen nicknamed Antonio (above) and the mature, newly described skeleton of Bruno below. Credit: University of Bologna

Dinosaurs are not the only fossil remains from the site: fish, crocodiles, flying reptiles and even small crustaceans provide a vivid picture of an ancient ecosystem that has no equal worldwide. The unique fossils collected from the Villaggio del Pescatore can be admired in Trieste at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, granted on deposit by the Italian Ministry of Culture.

The palaeontological site of Villaggio del Pescatore, with people from ZOIC working to extract the fossils from this astounding dinosaur trove. Credit: ZOIC s.r.l.

The study also reviews and rewrites many evolutionary hypotheses to interpret the ancient Mediterranean context. Originally, geologists interpreted the area that today is the Villaggio del Pescatore site as part of an island in the middle of a proto-Mediterranean ocean called Tethys. This supported the incorrect interpretation that the relatively small, first dinosaur skeleton found at the site (nicknamed Antonio), was actually a dwarf species, an example of the so-called island rule (the evolutionary miniaturization of bigger animals in an insular environment due to the scarcity of resources).

The bones of Antonio under the microscope, showing the bone cells (black, circled dots): the fossilized bone tissues were analyzed to infer the relative age of the dinosaur skeletons at the time of their death. Credit: University of Bologna

In this new study, the research team documents that Antonio is an immature individual, whereas Bruno, which is bigger in size, represents an older individual and that could have been still growing at the time of its death.

The skull of Bruno, the newly described skeleton of the dinosaur Tethyshadros insularis. Credit: A. Giamborino (courtesy of Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio del Friuli-Venezia Giulia)

New geological data gathered by the team also provided the age of the site and its fossils: approximately 80 million years ago, in the Cretaceous period. This is about 10 million years older than previously thought: quite a long time even when dealing with dinosaurs. At that time, what is now north-eastern Italy was a land facing a vast ocean but connected to western Europe and Asia. This means that not only small islands characterized the ancient Mediterranean, but many migratory routes for large terrestrial animals like the dinosaurs might have been possible across land bridges of what we nowadays call Italy.

A simplified evolutionary tree showing where Tethyshadros would fit between its hadrosauriform relatives, the so-called duck-bill dinosaurs. Credit: University of Bologna

This new research highlights not just a first in terms of exceptional findings, but most importantly the pivotal role of the Italian dinosaur fossil record for evaluating important scientific hypotheses on these ancient animals. As the site is already protected from the Italian institutions, new research and didactic activities may represent an opportunity to include the geological and paleontological heritage in the must see list while visiting the Belpaese.

Reference: An Italian dinosaur Lagersttte reveals the tempo and mode of hadrosauriform body size evolution by Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Matteo Fabbri, Lorenzo Consorti, Marco Muscioni, David C. Evans, Juan L. Cantalapiedra and Federico Fanti, 2 December 2021, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02490-x

The researchers involved in the study are: Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza (University of Vigo), Matteo Fabbri (Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago), Lorenzo Consorti (University of Trieste and Geological Survey of Italy ISPRA), Juan Cantalapiedra (Universidad de Alcal), David Evans (Royal Ontario Museum and University of Toronto), Federico Fanti and Marco Muscioni (University of Bologna).

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Incredible Dinosaur Treasure Trove in Italy Rewrites History, Geography, and Evolution - SciTechDaily

In advance of the L.A. Auto Show, I'm at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures for the west coast launch of the new Range Rover. Auto show aside, this is the perfect city to launch the new model. Los Angeles is practically the Range Rover capital of the world--you see so many of them on the road, it's like parent company Jaguar Land Rover has set up RR dispensers every few blocks.

