The Independent Articles

Membership to Facebook groups promoting anti-mask arguments has risen by nearly 2,000 per cent since August, new analysis has revealed.Separate analysis of data from the media tool Crowdtangle by The New York Times found that from the start of August through to 27 September, the total number of members to such groups rose from under 2,000 to over 43,000.Many of the groups are specific to individual US states or towns, while others seek to spread misinformation on a broader scale. Names for these pages include “Christians against face masks”, “Unmask America”, “Free Face Society”, and “Anti-Mask Lives Matter”. All of them appear to either push the idea that face masks are not effective at stopping the spread of Covid-19, or that coronavirus itself is a hoax. They also seem to be particularly popular among anti-vaccination and 5G conspiracy theorists.Read moreThey also share a common trait of claiming that face masks infringe on their freedom and civil liberty.“No government or tyrant should control our faces,” one group’s Facebook page states.Another states: “A mask is not a life saver, it is a sign of compliance and subservience… Facts matter and the facts prove masks don’t work.”Scientific facts actually support the effectiveness of masks in reducing the spread of respiratory viruses, with health experts advising that face masks can help prevent transmission of Covid-19 in public settings.

An exploding supernova in a galaxy 70 million light-years away has been recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope.The rare event outshone the entire host galaxy, coming from a white dwarf star that gathered material from its companion star.A white dwarf is a degenerating star that is reaching the end of its life cycle. When it has depleted its nuclear fuel, the star expels its outer material, reaching temperatures exceeding 100,000 Kelvin.When the white dwarf reaches a critical mass, its core becomes hot enough to start a nuclear fusion reaction, turning it into a planet-sized atomic bomb.The force of this reaction tears the star apart, and in this instance the energy unleashed was the equivalent of the radiance of five billion suns, Nasa says.Read moreThis particular supernova, classified as SN 2018gv, was spotted in the spiral galaxy NGC 2525 in mid-January 2018 by amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki.By February, it was being recorded by the Hubble telescope to help scientists track the expansion rate of the universe.In the time-lapse, scientists could see the supernova appearing as a brightly shining star near the edge of the galaxy. It quickly becomes the brightest object in the galaxy, before fading from sight.“No Earthly fireworks display can compete with this supernova, captured in its fading glory by the Hubble Space Telescope,” said Adam Riess of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and Johns Hopkins University in a statement.Supernovae of this kind all peak at the same brightness, and as such are known as “standard candles.”This is because they act as “cosmic tape measures,” Nasa says. With information about the brightness of the supernova as constant, astronomers can calculate the distances of their host galaxies. This allows the scientists to measure the expansion rate of the universe. In May, the Hubble Space Telescope reached its 30th birthday. Its first photo was of the binary star HD96755 from its wide field camera, captured in black and white.In August, the telescope captured its first observation of a total lunar eclipse – the first time that a total lunar eclipse has been captured from a space telescope, and also the first time one has been studied in ultraviolet wavelengths.Scientists hope they can use this data to examine exoplanets, giving us a better understanding in the search for alien life and interstellar travel.

Russia is responsible for over half of all state-sponsored hacking, vastly more than any other state, according to a new report from Microsoft.It is followed by Iran, which makes up 25 per cent of the attacks monitored.China is responsible for 12 per cent of attacks, while North Korea and other states make up the final 11 per cent.The majority of their targets have been in the United States, which is targeted 69 per cent of the time. The United Kingdom is the next most popular victim, receiving 19 per cent of attacks, followed by Canada, South Kora, and Saudi Arabia.Read moreWhile there has been much concern over recent years that countries’ criticial national infastructure – such as the national grid of financial services – could be targeted by hackers, Microsoft says that is not the most common target.According to the software giant, 90 per cent of attacks from nation-states have been focused on “nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), advocacy groups, human rights organizations and think tanks focused on public policy, international affairs or security.”The company suggests that nation-states are hoping to influence government policy through subtler means, rather than targeting infrastructure directly.Other motivations of the hackers, Microsoft says, include attacking areas that are criticial to the stability, prosperity, and survival of opposing countries.“Microsoft observed 16 different nation-state actors either targeting customers involved in the global COVID-19 response efforts or using the crisis in themed lures to expand their credential theft and malware delivery tactics,” Microsoft corporate VP Tom Burt said in a blog post about the report.“These COVID-themed attacks targeted prominent governmental health care organizations in efforts to perform reconnaissance on their networks or people. Academic and commercial organizations involved in vaccine research were also targeted.”This includes using spear-phishing via Microsoft Word documents, and used unique credentials by imitating an American fast-food chain’s email about the coronavirus, as well as fake online coupons.It was one of 18 million attempted scam messages per day related to Covid-19.Hackers from China have been targeting medial institutions in the United States and Asia, attempting to steal proprietary information during the coronavirus pandemic, the report alleges.As the coronavirus pandemic continues, hackers from Iran and South Korea have focused on global health institutions.It is believed that vaccine research facilities at Oxford University and Imperial College London are among institutions targeted by the hackers, who are thought to operate by exploiting weaknesses in VPN and external mail services used by researchers.This form of attack is explicitly mentioned in Microsoft’s report, which states that the most common tactics of the hackers include gathering information, such as the passwords and addresses of email accounts, infecting systems with malware, and “consistently targeting and frequently compromising outdated and unpatched VPN infrastructure”.This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a global non-aggression pact on cyberwarfare, suggesting that the United States and other countries should not make cybersecurity a “hostage of political disagreement”.Microsoft had said last month that the Russian hacking group Strontium has attacked over 200 organizations including political campaigns, advocacy groups, parties and political consultants ahead of the presidential election in November.

