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A study has confirmed that the iconic king cobra, previously thought to be a single species, is actually a group of four separate species. This revelation ends a mystery that has puzzled scientists for over 188 years. The new findings mark a significant advancement in the understanding of the world's longest venomous snake. For nearly two centuries, the king cobra was believed to be one species: Ophiophagus hannah. The new findings, published in the European Journal of Taxonomy on October 16, claims that scientists began questioning this assumption due to noticeable differences in the snake's physical characteristics, including colour patterns, across various regions. In 2021, genetic research uncovered distinct genetic lineages among king cobra populations. The latest study, led by Gowri Shankar Pogiri, founder of the Kalinga Foundation and director of the Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology, combined genetic findings with physical traits of museum specimens to identify th

On September 26, 2024, as Hurricane Helene battered Florida's Gulf Coast, it produced significant storm surges, impacting numerous communities across the region. During this extreme weather event, NASA's Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE), stationed aboard the International Space Station, observed gravity waves in the atmosphere approximately 55 miles above Earth's surface. This data, gathered as part of NASA's study on space weather, aims to shed light on how terrestrial weather impacts technological systems such as satellites and communication networks. Observations from NASA's AWE Instrument As the International Space Station crossed the southeastern United States, the AWE instrument recorded large concentric waves in the atmosphere , originating from the intense conditions stirred by Hurricane Helene. These gravity waves, which appear as artificially coloured bands in red, yellow, and blue, depicted changes in radiance within the Earth's mesosphere. The i

A study has confirmed that the iconic king cobra, previously thought to be a single species, is actually a group of four separate species. This revelation ends a mystery that has puzzled scientists for over 188 years. The new findings mark a significant advancement in the understanding of the world's longest venomous snake. For nearly two centuries, the king cobra was believed to be one species: Ophiophagus hannah. The new findings, published in the European Journal of Taxonomy on October 16, claims that scientists began questioning this assumption due to noticeable differences in the snake's physical characteristics, including colour patterns, across various regions. In 2021, genetic research uncovered distinct genetic lineages among king cobra populations. The latest study, led by Gowri Shankar Pogiri, founder of the Kalinga Foundation and director of the Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology, combined genetic findings with physical traits of museum specimens to identify th

Allu Arjun, the acclaimed Telugu film star, is all set to appear on the popular talk show Unstoppable with NBK, hosted by veteran actor Nandamuri Balakrishna. Known for his recent success in Pushpa , Arjun's participation in the talk show is highly anticipated as he shares anecdotes about his career, inspiration, and his recent achievements. The special episode, which will be available on Aha on November 15, promises engaging moments between the two stars. When and Where to Watch Unstoppable with NBK The episode featuring Allu Arjun on Unstoppable with NBK will premiere on November 15 and will be accessible on the Aha streaming platform. The show, a favourite among Telugu audiences, brings Balakrishna and his guests into light-hearted yet thought-provoking conversations, providing fans with insights into their favourite stars. Official Trailer and Plot of Allu Arjun's Unstoppable Episode In the episode trailer, Allu Arjun speaks candidly about his inspirations, mentioning

Chimpanzees have shown improved performance on challenging computer-based tasks when observed by humans, a study published in iScience on November 8 reveals. Conducted at Kyoto University, the research observed chimpanzees undertaking number-based tasks on touchscreens, monitored under different audience conditions. It was found that their performance increased with the task's difficulty when the number of human observers also rose. However, for simpler tasks, chimpanzees performed worse in the presence of larger audiences, pointing to a nuanced relationship between observation and performance. A Unique Setting for Chimpanzee-Human Interaction Researchers, including Christen Lin of Kyoto University, explored whether chimpanzees experience an "audience effect," typically attributed to reputation management in humans. The study , led by Shinya Yamamoto and Akiho Muramatsu, focused on chimpanzees accustomed to daily interactions with humans and familiar with touchscreen t

Chimpanzees have shown improved performance on challenging computer-based tasks when observed by humans, a study published in iScience on November 8 reveals. Conducted at Kyoto University, the research observed chimpanzees undertaking number-based tasks on touchscreens, monitored under different audience conditions. It was found that their performance increased with the task's difficulty when the number of human observers also rose. However, for simpler tasks, chimpanzees performed worse in the presence of larger audiences, pointing to a nuanced relationship between observation and performance. A Unique Setting for Chimpanzee-Human Interaction Researchers, including Christen Lin of Kyoto University, explored whether chimpanzees experience an "audience effect," typically attributed to reputation management in humans. The study , led by Shinya Yamamoto and Akiho Muramatsu, focused on chimpanzees accustomed to daily interactions with humans and familiar with touchscreen t