Outside the venue, a long line of well-heeled Los Angelenos is forming, Instagramming selfies, eager to see the new vehicle in person. Me with my press pass, I've snuck into the staging area. On the stage in front of me are two unmistakable Range Rover silhouettes covered with sheets. They sit on turntables. In between them stands a mic'd up Gerry McGovern, automotive designer and JLR's Chief Creative Officer, very precisely directing a small army of technicians on how he wants the launch to unfold, minute by minute: When a certain image should come up on the screen behind him, when the cars should rotate, when and where they should stop rotating so he can discuss specific design elements on the part of the vehicle facing the audience.

One of the organizers wants him to announce the celebrity musical act at a certain time, and McGovern's not having it. "No no no," he says. "It's got to be about the vehicle first."

At one point the attendants appear to be struggling to keep up with McGovern's very specific instructions. "Look, I'm sorry, I'm an artist," he says. I've heard finicky creatives preparing a presentation say that before. But then, as McGovern comes close to exasperation, he says something I don't often hear higher-up designers say: "Lookthere's over a thousand people that have worked on this," he says, pointing to one of the Range Rovers. "I'm meant to represent it."

The unveiling goes off with nary a hitch, and the next day I'm able to get a short sit-down with McGovern. I start off by mentioning that I'd witnessed the launch prep, and I recount the paragraph above.

"Probably more than a thousand people," McGovern says. "When you think about the designers, the engineers, the purchasing people that bring the parts in, the manufacturing people that put it together--it's a massive ecosystem, isn't it? Sometimes I think when we present these things, we're too quick to think about the marketing part, and not actually think about the sort of people that have created these things. And so I do."

I know that McGovern, whom I'd met before, takes design and his position seriously. He takes himself seriously. (I think he'd be a tough person to work for, which I intend to ask him about in the interview.) But he's also not above poking a bit of fun at himself. During an earlier press event, he joked about a colleague's posh English accent; McGovern's is unmistakably working class. At one point during our chat, realizes he's going off on a tangent and stops himself: "I'm philosophizing," he sighs. "I'm in danger of disappearing up my creative backside."

I should point out that Paul Owen, Jaguar Land Rover Design's Head of Design Communications, sat in on the interview; he comes up a couple of times.

Here are excerpts from our chat.

Core77: Judging by the launch event demographics, or just by driving around L.A., the Range Rover clientele is pretty diverse: Men, women, creatives, suits, young, old, famous people, regular people. Maybe the only thing they have in common is tax bracket. When designing for this type of clientele, what kinds of things do you have to be plugged into?

Gerry McGovern: If I'm honest, when I'm designing products like this, or directing them and editing them, I'm not thinking about the customer. It might sound a strange thing to say. But luxury has been around since time began. Luxury is a visceral desire for people to enrich their lives, and there are many forms of luxury products, and a vehicle is one of them. If I do think of the customer, it's sort of subliminal, because I am a luxury consumer. So a lot of what I think is "right" drives how the vehicles end up being.

You do need to be cognizant of what's going on in the world of automotive in terms of technology, in terms of innovation, et cetera. But quite frankly, I don't look at what anybody else is doing, particularly from a design perspective. Our brand represents certain values and we have a design philosophy [that we adhere to]. It talks to integrity, purpose. And really three things:

Desirability, which is probably the most important. When I look at this thing, do I desire it?

Behavioral: When I've got this thing, does it work?

Last but not least, Reflective: Once I've owned it, used it, experienced it, do I still love it? Does it still work? Most importantly, am I building a lasting relationship with it, which reinforces why I bought it in the first place?

Ultimately, for me, it's about giving people things that enrich their lives. It's not about being a commodity or having the latest this, that and the other. It's about creating things that are truly special. We're not trying to capture every customer. My compass, if you like, is people who generally love well-designed, beautiful things. And when you have a brand that has certain values that resonate with them, then that's all you need to start with.

The job I do is curate the two creative hubs of the business: The creativity of the products itself and the creativity around the storytelling, the brand, the look, the feel, the tonality, the language. And they're inextricably linked, what drives that ultimately is the product and that design philosophy. They're at one, if that makes sense.