Orionid meteors burning through Earth’s atmosphere this month will bring “prolonged explosions of light,” Nasa has said.Commonly referred to as ‘shooting stars’, the display produced by the Orionid meteor shower could be one of the most spectacular in years, with meteors travelling at 66 km (41 miles) per second.The peak of the meteor shower is expected to take place on 21 October, however the Orionid meteor shower will be active from 2 October to 7 November and several other days within this five-week period are also expected to deliver a strong showing.The International Meteor Organisation said the strength of the shower has varied from year to year and that 2020 could see an unusually large peak.The Orionids emanate from an area of the sky north of the Orion constellation, which is best observed just before dawn.Read moreAt their peak on 21 October, Nasa said to expect around 20 meteors per hour – or one every three minutes.The Orionid meteors occur each October when Earth passes through the debris in the tail of Halley’s Comet.The glowing trains left behind by the meteors can last anywhere from several seconds to minutes. “Fast meteors can also sometimes become fireballs: Look for prolonged explosions of light when viewing the Orionid meteor shower,” Nasa wrote in a blog post. “The best time to look for these meteors would be after midnight but before the sky begins to lighten with the dawn. Ideal conditions would be clear skies with no haze or clouds, a clear view of a large part of the sky after midnight, and a location far from any lights or urban light pollution.”The US space agency also advised skywatchers to allow for up to 45 minutes for their eyes to fully adapt to night vision, and not to check smartphones or look at other light sources while eyes are adjusting.

Apple is working on a foldable iPhone with a “self-healing” screen to fix scratches and dents, according to reports.The tech giant has filed a patent for the device which would have a screen that runs right across the actual fold in the phone.And according to the filing Apple says that the phone would actually heal any damage automatically.Observers say that the “self-healing” capability would fix one of the biggest issues seen with current foldable phones, which can be damaged when debris gets trapped as it is closes.Read moreThe Apple patent was actually filed earlier this year but only just made public by the US Patent and Trademark Office, according to the tech website 9to5mac.com.“During operation of an electronic device, the display cover layer for the electronic device may be scratched or dented,” the patent states.“To improve the aesthetics of the electronic device, it may be desirable for the presence of scratches and dents to be minimised. “To help mitigate the number of dents, scratches, or other imperfections in a display cover layer, the display cover layer may include a layer of self-healing material.“The layer of self-healing material may be formed across the entire display cover layer or may be formed only in the flexible region of the display cover layer.”No timeframe is given in the patent application for any device to made available to consumers.Samsung was hit with a series of screen issues when it released its $2000 Galaxy Fold in 2019 and delayed its release after poor initial reviews.Apple’s patent suggest the healing of its screen will be done through the use of heat, light or electric current.“The display cover layer may include a layer of elastomer in the flexible region of the display cover layer for increased flexibility,” the patent continues.“The layer of self-healing material may cover the layer of elastomer in the flexible region.“Self-healing may occur in the layer of self-healing material without prompting (eg when the self-healing coating is dented, the material of the coating may fill the dent even without external intervention). “Alternatively, the self-healing may be initiated or expedited by externally applied heat, light, electric current, or other type of external stimulus.”