Instagram is implementing a change for the removal of a feature that has long been considered annoying by users, the company head has confirmed via social media. From now on, the social media platform's feed will not automatically refresh when the app is opened after a period of brief inactivity, enabling the user to see the posts which first appear on their screen. Notably, this development comes after the company confirmed that it deliberately lowers the quality of Instagram stories and Reels which do not fetch a lot of views, reserving the computation resources for videos that are being watched by a large number of users. No More Automatic Feed Refreshing on Instagram During a recent Ask Me Anything (AMA) ( via @_blunderchief), Instagram head Adam Mosseri was asked about a recent change on the social media platform which people did not know about. The official highlighted that Instagram has stopped doing what is internally known as a “rug pull” — a user interface (UI) featu

Instagram is implementing a change for the removal of a feature that has long been considered annoying by users, the company head has confirmed via social media. From now on, the social media platform's feed will not automatically refresh when the app is opened after a period of brief inactivity, enabling the user to see the posts which first appear on their screen. Notably, this development comes after the company confirmed that it deliberately lowers the quality of Instagram stories and Reels which do not fetch a lot of views, reserving the computation resources for videos that are being watched by a large number of users. No More Automatic Feed Refreshing on Instagram During a recent Ask Me Anything (AMA) ( via @_blunderchief), Instagram head Adam Mosseri was asked about a recent change on the social media platform which people did not know about. The official highlighted that Instagram has stopped doing what is internally known as a “rug pull” — a user interface (UI) featu

New research has revealed that meteoroid trails, left behind by long-period comets , could help scientists detect potentially hazardous comets years before they approach Earth. These rare comets, which take hundreds or even thousands of years to complete their orbits, often go unnoticed until it is too late to prepare for a possible collision. However, scientists have now found a way to track these comets by observing the meteoroid streams they leave in their wake. Tracking Comet Paths Through Meteoroid Trails The study has been accepted for publication in The Planetary Science Journal, and is available as a preprint via  arXiv . Long-period comets (LPCs) are known for their infrequent visits to the solar system. While comets like Halley's Comet pass by Earth every 76 years, other comets only make an appearance once every few centuries. Some of these distant comets could pose a significant threat if their orbits bring them close enough to Earth. A comet with a large enough impact

iOS 18.2 will reportedly allow users to "trust" a new computer without entering their passcode. The next iOS update is expected to arrive in December, and Apple  rolled out the second developer beta version earlier this week. Unlike iOS 18.1, which mostly added support for a couple of Apple Intelligence features on eligible iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers, the company is expected to introduce more features with the iOS 18.2 update next month, including the ability to share the location of lost items with trusted people and the ability to change focus and exposure lock on the Camera Control button. iOS 18.2 to Let Users Trust New Computers Using Face ID on iPhone Apple's security feature that requires users to enter their PIN, passcode, or password to "trust" a new computer will soon become a lot easier to use, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by user Aaron Perris ( via 9to5Mac). Apple will let users allow a new computer to access the data on the

Google Pixel phones include a Call Screen feature that could soon be upgraded with new  artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, according to a report. The Mountain View-based tech giant is reportedly working on an 'AI Replies' feature which will generate smart replies based on what the caller has said, instead of the standard replies seen in the current version of Call Screen. The feature is currently under development, so it will not be visible in the latest version of the Phone app on Pixel devices, and could be rolled out to the company's devices in the future. Google Pixel to Reportedly Get AI Replies in Call Screen The Call Screen feature in the Phone app on Pixel smartphones allows users to set the  Google Assistant to receive incoming calls and ask why the call was placed. It is available in select regions (not in India) and works on all Pixel smartphones. Last year, Google added the contextual replies feature to Call Screen, which allowed users to respond to

Google Pixel phones include a Call Screen feature that could soon be upgraded with new  artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, according to a report. The Mountain View-based tech giant is reportedly working on an 'AI Replies' feature which will generate smart replies based on what the caller has said, instead of the standard replies seen in the current version of Call Screen. The feature is currently under development, so it will not be visible in the latest version of the Phone app on Pixel devices, and could be rolled out to the company's devices in the future. Google Pixel to Reportedly Get AI Replies in Call Screen The Call Screen feature in the Phone app on Pixel smartphones allows users to set the  Google Assistant to receive incoming calls and ask why the call was placed. It is available in select regions (not in India) and works on all Pixel smartphones. Last year, Google added the contextual replies feature to Call Screen, which allowed users to respond to