I don't want it to sound arrogant, "I don't take any notice of the customer." My ultimate goal is to enrich the customer's lives. But they can't tell me how to design it. We know through experience, or intuitively, what's "right" and what's "wrong," and you never create great products through committee. You never create great products by overzealousness on the part of looking at data. You just end up with normality in most occasions. It's what you actually bring in terms of the creative perspective that will bring customers to you.

In interviews, and on stage, you're very specific with your language. You've said the design of the new Range Rover isn't "minimalist"I gather you find the term too reductive to convey what you're trying to do. I've also heard you bristle at designs being referred to as "evolutions." Can you talk about that?

Yeah, maybe there's a level of sensitivity there, because in the automotive design world, there's always this thing about, "Oh, you've got to be different each time for the next one." I think there's confusion, particularly for younger designers starting out, this view that [the next version] has to be something that's completely different, and that's the conversation about how that thing's "evolved."

This evolution bit is the evolution of the DNA, not the evolution of certain specific design cues, because the aesthetic is just one part of it. I could argue it's the most important part of it, because it's the bit that starts the ball rolling and creates that emotional connection. But then it has to be the integrity of the engineering. It has to be the innovation around the technology and all those other things which are fundamentally important to what Land Rover's about, and always has been: The supremacy of its technical capability to go anywhere and do anything.

The evolution part [should be] in the essence of what they represent. With Range Rover it's the fact that you still sit high, you've got that "command" driving position. You've got that level of formality. You've got a certain ethos. But it's not about "That line on the new car, is like that line on the old car, modernized."

For me, modernism is always about trying to move it forward. And if you can use technology to take it to the next level, as we've done on this, you've got flush glazing and things that we wouldn't have been able to do for the last generation because we didn't have the technology to do it. So that technology has enabled us to take this to next form of modernism, return to that reductive approach.

When I came back from America and returned to the brand, years ago, I felt it needed a dose of design literacy. So what we've tried to do over the last dozen or so years, is to get a more balanced view to consumers, to our clients, of what the brand represents. And that is a balance of not just being over-focused on one thing, which I think we were in the past. We were all about capability, which people admired, but we weren't true luxury in the sense of a product that enriches life.

Now I'm trying to move these brands on, to think about themselves as luxury brands, to stop thinking about themselves purely as automotive businesses. Omit the word automotive. Yeah, they're automobiles, but the brand is more than just the product, and in the future, it'll be more and more.

What are some of the product designs you yourself admire?

You still wouldn't go far wrong for looking at Apple in terms of the way they do things. Design is there as part of their philosophy, that sense of detail and perfection and precision, those are the things I admire in Apple. Because if you looked at that and compared it to a Dell, they do the same things, but one is far more desirable than the other, isn't it?

There's a lot of great product design out there. One of the things that always intrigues me is that a lot of the great luxury brands aren't necessarily modern in the execution of their products, but quite often they're very modern in the execution of their look and feel, their imagery, the way they communicate, the way they present themselves is very modern. Louis Vuitton, for example, if you look at some of the products, they're quite traditional. But look at how they're presented.

You often talk about design being a discipline with multiple outlets. What made you decide to focus on automotive?

Money. (Laughs.) No, it's funny, when I was growing up I wanted to be a painter. I've always been interested in fashion and art and architecture, from a very young age. And then I wanted to be a footballer. I fell into the automotive thing by chance, more than anything, and then it just evolved.

And where did the strong interest in modernism come from?

I've always been interested in Modernism as a philosophy, because I grew up in Coventry, which was bombed during the war, and it was rebuilt by this Miesian advocate, a guy called [Sir Donald Edward Evelyn] Gibson. So that Modernist approach, I think has been indelibly stamped into my psyche, it always resonated with me. When I first started off with automotive design tools, I didn't necessarily know whatit takes years to realize what you're about, and it's evolved.

