Whenever I am reading a really good book, I find myself in a bit of a quandary.

xQc revealed that he felt safer at his previous home in Los Angeles as fans continued to invade his privacy at his current residence

Scientists have developed a device that allows amputees to feel warmth in their phantom hand. MiniTouch consists of a small sensor placed on an amputee’s prosthetic finger and electrodes that mimic sensations on the residual arm. The electrodes on the amputated arm are able to relay the temperature of the object being touched by the finger sensor, giving “the illusion that we are cooling down, or warming up, missing fingers”. The researchers said their findings, published in the journal Science, could allow amputees to have temperature-sensing technology built into their prosthetic limbs, without the need for invasive technology. The team said they developed MiniTouch after unexpectedly discovering that amputees somehow are able to feel temperatures in their missing hand. Dr Solaiman Shokur, a neuroengineer and scientist at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, said: “We discovered a new mechanism that we call the thermal phantom sensation.” In an able-bodied person, if something hot or cold is placed on the forearm, that person will feel the object’s temperature directly on their forearm. But in amputees, that temperature sensation on the residual arm may be felt in the phantom, missing hand, the researchers said. Dr Shokur said: “(During the tests) we were expecting for them to tell us, with eyes closed, where they felt it (temperature sensations) on the stump, and if it was hot or cold. “Instead, they pointed into a drawing of a hand that they had in front of them and they told us ‘I feel it there’. “We asked them several times ‘What do you mean by that, I feel it there?’ and then they clarified that they felt it into their phantom missing hand. “So this discovery was crucial for us to develop a neurotechnology that could integrate the prosthetic hand of patients.” The team said they were able to successfully test their bionic technology in 17 out of 27 patients. MiniTouch uses information about an object’s heat conducting properties to determine how hot or cold it is. The scientists said they found that small areas of skin on the amputated arm are able to project temperature sensations to specific parts of the phantom hand, like the thumb, or the tip of an index finger. They also discovered that these temperature sensations between the residual arm and the projected phantom one is unique to each patient. Fabrizio Fidati, an amputee from Italy, who took part in the study, said: “Warmth is the most beautiful feeling there is… like when we need warmth, we use a hot water bottle.” He added: “So far, prostheses have mainly been designed to have simple everyday movements, to help you in your everyday life. “But integrations of sensations of hot and cold, in my opinion, also serves to improve social interactions. “When shaking hands with people, warmth is… fundamental.” Study participant Francesca Rossi, also from Italy, added: “Temperature feedback is a nice sensation because you feel the limb, the phantom limb, entirely. “It does not feel phantom anymore because your limb is back.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Self-driving cars will cause ‘moral panic’ – transport minister Cryptocurrency trading should be regulated as gambling, says treasury committee WhatsApp offers new password protected feature to hide messages

UBS Group AG faces hundreds of millions of dollars in regulatory fines over Credit Suisse Group AG’s dealings

Turn-out was reportedly high in Tuesday's tightly contested presidential and parliamentary poll.