A seismic wave detected shortly before the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption in January 2022 could help scientists predict future volcanic activity in remote ocean areas. A study published by the American Geophysical Union suggests that the seismic wave, detected 750 kilometres from the volcano, was likely triggered by a rupture in the oceanic crust. This break allowed seawater to interact with magma near the volcano's magma chamber, leading to the eruption. The research offers insight into early eruption indicators, which could be crucial for tsunami warning systems. Precursor Signals Could Improve Tsunami Alerts As per the study published , a Rayleigh wave was recorded at two distant seismic stations in Fiji and Futuna fifteen minutes before the January 15 eruption. It raised interest among researchers studying volcanic triggers. According to volcanologist Mie Ichihara from the University of Tokyo, the seismic activity likely indicated a significant fracture in the crust

NASA's Parker Solar Probe will execute its last gravity assist with Venus, skimming just 233 miles (376 km) above the planet's surface, on November 06, 2024. This close encounter will redirect Parker onto its final trajectory, positioning it to travel within a record-breaking 3.86 million miles of the sun's surface on December 24. This approach marks the closest any human-made spacecraft has come to the sun, a landmark in space exploration. A Chance Discovery Unveils Venus's Surface As per a recent report by NASA, Parker's earlier Venus flybys yielded unexpected discoveries about the planet. Using the Wide-Field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR), scientists initially intended to observe changes in the planet's thick cloud cover. However, during the third flyby on 11 July 2020, WISPR detected near-infrared light emanating from Venus's surface, revealing details beyond the clouds. According to Noam Izenberg, a space scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied

NASA's Parker Solar Probe will execute its last gravity assist with Venus, skimming just 233 miles (376 km) above the planet's surface, on November 06, 2024. This close encounter will redirect Parker onto its final trajectory, positioning it to travel within a record-breaking 3.86 million miles of the sun's surface on December 24. This approach marks the closest any human-made spacecraft has come to the sun, a landmark in space exploration. A Chance Discovery Unveils Venus's Surface As per a recent report by NASA, Parker's earlier Venus flybys yielded unexpected discoveries about the planet. Using the Wide-Field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR), scientists initially intended to observe changes in the planet's thick cloud cover. However, during the third flyby on 11 July 2020, WISPR detected near-infrared light emanating from Venus's surface, revealing details beyond the clouds. According to Noam Izenberg, a space scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied

The Tamil war drama Amaran recently is set to premiere on Netflix later in the month of November. The movie, which showed some strong promise at the box office, will soon be available on the popular OTT platform. Reports indicate that the streaming giant acquired the film's digital rights for the war-drama movie. Following its theatrical success, Amaran will arrive on OTT in late November, providing wider access for audiences who missed its initial release. As per a report by Filmibeat, the movie might be releasing on the popular OTT platform Netflix in third or fourth week of November. The report highlights that the OTT rights were sold to the popular streaming platform for Rs. 60 crore. That said, there is no official confirmation about the OTT release of Amaran, so you might have to wait a bit longer to know the final release date.  Official Trailer and Plot of Amaran The plot of Amaran centres around the courageous actions of Major Mukund Varadarajan, a decorated officer o

The Malayalam film industry, known for its innovative storytelling, has recently expanded its reach via OTT platforms, drawing in audiences from across India and beyond. With the latest releases on platforms like Prime Video , viewers have a fresh selection of unique, genre-spanning films to enjoy from the comfort of their homes. Here's a round-up of some of the most anticipated Malayalam films currently streaming. Gaganachari Set in a futuristic Kerala of the 2050s, Gaganachari takes viewers on a wild journey where three bachelors have an unexpected encounter with an alien. Directed by Arun Chandu, with screenplay contributions from Chandu and Siva Sai, this science fiction comedy explores the fun and chaos that ensues in their lives after the arrival of this mysterious visitor. Starring Gokul Suresh, Aju Varghese, Anarkali Marikar, and K. B. Ganesh Kumar, the film debuted in theatres on June 21, 2024, before making its OTT debut four months later. OTT Release Date: October 26

