Although the iPhone 7 Plus is on the market for some time now, its functions still manage to surprise the consumer. Hyper image sharpening, or, the bokeh effect, is Apple’s new concoction in the area of portrait photography.

The bokeh effect lets the user take advantage of the phone’s dual camera lens system, in order to take stunning and breathtaking pictures. According to Apple’s representative, the new bokeh effect will become available with iOS’s 10.1 version, which is scheduled to launch somewhere in late October.

However, if you are eager to test this new function and simply cannot wait until October, you can enroll in Apple’s Beta Software Program. As part of his tour, you will be able to download the latest iOS 10.1 update and to test out the amazing bokeh effect.

According to the new phone’s specifications, the Seven Plus model used a 12 Megapixel wide-angle lens and a 12 Megapixel Telephoto lens. While the conventional wide-angle lens lets you take stunning panorama mode picture, the telephone lens will allow the software distinguish between what is located in the background and what is in the foreground.

In addition, the bokeh effect will blur out the background details in order to capture a sharper portrait. Usually, this type of effect can be achieved with pricier DSLR cameras. But with Apple’s latest update, you will be able to enjoy the same features offered by a professional camera.

Although we a couple of more week to wait until we can officially test out Apple’s ingenious camera system, it would seem that things have begun to shape up for the IPhone Seven Plus. Since it was launched, users have kept complaining about the missing 3.5 mm headphone jack.

But, as the manufacturer has decided to prove, the newest addition to the IPhone family has many amazing features that can turn this minus into a big plus.

Again, to access the bokeh effect, you will need the 10.1 of iOS. To get the latest version of this OS, you will need to enroll in Apple’s Beta Testing Program. Enrolling in this test program is free of charge, and you will be able to discover even more features.

The bokeh effect will be especially useful for professional photographers who will want to take full advantage of the smartphone’s dual lens camera in order to create amazing, crisp and sharp portraits.

Image source: Pixabay

The quest to understand if violence is in the human’s genes has preoccupied sociologists, psychologists, and philosophers for centuries. Are our behaviors influenced by the environment we live in as Jean-Jacques Rousseau mentioned in his theory or are we born with the violence as Thomas Hobbes assumed in the 1650s?

To answer this problem, a team of scientists analyzed the problem from another angle, different from the evolutionary biology. Their conclusion was that we inherit part of our violent behavior from an early ancestor, and distribute it to other primates. The researchers noted that the lethal violence had its origins in the lineage of Homo sapiens, apes, and monkeys. By occupating a position within an unusually violent mammalian clade ( a biological word for an organization of organisms that have a common ancestor), humans inherited a certain amount of violence.

To reach these conclusions, researchers collected information on more than 1,024 present mammal species, as well as more than 600 human population from 50 000-10 000 years ago until the present day.  Data involved the analysis of more than four million deaths of the species which accounted for more than 80 percent of the mammalians.

Scientists then analyzed the deaths caused by lethal violence perpetrated by a member of the same species. Examples for humans were intentional killings, infanticide, execution, war, and homicide. The findings showed that intraspecies killing caused 0.3 percent of deaths. But for the parent of all primates, hares, and rodents, killings produced about 1.1% of mortality, increasing to 2.3 % for the next, more current, common ancestor of tree shrews and primates.

Scientists noted that this could only mean that humans have inherited their violence. However, the co-author of the study, Jose Maria Gomez Reyes, said that environmental constraints on survival also influence the evolutionary components that lead to brutality. Territoriality and social behavior are the two features that are shared with relatives of Homo sapiens and are very likely changing the level of lethal brutality which the humans inherited.

However, the findings showed that individuals could curtail the tendencies. In a modern society, that is equipped with prisons, legal systems, and strong cultural beliefs which discard violence, the death rates are 200 times lower than the author foretold for the state of nature.

Image source: Pixabay

The mysteries of the singing fish at San Francisco Bay have been recently revealed. Researchers discovered that the singing fish try to attract mates through their songs. However, they found how melatonin and daily light cycles support the fish in keeping a tab on the coordination of their humming from late evening to the morning.

Until now, scientists did not have much information on how Melatonin and the circadian rhythms work for fish and other nocturnal vertebrates that hum during the mating period. Other research regarding diurnal songbirds proved that melatonin enhances the duration of syllables when birds sing and suppresses singing at night.

However, the effect of melatonin on the singing fish is opposite to the effect on diurnal birds. The release of this hormone provides a signal for the fish to sing and similar to the diurnal birds, it also acts to lengthen notes when the fish hum.