It was the URL heard around the world. On Monday, a document seemingly announcing 13 counts against Donald Trump was briefly published online on a Fulton County web system – before being deleted just as quickly – kicking off rampant speculation about the looming indictment and instantly fuelling claims of foul play from the former president. The initial charge sheet seemed to show an extensive list of criminal charges against Mr Trump stemming from the long-running Georgia investigation into his attempts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, according to Reuters, which first reported the document. It was published hours before the grand jury eventually voted to indict the former president and a group of his closest allies for running a criminal enterprise to overturn the 2020 election in the state and keep Mr Trump in power. The document, which can still be viewed on the Reuters website, was quickly taken down. Hours later, when the indictment was handed down, it appeared under a different case code. It also included Mr Trump’s 18 co-defendants – something the original document did not. But there were some similarities between the initial posting and the final charge sheet, with both including the exact same 13 charges against the former president. In a statement to The Independent on Tuesday, the Fulton County clerk’s office explained in greater detail what prompted the confusion. It said Ché Alexander, Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts, used an online document system to conduct a “trial run” of posting a large indictment to test for potential issues. “Unfortunately, the sample working document led to the docketing of what appeared to be an indictment, but which was, in fact, only a fictitious docket sheet,” they explained. “Because the media has access to documents before they are published, and while it may have appeared that something official had occurred because the document bore a case number and filing date, it did not include a signed ‘true’ or ‘no’ bill nor an official stamp with Clerk Alexander’s name, thereby making the document unofficial and a test sample only.” The office, once it was aware of the mixup, said it “immediately removed the document and issued correspondence notifying the media that a fictitious document was in circulation and that no indictment had been returned by the Grand Jury,” the statement added. However, this explanation was only available after the fact. Throughout Monday, little was known about what prompted the initial document to appear then disappear. Officials only said it was “fictitious.” The lack of information was quickly exploited by Mr Trump. In an email to his supporters asking for donations to his campaign, the former president claimed the document was another sign of the “Witch Hunt” against him and asked his supporters for more money. “This is an absolute DISGRACE. These rabid left-wing prosecutors don’t care about uncovering the truth. They don’t care about administering justice or upholding the rule of law,” he wrote to his donors in an email with the subject line “LEAKED CHARGES AGAINST ME.” “The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED – but it’s clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end.” Online commentators also began speculating that the document was a hack or maybe a leak; after all, the unthinkable and unexpected already happened once in recent months, with the 2022 leak of a draft opinion of the Supreme Court’s eventual decision overturning Roe v Wade. Republican lawmakers meanwhile flew into a rage. "This is OUTRAGEOUS government conduct and is a very legitimate basis to deem the entire Grand Jury process tainted & corrupted,” Florida Representative Matt Gaetz wrote on social media. “MOTION TO DISMISS!!!" The overarching political narratives – judgment day for Mr Trump, or a political prosecution gone too far – had for a time outrun the verifiable facts on the ground. All the while, the actual grand jury process, the body that eventually recommended Mr Trump’s fourth major criminal indictment of the year, continued throughout Monday, extending into after-hours testimony from Georgia officials. Outside, police continued with a stepped-up security posture including K-9 dogs. Media organisations surrounded the court complex, with lines of tents and cameras that heightened the atmosphere of anticipation. When the indictment was unsealed it emerged that there were 13 felony charges against Mr Trump, including RICO, conspiracy to commit forgery, filing false documents, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer and more. In addition, 18 Trump associates have also been indicted, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. The document drama was the latest bizarre twist in a high-profile investigation that began shortly after an infamous 2021 phone call, in which Mr Trump was recorded giving explicit requests for top state officials to “find” him enough votes to reverse Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia. Most recently, Mr Trump has falsely claimed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had an affair with a rapper who was the target of a racketeering probe by her office. Read More Trump indictment live: Trump and 18 allies ordered to surrender on RICO charges for Georgia election plot What is Georgia’s RICO law? Why a law created to prosecute the Mafia is being leveled against Trump All the bombshell charges against Trump and his allies in Georgia RICO case How did a Trump charge sheet get published hours before grand jury vote? Truth Social are doxxing grand jurors who indicted Trump in Georgia Trump claims mystery press conference report clears him of Georgia election charges

PFL founder Donn Davis made a lucrative offer to Nate Diaz to fight Jake Paul

When it comes to the job market, the Federal Reserve seems to want the latest data to bear bad news for the average American. But with inflation, the Fed is rooting for good news.

Olympic Council of Asia chief Raja Randhir Singh on Sunday defended the organisation's decision to allow North Korea to fly its flag at the Asian Games despite being banned...

A celebrated doctor who tested tens of thousands of people for COVID-19 in the pandemic’s early months in a badly-stricken California desert community has pleaded guilty to misbranding cosmetic drugs

Despite OpenAI's anthropomorphizing headline, ChatGPT Vision can't actually see. But it can process and analyze

Every year, starting right about now, our inboxes are inundated with promises of steep end-of-summer sales from our favorite stores. It’s no coincidence that the price cuts and going-going-gone offers kick off around the time we start to think about back-to-school season. You’re already gearing up to snag new organizational supplies, planners, and maybe even some small-space decor — why not tack on a clothes haul worth sharing to TikTok, too?