The Malayalam film industry, known for its innovative storytelling, has recently expanded its reach via OTT platforms, drawing in audiences from across India and beyond. With the latest releases on platforms like Prime Video , viewers have a fresh selection of unique, genre-spanning films to enjoy from the comfort of their homes. Here's a round-up of some of the most anticipated Malayalam films currently streaming. Gaganachari Set in a futuristic Kerala of the 2050s, Gaganachari takes viewers on a wild journey where three bachelors have an unexpected encounter with an alien. Directed by Arun Chandu, with screenplay contributions from Chandu and Siva Sai, this science fiction comedy explores the fun and chaos that ensues in their lives after the arrival of this mysterious visitor. Starring Gokul Suresh, Aju Varghese, Anarkali Marikar, and K. B. Ganesh Kumar, the film debuted in theatres on June 21, 2024, before making its OTT debut four months later. OTT Release Date: October 26

The Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam, located in Quang Binh Province within Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park currently holds the title as the largest known cave in the world. With dimensions exceeding three miles (5 km) in length and 660 feet (200 m) in height, this natural wonder could house 15 Great Pyramids of Giza within its vast chambers. Its enormous passages are so spacious that a Boeing 747 could hypothetically fly through parts of the cave. The unique “ skylights ” in the cave's limestone structure allow sunlight to flood in, nourishing two jungles nestled within the cave, and creating an ecosystem unlike any other on Earth. A Discovery Decades in the Making As per a recent report by LiveScience, Hang Son Doong, meaning “Mountain River,” was first discovered by Ho Khanh, a local resident, in 1990. Khanh stumbled upon the cave while hunting, noting the rush of wind and sound of water echoing from inside. However, surrounded by dense foliage, he was unable to relocate it unt

The Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam, located in Quang Binh Province within Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park currently holds the title as the largest known cave in the world. With dimensions exceeding three miles (5 km) in length and 660 feet (200 m) in height, this natural wonder could house 15 Great Pyramids of Giza within its vast chambers. Its enormous passages are so spacious that a Boeing 747 could hypothetically fly through parts of the cave. The unique “ skylights ” in the cave's limestone structure allow sunlight to flood in, nourishing two jungles nestled within the cave, and creating an ecosystem unlike any other on Earth. A Discovery Decades in the Making As per a recent report by LiveScience, Hang Son Doong, meaning “Mountain River,” was first discovered by Ho Khanh, a local resident, in 1990. Khanh stumbled upon the cave while hunting, noting the rush of wind and sound of water echoing from inside. However, surrounded by dense foliage, he was unable to relocate it unt

Apple  introduced the iOS 18.1 update last week that brought Apple Intelligence , the company's suite of artificial intelligence (AI) features, to iPhone and other devices. Now, a report suggests that the next batch of Apple Intelligence features, including ChatGPT integration in Siri and a new Image Playground app, will arrive with the iOS 18.2 update for iPhone earlier than expected. The release timeline of other iOS 18 updates, along with the improvements they might carry, has also been suggested. iOS 18.2 Update Release Timeline Apple has previously confirmed that the iOS 18.2 update with more Apple Intelligence features would be released in December. Release trends of similar past updates suggest it could take place in the second week of the month. However in his Power on newsletter , Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed that iOS 18.2's release could take place earlier than scheduled. It could be rolled out in the week of December 2. This update is reported to introduc

For the first time, a team of researchers in China has reversed type 1 diabetes by converting a woman's own fat cells into insulin-producing cells. Led by Dr. Hongkui Deng at the Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences at Peking University, the team is reported to create new insulin-producing pancreatic cells that freed her from needing insulin injections for more than a year. This promising result, published in the journal Cell, has sparked new possibilities for long-term diabetes treatment. New Approach to Insulin Production As per a report by Livescience, the team extracted fat cells from a woman with type 1 diabetes and chemically reverted these cells to a highly adaptable, stem-like state. Then, using a series of lab techniques, the team reportedly converted them into insulin-producing islet cells, which are usually found in the pancreas. The report further mentioned that these reprogrammed cells were implanted in patient's abdomen, where they began producing insulin