Andrew Bass, the lead author of the study and a professor at the New York Cornell University, highlights that the hormones usually control the output of neural networks in the brain to manage distinct elements of behavior.

Relying on the timescale of response, from the duration of single calls to the day-night rhythms, one hormone can exert different or similar consequences in nocturnal vs. diurnal species.

For the study, researchers brought the midshipman fish also known as Porichthys notatus into a lab where they could modify the lighting for a better analysis of the fish’s reactions.

When the fish encountered constant darkness for seven days at a time, it still sang but on a 25-hour schedule so they began with one hour delay each night.

The researchers also examined what occurred to the melatonin’s effects on behavior when they exposed the fish to a ten-day constant exposure to daylight.

The findings proved that constant exposure to light suppresses the fish’s humming proving that the pineal gland provides melatonin in vertebrates but only in the nighttime. However, when the fish were given a melatonin replacement, they continued to sing, though without a rhythm and only at several random times a day.

Researchers also noted that the brain region also is equipped with melatonin receptors that control the social and reproductive behaviors including vocal initiation cores, similar to those found in birds and other vertebrates.

Image source: Wikipedia

NASA officials are going to present some surprising results after a campaign made on Europa, the Jupiter’s Moon. It could be related to a subsurface ocean that was found on that moon. Paul Hertz, NASA’s director of astrophysics and William Sparks, an astronomer from the Space Telescope Science Institute will present the results at 2 p.m on Monday.

Researchers have already said they have some evidence that proves there is an ocean beneath the crust of Europa. Moreover, the space agency managed to take the first images of Jupiter’s north pole due to Juno spacecraft. The images made by Juno show storms and weather activity, which is new for another planet in our Solar System.

Europa is the second of the four satellites Jupiter has. NASA officials things that it is a special place, because it has an icy surface and they are thinking there could also be a big internal ocean. That is why the scientists are so interested in landing on this moon and finding out more about it.

The Hubble Space Telescope was able to take photos of water vapors that were released from the surface of Europa. That was the moment when the space agency decided to do more research on Europa. If there was water, there could be life too.  It is possible that Hubble managed to see those water vapors again and this is what NASA is going to tell us. No matter what we will find out, the information was find due to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Europa is 4.5 billion years old, which makes it as old as Jupiter. It was discovered on January 8, 1610, by the astronomer Galileo Galilei who also discovered the other moons of Jupiter. Even if it is the smallest one, researchers are more interested in Europa because it could be similar to Earth. Moreover, the moon has an oxygen production 10 times higher than its hydrogen production, which makes life more possible.

The discovery NASA will report today could change our future. If Europa is similar to Earth, it could be a second option for the future generations. Of course, there is a long journey before humans will be able to live on another planet, but we have to take into consideration this option. What do you think NASA discovered on  Europa?

Image source: Wikipedia

 

 

An elementary particle of light, also known as a photon, was teleported 6 kilometers using The City of Calgary’s fiber optic cable infrastructure.

This project was made with the collaboration between The City of Calgary, University of Calgary and a group of U.S physicists. The professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Calgary, Wolfgang Tittel, was the one that led this project.

A group of Chinese researchers also made a similar demonstration and it was published back-to-back with this project in the Nature Photonics journal.

This demonstration was a new record for the distance that a quantum state could be teleported on.

“Being entangled means that the two photons that form an entangled pair have properties that are linked regardless of how far the two are separated,” explains Tittel. “When one of the photons was sent over to City Hall, it remained entangled with the photon that stayed at the University of Calgary.”

This research was possible only because the City of Calgary had the advanced technology consisting of dark fiber. This type of cable does not interfere with the photon.

The challenge was even bigger because the scientists wanted the photons to meet at the same time, or with a difference of ten picoseconds. This was hard because the temperature changed over the day and the scientists needed some time before they had all the data necessary.

The entangled particles are so connected that they affect one another when they are separated from each other. Einstein said that these types of particles are “spooky action at a distance.”

This demonstration could be the first step in building a quantum Internet, which is the future goal for the scientists.

This demonstration was also possible because of the Urban Alliance. It is a strategic partnership between the University of Calgary and the City of Calgary and it has research and beneficial purposes.

The study is a great discovery that could change the computers we use now because it could make quantum computing and it could lead to a more secure internet. This could also be a step in developing actual teleportation for people, not only photons.

What is your opinion about the teleportation of the photon? Do you think that in the distant future people could use teleportation too?

