List of All Articles with Tag 'tec'

The reality of what lies within our oceans has fascinated people since time immemorial, so it’s no wonder we’ve created countless myths about the watery depths. But step aside, Atlantis, scientists have discovered a real Lost City beneath the waves, and this one is teaming with life. The rocky, towering landscape is located west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge mountain range, hundreds of metres below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, and consists of massive walls, columns and monoliths stretching more than 60 metres (200ft) tall. To be clear, it’s not the home of some long-forgotten human civilisation, but that doesn’t make its existence any less significant. The hydrothermal field, dubbed the “Lost City” upon its discovery in the year 2000, is the longest-lived venting environment known in the ocean, Science Alert reports. Nothing else like it has ever been found on Earth, and experts think it could offer an insight into ecosystems that could exist elsewhere in the universe. For more than 120,000 years, snails, crustaceans and microbial communities have fed off the field’s vents, which spout out hydrogen, methane and other dissolved gases into the surrounding water. Despite the absence of oxygen down there, larger animals also survive in this extreme environment, including crabs, shrimps and eels. Although, they are, admittedly, rare. The hydrocarbons produced by its vents were not created by sunlight or carbon dioxide, but by chemical reactions way down on the seafloor. This is how life on our planet may have originated some 3.7 billion years, and how it could be formed on others. "This is an example of a type of ecosystem that could be active on Enceladus or Europa right this second," microbiologist William Brazelton told The Smithsonian back in 2018, referring to the moons of Saturn and Jupiter respectively. "And maybe Mars in the past." The tallest of the Lost City’s monoliths has been named Poseidon, after the Greek god of the sea, and it measures more than 60 metres high. Meanwhile, just northeast of the tower, is a cliffside where the vents “weep” with fluid, producing "clusters of delicate, multi-pronged carbonate growths that extend outward like the fingers of upturned hands", according to researchers at the University of Washington. There are now calls for the Lost City to be listed as a World Heritage site to protect the natural phenomenon, particularly given humans’ propensity to destroy precious ecosystems. Back in 2018, it was confirmed that Poland had won the rights to mine the deep sea around the thermal field. And whilst, in theory, the Lost City would not be touched by such works, as Science Alert notes, the destruction of its surroundings could have unintended consequences. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Osaka Digital Exchange Co. will begin Japan’s first trading of digital securities next month in the form of

Microsoft has hired OpenAI co-founder and former chief executive Sam Altman just days after he was ousted from his company. Mr Altman was fired on Friday, less than a year after launching the hugely successful AI chatbot ChatGPT, with OpenAI’s board saying it “no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI”. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was reportedly “furious” about being blindsided by Mr Altman’s firing, despite the tech giant being a key investor of the artificial intelligence firm. On Monday, Mr Nadella announced that both Mr Altman and fellow OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman would be joining his company. “We’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team,” Mr Nadella wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success.” Mr Altman replied to the post: “The mission continues.” Mr Altman had previously posted a picture of himself wearing an OpenAI guest pass over the weekend, together with the caption: “First and last time I ever wear one of these.” Mr Nadella followed up his original post on X with further details about what Mr Altman’s new role might be within the company. “I’m super excited to have you join as CEO of this new group, Sam, setting a new pace for innovation,” he wrote. “We’ve learned a lot over the years about how to give founders and innovators space to build independent identities and cultures within Microsoft, including GitHub, Mojang Studios, and LinkedIn, and I’m looking forward to having you do the same.” Read More OpenAI in talks to bring Sam Altman back days after CEO ouster, reports say OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman ousted as CEO ChatGPT Plus stops signups after major update ChatGPT creator mocks Elon Musk in brutal tweet ChatGPT goes offline ChatGPT update allows anyone to make their own personalised AI assistant

Microsoft Corp. said that Sam Altman will lead the software developer’s new in-house artificial intelligence team after the

Moody’s Investors Service said it revised up the credit ratings firm’s outlook on SoftBank Group Corp. to stable

Sam Altman will not return as CEO of OpenAI despite efforts from the company's executives to bring him

OpenAI’s board hired Emmett Shear, formerly of Twitch, as chief executive officer, defying calls from investors to reinstate

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. tapped new leadership for its Japan business to replace a long-standing investment banker stepping

OpenAI’s interim Chief Executive Officer Mira Murati plans to re-hire her ousted predecessor Sam Altman and former President

Kyle Vogt resigned as chief executive of General Motors Co.’s autonomous driving unit, Cruise LLC, following the loss

Elon Musk railed against “bogus” media reports accusing him of antisemitism, issuing his strongest response yet after endorsing

Argentina investors cheered libertarian economist Javier Milei’s bigger-than-expected win in Sunday’s presidential vote and his pledges to usher