Apple has brought its redesigned maps to the UK and Ireland in a new update.The new maps will look different, adding more detail when scrolling – and travelling – around. But it builds entirely new maps information, too, which required Apple to gather its own data on the whole of the UK and Ireland.That allows it to bring a whole host of new features, too: Maps will now get access to cycling directions, a “Lookaround” feature that works like Google’s Street View, and curated guides to cities.Apple has been working to improve the function and reputation of Apple Maps following a disastrous launch in 2012, with iOS 6. The rollout went so badly that the company published a public apology to its customers.Since then, Apple has worked to add a range of new features to Maps, as well as improving the underlying maps. That has seen it produce its own mapping information, and those new maps have already been rolled out in the US.

Apple has finally killed the iPod Nano. The iPod Nano joins the iPod classic, the fourth-generation iPod shuffle, and the fifth-generation iPod Touch as part of its “Vintage” range of products.This means the product has not been updated for more than five years. Once it reaches the seven year mark it is considered “obsolete”, such as the original iPhone (and all subsequent handsets up to the iPhone 4.)Read moreVintage products can still be repaired by Apple, if equipment is still available. Obsolete products, meanwhile, cannot be repaired at all.Apple first launched the iPod Nano in September 2005, featuring a small screen and a scroll wheel similar to the iPod Classic.Since then, it has been morphed into the shorter, fatter third-generation iPod Nano, while the fourth-generation was taller with a larger screen for video.The next major redesign came in 2010, when Apple cut the scroll wheel completely with a small, square design for the music player that relied entirely on the touchscreen.The seventh-generation iPod Nano featured a touchscreen as well as the ability to install apps – which meant it had to be larger, and have a physical home button.However, eventually the iPod Nano and iPod Touch became so similar that Apple had to make a choice of which one to retain support for.The iPod Touch, which also features a camera on the back, is now the only iPod Apple still sells.Apple’s official list of iPod devices is not entirely complete, however. The company designed a “top secret” iPod for the US government that could run custom hardware.Although experts suggest it could have been a portable Geiger counter, it is unclear exactly what the product was used for. 

Slack has gone down, with users unable to send or receive messages.The workplace chat app has become one of the central ways that remote offices collaborate as they work amid lockdowns.Slack acknowledged the problems in an update to its official status page.“Some people may be experiencing slow performance and trouble sending messages in Slack,” it reads.”We’re currently investigating and will have more information shortly. Thank you for your patience.”Read moreTracking website Down Detector saw a huge surge in the number of people reporting problems with the app, with some saying they were unable to connect at all and others saying messages were not sending.Issues appeared to be prevalent across the world. While they were concentrated on the east coast of the US, Europe and Japan, that is probably just a result of where the company’s users are based and which are online.

Twitter went down for many users on Thursday, leaving people around the world unable to load or post new tweets.The outage began at around 3pm BST and appeared to last for around 30 minutes.Website monitor DownDetector registered thousands of reports from users experiencing difficulties connecting.The highest concentration of reports came from Japan, according to an outage map.Users in the UK, Netherlands and US also reported issues with the service.The Independent contacted Twitter for further details.Twitter Support wrote in a successful tweet following the outage: “Let’s see if this works… You may have had trouble sending and seeing Tweets. (Yeah, us too.) We’ve now fixed this.”

In a blog post about the update, Google said that a new “Suggestions” tab, which will appear at the bottom of the screen underneath familiar editing settings such as “Enhance” and “Colour Pop”.This new feature will make recommendations for the photo the user is looking at, including cropping it, adjusting brightness, contrast, warmth, and adding portrait effects.As well as those existing features, more quick adjustments to “help your portraits, landscapes, sunsets and more really stand out” will be rolled out in the coming months.These changes are only supposed to be a starting point, Google said.Read more“If you want to see what changes were applied, many suggestions will show the specific edits that changed your photo, allowing you to customize further,” the blog post stated.On Pixel devices, such as the recently announced Pixel 4a and Pixel 5, the company will also be bringing out “Portrait Light”, a new feature that lets users adjust the position of light and brightness after a photo has been taken.This allows users to change if the light is coming from the top right of the photo, for example, and move it to the bottom left, using the company’s algorithmic skills to change shadows and brightness.The new editor will be coming to Google Photos on Android devices now, although the company has not said whether it will make the leap from its own operating system to Apple’s iOS.