If we go back several decades, the different form factors of vehicles was very clear: That's a car, that's a truck, that's a station wagon--

And it was quite naive at that time as well. It really lacked sophistication compared to now, because things have moved on massively. Having said that, when I look at automotive design--or let's call it "styling," back then-- when we look at America and the style wars of the 1950s, there was a great sense of exuberance then. And okay, it was styling driven, and a lot of it was building in obsolescence, changing the look of the vehicles every two years in terms of the aesthetic, but not the mechanics, but there was something quite exciting about that then. They were raw, they were quite crude, but there was something quite visceral about it, which I think has been lost completely.

And a lot of it had to do with volume and size, which in America worked, because you've got the scale. But they were trying to replicate it back in the UK, and we were getting these smaller vehicles that were emulating a style that doesn't work on something that size, you know?

Because I could never look like Paul [points to Paul Owen], because I'm not big enough, but I'm prettier than him. [Laughs.] Maybe not.

Nowadays the form factor categories of cars has become a lot more vague.

You're right. There's lots more niche type products out there, there's not these definitions. If you think about the Range Rover Velar, the Range Rover Evoque, before we created them, there wasn't actually a definition for those. What is the question? Are we going to carry on with that, or...

What I'm getting at is, the original Land Rover and Range Rover were shaped the way they were because of their function. So the modern versions are perfectly able to transition into today's SUV archetype. But the third part of your brand, Jaguar, has me puzzled. Jaguar's original well-known form is this low-slung, two-person GT car.

2022 Jaguar F-Type

That's the heritage of Jaguar--and that's the form factor that's going extinct in today's market. So what's the plan for Jaguar? Do you have any idea what Jaguar is going to become, if not the low-slung, two-seater GT?

I know exactly what it is, but unfortunately I can't tell you.

Paul: Because I'm in the room.

Gerry: We will redefine Jaguar as a completely different, new business. We've already said they'll be all-electric. In terms of what these vehicles will look like, they need to look like something you've never seen before. They need to be exciting. They need to be exuberant. They need to be aspirational. They need to be truly compelling and emotionally engaging. That's the direction that the designers have been given, and we've already started to visualize what that means, and it's very exciting.

But there are particular physical shapes and forms, that work better than others. There are certain classical elements and cars that can be made incredibly modern and exuberant and still have a level of relevance. And one of the things that I am preoccupied with is not following fashion or trend. I'm not interested what everybody else is doing. I think great artists, creators, innovators have generally been that way. And that's why I think it's important that you have those sorts of people right at the top of a company and not being dictated to by business people or generalists.

You mentioned "the direction that the designers have been given"now that you're in the C-suite, what is that like? Do you put marker to paper anymore? I assume that at that level you're just sort of overseeing.

Yeah. I mean the reality is that I have a big team. I'm sort of a thinker, if you like. Clearly I come from a background where drawing cars is what I was really good at. I came to America when I was virtually a kid, 21 or whatever, and I was taught here how to draw cars with magic markers and vellum and Rembrandt pastels and all that sort of stuff. If I said to one of my designers, "Draw me a car now with that stuff," they'd run a mile, because they're doing it all on the screen.

My job is to create the vision, and it is quite descriptive. It's this, and it's not that. But I'm not sitting there drawing it on the computer. I do get involved in all the design reviews, and we do them regularly, when I look at stuff and I say, "Yes. No. Yes. No. Move this. Move that." So it's not just saying something then presenting the end result, because that would be delinquent of me. If I'm going to put my name to it, that team needs to be speaking my language.

Looking at the creative personality of the whole business is what I do now. Clearly that starts with these products [gestures towards the JLR booth at the auto show]. And I have some great people around me, that know what I'm on about. Some of my designers have worked with me for 20-odd years. So when I say reductive, when I say free from excess, when I say I want to see more plan shape, I want to see more attack on, they know all that. So they translate what I'm saying.

I think in the automotive world, there's always that desire to have one name to put to a design, while the reality is everything is created by a team effort. But there has to be a singular creative view. That doesn't mean to say you're there drawing it all, but it has to come from a singular creative view.

