July Current Events 2024: Science & Technology News
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The world is a very busy place, and it's hard to stay on top of everything. Infoplease has got you covered. Here are the Science & Technology news events you need to know so far for July 2024.
- The European Union Increases Tariff On Chinese Electric Cars
- Samsung Launches A Smart Ring Production To Expand Its Technological Reach
- Researchers Employ AI To Uncover Phonation In Sperm Whales
- Scientists Find Evidence Of Life On Venus
- Instagram Deletes Thousands Of Sexual Scamming Accounts
The European Union Increases Tariff On Chinese Electric Cars
Thursday, July 4, 2024 – In order to defend its auto sector, the EU has imposed duties on Chinese electric automobiles.
New tariffs on manufacturers vary from 17.4% to 37.6%, on top of a 10% charge on all Chinese electric vehicle imports. The action is also a significant setback for Beijing, which is now involved in a trade battle with Washington. The EU is the biggest international market for China's electric vehicle sector.
This might hike EU EV prices, making them unaffordable for consumers. EU authorities said "unfair subsidization" enabled China-made EVs to be supplied substantially cheaper than EU-made ones, boosting imports. China denies the US and EU's recurrent accusation that it subsidizes surplus production to flood Western markets with cheap imports.
The move affects more than Chinese brands. Brussels has also scrutinized Western automakers in China.
Brussels claims tariffs are correcting a skewed market. The EU's decision may appear little compared to the US's 100% tariff increase, but it might have far-reaching consequences.
Source: BBC
Samsung Launches A Smart Ring Production To Expand Its Technological Reach
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 – Samsung has introduced the Galaxy Ring, a wearable gadget that utilizes artificial intelligence to track and analyze health measurements. Until recently, the item, equipped with miniature sensors, has been a specialized product.
However, Samsung intends to alter this by becoming the leading technology firm to go into the smart ring market. According to analyst Ben Wood, the worldwide market is projected to have around four million smart rings by 2025, in contrast to 250 million smartwatches.
Nevertheless, there is a suggestion that Samsung might contribute to the widespread adoption of smart rings by being the first point of contact for customers. James Kitto, the vice president and leader of Samsung's mobile business in the UK & Ireland, praised the debut of the ring as a significant milestone for the firm. The introduction of the Galaxy Ring is anticipated to popularize smart rings and bring them into the general market.
Source: BBC
Researchers Employ AI To Uncover Phonation In Sperm Whales
Thursday, July 11, 2024 – Researchers recently showed how they used AI to detect communication patterns among Sperm whale communities. They found that Sperm whales live in multi-level matrilineal communities, consisting of daughters, mothers, and grandparents, while males travel the waters, visiting the groups to reproduce.
Studying sperm whales poses significant challenges. They dedicate a significant portion of their life to searching for food or capturing prey at depths that are inaccessible to sunlight. These creatures can submerge themselves to depths exceeding 10,000 feet and can sustain their breath for two hours.
Sperm whales engage in communication via the use of rhythmic click sequences known as codas. Previously, it was believed that sperm whales have just 21 distinct coda forms. Nevertheless, after an analysis of over 9,000 recordings, the Ceti researchers were able to identify 156 unique codas. Additionally, they observed the fundamental components of these codas, which they refer to as a "phonetic alphabet specific to sperm whales."
Source: BBC
Scientists Find Evidence Of Life On Venus
Wednesday, July 17, 2024 – Findings presented at the National Astronomy convention in Hull on Wednesday provide more evidence for phosphine, a noxious gas whose existence on Venus has long been debated. By studying the phosphine signature over time, scientists were able to increase evidence for the gas's existence and discovered that its discovery seemed to coincide with the planet's day-night cycle.
A different team reported the preliminary identification of ammonia, which is typically created on Earth by biological activity and industrial processes, and whose existence on Venus experts stated could not be easily explained by known atmospheric or geological events.
Venus's surface temperature reaches about 450 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt lead and zinc; the atmospheric pressure is 90 times that of Earth's surface; and there are sulphuric acid clouds. However, around 50 kilometers (31 miles) above the surface, the temperature and pressure are more similar to those found on Earth, and exceptionally resistant bacteria may be able to survive there.
Source: The Guardian
Instagram Deletes Thousands Of Sexual Scamming Accounts
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 – Instagram's owner, Meta, claims it has deactivated hundreds of accounts in Nigeria that were attempting to target victims in sextortion schemes. Scammers sometimes masquerade as young ladies online to mislead individuals into sharing sexually explicit content before blackmailing them.
Victims of sextortion have taken their own lives as a result of the stress, embarrassment, and shame they experienced after being duped. Sextortion scammers pose as a prospective love interest to a person online to induce them to provide graphic or intimate photographs of themselves, frequently by sending a nude image first and then requesting one in return.
Meta further said that the accounts it disrupted and banned for sextortion efforts were linked to a larger, informal network of hackers working in Nigeria known as the "Yahoo Boys". In addition, Meta has compiled a list of hazardous groups and persons, including scammers, who are prohibited from using its platforms for their operations.
Source: BBC
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