Image source:Wikipedia

A new study of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) mentioned that California could encounter many centuries of drought. Glen MacDonald, a professor at the UCLA, believes that the severe dry that California has faced for the last several years is associated with the alterations in the sea-surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean.

The researchers linked the long lasting dryness in California to the Pacific Ocean’s variations in temperature. For this study, specialists have analyzed 8000 years of data regarding the water and climate changes in the Sierra Nevada. They have then utilized this information to cross-reference it upon the records of Pacific through the marine deposit.

According to the UCLA team, the warming of the seas is usually caused by radiative forcing. The warming has lead to a dangerous extension of the drought period and severe climate change. Currently, the greenhouse gasses are also influencing the increase in temperatures.

A specialist on climate change and drought, MacDonald, mentioned that radiative forcing has had a severe effect on the extended period of drought in the past years. He also mentioned that when an arid period persists for more than 60 days like we have encountered in the 12th century or for millennia like in 6,000 to 1,000 B.C, this cannot be called a simple drought.

It’s believed that the California millennia was influenced by the planet’s orbit which extended the solar energy that was directed to the Northern Hemisphere. So, with the increasing number of greenhouse gasses, California could be preparing for many centuries of drought.

Other investigations of ancient tree stumps sunk in Sierra lakes and tree rings have also reported many centuries of droughts.

A research specialist with the Atmospheric Administration and National Oceanic, Martin Hoerling, linked the West’s warm and arid medieval time to the conditions of the tropical ocean, particularly a cool east Pacific. He mentioned that when the eastern Pacific is cold in comparison to the other tropical waters, the American West is inclined to have reduced quantities of rain.

MacDonald concluded that the temperatures in California are expected to increase, the lakes would get shallower while snowfall and rainfall would significantly decrease.

Image source: Wikipedia

An ancient fabric discovered in Peru which is believed to be more than 6000 years old proves that early prehispanic Peruvians were using indigo blue to dye long ahead of Egyptians.

Huaca Prieta located on Peru’s north coast is the location where archaeologists discovered the ancient piece of fabric. It is believed that Huaca Prieta is an old ceremonial hill where ancient Peruvians existed 14,5000 to 4,000 years ago. Earlier indigo-dyed textiles were located in Egypt (though to be 1,500 years old) and in China (almost 3,000 years old).

A textile specialist at George Washington University, Jeffrey Splitstoster, mentioned that together with his colleagues they have unearthed more ancient fabrics at the site, and they have studied more than 800 of them. Splitstoster stated that this seems to be the oldest fabric dyed with indigo blue as he knows of.

The fabric has been preserved in an excellent state and its incomplete nature is because  the material was in that condition prior to being discarded.

Splitstoser further said that the bits of fabric looked as if someone ripped them from a bigger piece of material. They also lead the impression that they were dipped in a liquid and twisted. Due to the materials size, specialists mentioned that they could have been used to carry objects and not for clothing. The method is believed to be similar to how individuals in the Andes used to put an object in the middle of the material to carry it.

Splitstoser said that it could be possible that people carried things to the temple where they would deposit the objects along with the fabric.

A chemist from the University College London, Jan Wouters, analyzed the indigo blue dye and concluded that it could be from Indigofera which was a plant utilized to produce the indigo dyes.

Nonetheless, Wouters is impressed by the ancient Peruvians capacity because, in order to extract the indigo color, they had to obtain the fermentation process. It could only mean that the individuals had not only the weaving fabric knowledge but also the experience to extract color too.

Splitstoser concluded that although we usually consider that the ancient people lacked the knowledge of understanding, they should have been very smart to survive in that time.

Image source: Wikipedia

The wild red wolf population is significantly reducing which is the reason why the animals will have to leave the nearly 2 million acres in eastern North Carolina that they wander on for the public areas in Dare County.

The territories they can be found on are highly dangerous and could get them shot by private landowners who considered them a mixed-breed inconvenience. Moreover, the wild red wolves could mate with coyotes, and this activity could lead to the extinction of the population.

The Fish and Wildlife Service shared their conclusion on Monday. It followed a study of the species that lasted two years and involved divided public input.

In 1980, the wild red wolf was declared extinct. In 1987 four captive-born partners were exhibited in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. However, scientists have different opinions when it comes to the species being specified in the Endangered Species Act and its origins.

Because the red wolf has breed since then with coyotes it now preys on small pets and livestock and landowners have usually shot them by accident when mistaken with coyotes.

Wildlife groups criticize the statement on Monday praising te effort to include the animals in the wild which lasted around 30 years.