Range Rover, 1st generation

Range Rover, 2nd generation

Range Rover, 3rd generation

Range Rover, 4th generation

Range Rover, 5th generation

What are some of the challenges of overseeing a staff of automotive designers?

I remember a designer a few years ago that we brought from Audi, an interior designer. He was really good. And I remember looking at his work and it was beautiful. I used to say to him, "I love that designbut that ain't us. You've got to get out of that way of thinking. That isn't a Land Rover." And he really struggled with it. So there is a sort of a philosophy. It ain't just about having designers that are great designers. They've got to understand what the philosophy is and how that transitions and manifests into the product, to the metal, to the architecture.

Were you able to separate him from his design instincts?

In the end, he went, unfortunately. I'd still invite him back. He started to [come around] in the end, but he said to me that he was struggling with it, because he was so used to a particular way of working. Oh, you know Marc Newson, the designer?

Of course.

I remember I worked with him for a while, when I first went to Ford, and he was doing those concept cars about 20 years ago when J Mays was there. The 021C, it was a little sort of push-me-pull-me-shaped car for the Japanese market, which J directed. I always remember meeting him for the first time in Turin, and he'd done a lot of product design by that time, the lounge chairs and all this stuff. And he said to me, "I've never tried designing a car before, Gerry. How do you do it? It's a total mind fuck for me." I always remember that [laughing], it's really funny.

C-Suite Commonwealth guys: You, Ive, Newson, I'd love to have the three of you in a room talking about this stuff.

He doesn't talk very much, though, Mark. He's quite quiet.

Your official title is now Professor Gerry McGovern. Can you tell us about that?

It's a professorship with the Royal College of Art, at which I studied. It is a proper professorship, not just a title, because I do get involved with the college doing three or four lectures a year.

It's also engaging with, through my team, teaching the rudiments of design. I'm very keen, particularly with the Royal College, that we make sure it doesn't drift into becoming too technical. I'm pushing for "let's get back to basics," teaching students to become good at being able to produce design basics. How you design something. How you shape it. How you draw it, whether it's on the screen or free-hand. How you surface something. How you reconcile the technical aspects with the aesthetic aspects. How they work, and how that works together. How you prioritize. That sort of stuff.

I think that there's great young designers out there, but they need to be nurtured. I think you've got to give them the ability to develop their own language, their own design philosophy, but you've got to teach them the basics. A lot of that is you've got to get the right people in the colleges teaching, for a start. I think that there's teachers getting there that spent a couple of years in a design studio and then they teach. You need to spend a lot longer than that to become really competent.

For the young, aspiring automotive designers who want to work at JLR: What is it like working for you? What do they need to have?

Well, they need to look great, for a start. [Laughs.] No, I think they have to be passionate about what they believe in. If it was in my organization, they'd have to share that view of looking forward and not back, not being traditional, but being determined and understanding the basics of proportion, of balance, of line.

And remember, most car designers want to be Exterior Designers. And then if they can't be, they want to be Interiors. But the whole design process now needs different types of designers, like digital designers, too. At the moment, I want to find some really good digital designers who can not only design that interface in terms of what you see on the screen, but how that connects to our language throughout the brand, so there's that consistency, particularly when you think of all the other things we're trying to do with digitalization, sustainability, the difference services that eventually are available on board and relate to off board and all that sort of stuff.

I remember one person who wanted to be an exterior designer, and she was intellectually very capable, but she was preoccupied with wanting to be an exterior designer. She wasn't good. When it comes to exterior design, there is a bit of you've either got it or you haven't. You can't teach it. It's a natural input. There's a natural ability. It could be developed, but some people just aren't good at it, but that doesn't mean to say they couldn't be a great interior designer or they couldn't be a great graphic designer or digital designer. There's also a need for people to help evolve the designer, interface with the engineers and all the other people that we work with.