A study has revealed that controlling sugar intake in infancy can significantly reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, later in life. Researchers analysing historical data from World War II's sugar rationing in the United Kingdom found that limited sugar consumption in childhood led to healthier adult outcomes, emphasising the importance of diet in the early stages of life. Economist Dr Tadeja Gracner from the University of Southern California led the research, published in Science.org. As per the report , the team explored the long-term effects of rationed sugar intake by reviewing health records of over 60,000 UK Biobank participants born from 1951 to 1956. The team then reportedly divided the participants into two groups, one experienced sugar rationing in early childhood, while the other grew up after the restrictions were lifted in 1953. Findings showed that those who had limited sugar intake as children were less likely to develop typ

BioWare has left the disappointed launches of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem in its rearview and finally delivered what seems to be a hit with Dragon Age: The Veilguard . The action-RPG has climbed to the top of Steam's Top Sellers list following its launch across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on Thursday, leaving the recently released Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in second place. The new Dragon Age title has also become BioWare's biggest Steam launch in history, according to concurrent player figures on SteamDB. Dragon Age: The Veilguard Steam Launch Within a day of launch, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has reached a peak concurrent player count of 70,414 on Steam , making it the most popular Steam release from BioWare (as spotted by VGC ) ever. The studio's previous biggest launch on Valve's storefront was 2021's Mass Effect Legendary Edition , that reached a peak player count of 59,817 on the platform. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is also one of publisher EA'

  Telegram has been updated with improvements to the video and chat features on the messaging service. The latest update brings new video speed controls, while improving the quality of videos along with support for faster loading, based on network connection quality. Users will now be able to add media while editing a sent message. Telegram will now display the last time a message was edited inside a chat. Developers will also be able to leverage new monetisation options on the platform. Telegram Update Brings New Video Features, Improvements After updating to the latest version of the app, Telegram says that users will be able to speed up video playback by holding down on the right side of a video, then sliding to the right in order to increase playback speed up to 2.5x. This feature provides faster access to the existing video speed controls, and users on Android can also tap on the left and right side of the screen to rewind or fast forward by 10 seconds, respectively. The n

Android 16 will be released in the first half of 2025, according to details shared by Google. Unlike the latest version of the company's operating system that was rolled out to Pixel phones in October, Google will launch its next major Android version earlier next year, followed by a minor release by the end of the year. As a result, the company will have more frequent Android software development kit (SDK) releases, as part of ongoing efforts to brings new features to users, while improving app stability. Google Effectively Confirms Android 16 Release Timeline In a post on the Android Developers Blog, the company says that it will have a major release in Q2 2025 (instead of the typical Q3 launch window), followed by a minor release in the fourth quarter. Google says the decision was made to "better align with the schedule of device launches" that would enable Android 16 to be rolled out to eligible devices at a faster rate. Android 16 will be released in Q2 2025 P

Redmi Band 3 has been launched in China. The smart band comes with a 1.47-inch rectangular screen with a 60Hz refresh rate and is said to offer a battery life of up to 18 days. It is equipped with several health and wellness monitoring features like heart rate, blood oxygen level and sleep cycle tracking. The smart wearable has a 5ATM rating for water resistance. It has 50 preset sports modes, supports more than 100 watch faces, and runs on Xiaomi's HyperOS. Redmi Band 3 Price, Availability Redmi Band 3 price in China is set at CNY 159 (roughly Rs. 1,900). It is available for purchase in the country via Xiaomi China e-store . The smart band is offered in five colour options — black, beige, dark grey and green, pink, and yellow. Redmi Band 3 Specifications, Features The Redmi Band 3 sports a 1.47-inch rectangular screen with a 172 x 320 pixels resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. The smart band measures 9.99mm in thickness and weighs 16.5g. It comes with a 5 ATM rating for wat

Redmi Band 3 has been launched in China. The smart band comes with a 1.47-inch rectangular screen with a 60Hz refresh rate and is said to offer a battery life of up to 18 days. It is equipped with several health and wellness monitoring features like heart rate, blood oxygen level and sleep cycle tracking. The smart wearable has a 5ATM rating for water resistance. It has 50 preset sports modes, supports more than 100 watch faces, and runs on Xiaomi's HyperOS. Redmi Band 3 Price, Availability Redmi Band 3 price in China is set at CNY 159 (roughly Rs. 1,900). It is available for purchase in the country via Xiaomi China e-store . The smart band is offered in five colour options — black, beige, dark grey and green, pink, and yellow. Redmi Band 3 Specifications, Features The Redmi Band 3 sports a 1.47-inch rectangular screen with a 172 x 320 pixels resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. The smart band measures 9.99mm in thickness and weighs 16.5g. It comes with a 5 ATM rating for wat