There are now just around 45 wild red wolves including 29 which are carefully examined by biologists. According to a statement from the Fish and Wildlife Service, only three pairs are still among the studied animals.

In 2012, five eastern North Carolina counties had more than 100 wolves subsisting in 1.7 million acres of mostly private land.

The regional manager of Fish and Wildlife Service, Cindy Dohner, mentioned few steps needed to save the red wolf species. Among the measures, she suggested that managing the current wild population in the 152,000 acres Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and 46,000 acres, Dare County is highly advised.

Moreover, the number of captive red wolves must reach at least 400. Scientists think that a comprehensive analysis must be created of the red wolf species, and new sites must be identified for the population. All of these measures could guarantee the success of the species’ evolution.

Conservation groups mention that the national administration has already prohibited practices that helped increase the population of wolves such as sterilizing coyotes that seldom interbreed with the red wolf population and freeing pups born in captivity in the wild.

Image source: Wikipedia

According to the World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, the Eastern Gorilla which is the biggest living primate has recently been recognized as an endangered species. This new announcement makes four of the six large ape varieties close to extinction.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) stated that the primary reason for the decrease in the gorilla population is illegal hunting. The Red List of Endangered Species on which we could locate the eastern gorilla contains more than 80,000 species with approximately 24,000 of those being endangered by extinction.

The IUCN general director, Inger Andersen, mentioned that it is our obligation to improve our attempts to preserve the future of our planet. Moreover, the researchers have evidence that the conservation procedures taken so far are showing results.

The number of eastern gorillas which remain in the wild is 70 percent less than what it was 20 years ago, reaching 5,000 specimens. Of all the six species of the great ape- the western gorilla, eastern gorilla, Sumatran orangutan, Bornean orangutan, bonobo, and chimpanzee, only two of them are not on the critically endangered list, bonobo, and chimpanzee. However, all of the species are considered endangered.

Russell Mittermeier, the managing vice chairperson of the Conservation International environmental organization, says that conservation for the gorillas in Congo, where most of the species exist, will be very challenging because of the regulatory uncertainty. He also stated that the best method to improve the longevity of the eastern gorilla is to invest in on-the-ground security measures until the zone stabilizes.

The study of Wildlife Conservation Society was accepted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature which is hosting the World Conservation Congress. This week’s convention from Honolulu will gather more than 9,000 representatives from 180 countries, counting numerous national leaders.

The lead scientist of the research indicated that although the eastern gorilla is the largest ape in Africa, it was highly neglected.

The general manager of the environmental organization World Wildlife Fund,  Marco Lambertini, said that for more than 50 years, the giant panda had been the world’s most popular conservation image. Moreover, all individuals involved in preserving the world’s wildlife will be happy to know that the lovable panda is presently a step forward from extinction.

Image source: Pixabay

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University mentioned that if hackers would successfully attack the emergency response system, the callers would receive a busy tone when calling the 911 service.

Since first created in 1968, the 911 emergency phone system has fortunately saved millions of lives by directing the calls to crisis responders close to the person in need.

Recently, some analysts announced that they have figure out a way to disable the 911 system for a lengthened period by quickly performing the TDoS attack on 911 call centers, also known as the telephony denial-of-service assault.

The method includes making phones mechanically call the 911 service without their owner’s permission or knowledge thus crowding the call center lines which will lead to the failure of real callers to reach the service.

Researchers suggested that to interrupt the emergency response system throughout the whole state of North Carolina, they would only need to infect approximately 6,000 phones, an activity which seems to be very easy for hackers to achieve. Moreover, to disrupt the 911 system throughout the United States, hackers would need to infect around 200,000 phones.

The analysts at Ben Gurion University in Israel stated that an attacker would this way be able to determine 33 percent of callers to stop trying to contact the 911 service.

The director of R&D at the University’s Cyber Security Center, Mordechai Guri, said that while routers and call centers operate under normal circumstances at near capacity, increasing the call numbers, just a bit could overpower them.

Mordechai also said that he and his team are aware of the vulnerability for a TDoS attack and that they brought the situation to the attention of DHS a few years ago.

The manager of government operations for the National Emergency Number Association, Trey Forgety, declared that the emergency response system is highly limited, usually less than five circuits operate all 911 requests for a state.

Annually, the Americans make more than  240 million calls to approximately 7,000 call centers across the country, and around 70 percent of the requests come from mobile telephones. However, experts believe that the emergency response systems haven’t kept pace with the needed technology to deal with such a great volume of calls.

Image source: Wikipedia