There's no point just drawing and building a model. How do you bring that to reality? It's a multi-discipline task, and people that can communicate well, understand the vision and advocate it and take people on that journey with them.

I think that generally, young designers today are better educated. They are more knowledgeable about the whole process, and that's great, but they need to understand the basics of design, if that's what they want to be.

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Auto Designer Gerry McGovern on Modernism, Evolution and What Design Students Should be Learning - Core77.com

DNS evolution is vital if 5G and next generation networks are to successfully adopted, according to a report by Infoblox.

Infoblox Inc. has announced new research that identifies the challenges faced by Communication Service Providers (CSPs) when transitioning to distributed cloud models, as well as use cases for Multi-access edge computing (MEC), 5G New Radio (NR), and 5G Next Generation Core (NGC) networks and that points to the need for a DNS evolution.

DNS and the Edge

The report, titled DNS and the Edge: The Evolution will be distributed was conducted by Heavy Reading and surveyed communication service providers around the world to understand the role that DNS plays in the evolution of cloud-based network models. The survey included significant numbers of converged operators, mobile operators and fixed-line and cable operators and asked about their plans for implementing MEC, 5G NGC, and 5G NR technologies, business use cases, as well as concerns and obstacles to implementation. DNS has long been seen as an area in need of support and development.

Distributed cloud models such as 5G and multi-access edge computing networks have the potential to drastically change the CSP industry, delivering high-bandwidth, low latency services to network customers said Dilip Pillaipakam, Vice President and GM of Service Provider Business at Infoblox. Yet to fully take advantage of the benefits of these new technologies, DNS will have to evolve to address the challenges that come from delivering these high-value services at the network edge.

DNS is a critical element to new network architectures and technologies, enabling devices to access the network securely and reliably and DNS evolution is a necessity. And as 5G NR, NGC, and MEC technologies enable faster, more distributed networks with more connected devices, DNS has to become increasingly automated and operate at a greater scale and with greater flexibility.

The need for change

The survey found that few CSPs believe that their current DNS is capable of supporting MEC or 5G NGC.

Other key findings of the survey include:

The findings indicate that the future of DNS will hinge on the delivery of a fully distributed and fully capable edge-based DNS.

Read the full report here.

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Infoblox: DNS evolution critical for the future of 5G and next gen technologies - ITP.net

Duke Fields was only 19 in 1967 when he played in the halftime show at Super Bowl I between the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers. A veteran of big shows with Grambling State University's renowned marching band, he remembers looking into the stands at Los Angeles Coliseum and wondering how this gig would compare.

Then I saw the rocket men, Fields recalls of the halftime show. Two guys with jetpacksand my God, those things were loud!

Fields had no idea then, but he was etching his name onto a list of halftime performers that one day would include music legends as well as dubious acts such as "Elvis Presto" and the infamous "Left Shark."

By the late 20th century, the halftime show had morphed into a multi-million-dollar carnival of music, pageantry and big-name entertainers.But no matter who performed, the show could turn weird.

An hour before Super Bowl IV in 1970 between Kansas City and Minnesota in New Orleans, the weather bureau issued a tornado warning. Then a hot air balloon carrying a Vikings mascot crashed into the stands, causing a near-panic but no injuries.

Even the pre-game national anthem was a flop. Veteran actor Pat O'Brien's mic cut off as he was reading the words to theaccompaniment of trumpet player Doc Severinsen and a marching band.

Then, after two quarters dominated by Kansas City, came a halftime show a sportswriter likened to a "Roman circus."

The Chiefs' hot-air balloon, expected to race the Vikings' balloon at halftime, never got airborne.Producers aimed to dazzle with a massive model of a Mississippi River steamboat laden with women in hoop skirts. But that ship didn't sail. The field was too wet from a pre-game downpour.

A Battle of New Orleans reenactment with hundreds of participants was a flop, too. The white stallion of Andrew Jacksonthe hero of the War of 1812 fightbolted when exploding cannons created a deafening roar.

"Maybe that's the reason the scene ended with an unhistorical twist, with the Yanks and Jean Lafitte's Frenchmen all sprawled on the ground in death and the red-coated British still firing away spiritedly," the Associated Press wrote.

Fittingly, as an opera singer belted out Basin Street Blues during the halftime "circus" in the Sugar Bowl, Al Hirt's blaring trumpet drowned her out.

"Fortunately," a newspaper columnist wrote, "they sneaked a football game in between all that jazz."

By the 1980s, the Super Bowl was must-see TV, but the halftime show was becoming a punchline. Not even the second jetpack appearance, at Super Bowl XIX in 1985, could shake the malaise.

Recognizing the need to change the narrative, producers of the Super Bowl XXIII halftime show in 1989 created one of the oddest experiences in television history. Coca-Cola was sole sponsor for a show incorporating 3-D technology called Nuoptix.

For TV viewers to fully appreciate the whiz-bang performance, the soft drink company distributed 26 million pairs of 3-D glasses with its productnewspapers even ran graphics for how to use them. To ensure he had enough 3-D glasses for customers, a bar owner in San Francisco bought $100 worth of Coke.

"This is the single proudest moment of my life," Bob Costas of NBC Sports said, tongue in cheek, as he introduced the 3-D show.

Bebop Bamboozled" featured Elvis Presto, who performed magic tricks as 3-D graphics flashed behind him and dancers performed to 1950s music amid computer-generated revolving cars and spinning planets. At least one bar patron appreciated the show: "It's good because it's keeping people glued to the TV instead of getting up to get a beer and going to the bathroom."

But like a Coke left out too long, the 3-D viewing largely fizzled with the public. Areviewer wrote it was like watching a football halftime show in the distorted reflection of an old mirror.

Michael Jackson performs at halftime of Super Bowl XXVII between the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys.

Focus on Sport/Getty Images

At Super Bowl XXVII at the Rose Bowl in 1993, Michael Jackson performed solothe start of a flurry of top-name acts booked by the NFL. Before the King of Pop's performance, fans rushed onto the field. Then Jackson stood in silence for almost two minutes as anticipation grew.

When he finally moved and performed, Jackson electrified, setting an example for a new generation of halftime-show performers. But not everyone was pleased. Jackson's crotch-grabbing performance angered some.

"To the uneducated observer, it would indeed seem to be merely a vulgar display of self-indulgence," wrote a newspaper reader.

Jetpacks fell by the wayside, but airborne stunts did not.

As Diana Ross finished her set at Super Bowl XXX in 1996, she cried, Theres my ride! Then a helicopter descended toward the field. Ross finished the last songappropriately, Take Me Higherand waved goodbye as the copter's whirring blades blew the singer's hair into her face.

Janet Jackson's performance with Justin Timberlake at Super Bowl XXXVIII briefly turned racy,

KMazur/WireImage via Getty Images

If the King of Pop's performance was one of the greatest in Super Bowl history, his sister Janet Jackson's showing at Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 was the most controversial. MTV produced the star-studded show, infamous for Justin Timberlake tearing off part of Jackson's top and exposing her breastfor a split-second as she sang Rock Your Body.

An angry reader of a Pennsylvania newspaper suggested the Federal Communications Commission fine Jackson and Timberlake $1 million each for the "wardrobe malfunction." The FCC fined CBS, the Super Bowl broadcaster, andJackson was blacklisted by TV and radio stations. But Timberlake, who remained fully clothed during his performance, suffered no penalty.

Eager to play it safe after the Jackson fiasco, the NFL booked Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band and The Who for the next five Super Bowl halftime shows.

At Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, though, Springsteens show featured a perilous moment, as he knee-slid crotch-first into a TV camera. His wardrobe, however, remained intact.

At Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, a shark became a sensation during Katy Perry's performance of "Teenage Dream" and "California Girls." While the dancing "Right Shark" performed capably, the "Left Shark" danced comically out of synch.

The Internet mocked Left Shark, but Perry's choreographer threw cold water on the hot topic.

"The sharks were given two main objectives, RJ Durell told The Hollywood Reporter.One, perform Katys trademark moves to the Teenage Dream chorus, which they both did perfectly; and two, to have loads of fun, and bring to life these characters in a cartoon manner, giving them a Tweedledee/Tweedledum-type persona.

No matter how elaborate (or weird) the halftime show gets, Fields and his former Grambling bandmates take special pride in their role in the uniquely American spectacle.

When you think about it, we did it before Michael Jackson did it, before his sister, before Prince, Fields says. As long as Im alive, Ill always be grateful that I made history.

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Weird and Wondrous: Evolution of Super Bowl Halftime Show - History

Visual Evolution of The Egyptian Pound

Money is a birds eye-view into a society: every symbol is a cultural microcosm, its language a direct look into each home. A single bill could travel from hand to hand, from office to fruit-truck, and every person along the journey would recognize the mosque on its front, the temple on its back, and the weight of it in their palm. That is the power of the Egyptian Pound.

To honor it as a historical keystone of Egyptian culture for the past century, here is the evolution of the humble Pound bill.

The first Pound was printed in 1914, following a decree that made it Egypts main currency. At the time, any and all available bills were printed by the Ahli Bank. This later changed in the 1960s, following the 1952 coup detat headed by the Free Officers Movement.

This is an image of the final bill to represent the monarchy; featured is King Farouk, son of the Former King Fouad. Shortly after the issuing of this bill, Gamal Abd El Nasser would lead the Free Officers Movement and assume sovereignty of Egypt. From then, an era of republicanism and attempted socialism began.

This is the first bill to be issued under Gamal Abd El Nasser, after the establishment of Egypts Central Bank. It returns the Egyptian Pounds imagery to one that is solely cultural rather than political, one side featuring the revolutionary and indelible Akhenaten who, similarly, sought to change the socio-religious realities in Egypt. The back of the bill features one of Egypts most profound monuments to date: the Temple of El Karnak.

Anwar El Sadat succeeded Abd El Nasser early on in the 1970s, shortly after the previous Presidents passing. The Egyptian Pound would take on the iconic vision of Abu Simbel, and its back would house the mosque of Sultan Qaitbay the latter of which would remain on the Pound well into the 21st century.

After a bout of back to back warfare, with striking success in the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1973, El Sadat was engraved onto the Pound coin to honor his efforts, sacrifices, and peace-brokering during the tumultuous period. His profile is in the forefront, parallel to a dove with an olive branch pinched in its beak the universal symbol for harmony, love, and the onset of peace.

The return of Abu Simbel came during the nineties, along with the recurring image of the Sultan Qaitbay mosque. This is the second time the sites are featured together, both representative of Egypts ever-evolving spirit of art, culture, and theology. The Qaitbay mosque is revered as one of Islamic Cairos most arresting beauties, while Abu Simbel is widely known as a marvel of Ancient Egyptian architecture due to its size and location.

King Tutankhamun is Egypts most famous boy-king, and although he was not known for much in terms of grand, memorable feats, his intact tomb was excavated in 1922 by Englishman Howard Carter. Inside was a vision of gold, untouched artifacts, and immeasurable insight into the world of a Pharaoh. Accordingly, Egypts transition from printed bill to coin saw his image placed against a gold-like background, in honor of the late kings contributions to modern Egyptology.

After grappling with unrest and several socio-political identity crises, Egypt has chosen to celebrate its victories instead. Under President Abdel Fatah El Sisi, the Egyptian Pound is seen featuring some of modern Egypts grandest accomplishments, including but not limited to the expansion of the Suez Canal and the building of El-Alamien.

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Visual Evolution of The Egyptian Pound - Egyptian Streets