Lions CBs Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. out vs. Colts
Burt, the huge crocodile that rose to fame with a cameo in the movie “Crocodile Dundee” and continued to impress visitors with his fiery temper and commanding presence, has died. Burt died over the weekend, the Crocosaurus Cove reptile aquarium in Darwin, Australia , said. He was at least 90 years old. “Known for his independent nature, Burt was a confirmed bachelor — an attitude he made clear during his earlier years at a crocodile farm,” Crocosaurus Cove wrote in social media posts. “He wasn’t just a crocodile, he was a force of nature and a reminder of the power and majesty of these incredible creatures. While his personality could be challenging, it was also what made him so memorable and beloved by those who worked with him and the thousands who visited him over the years,” the aquarium wrote. A saltwater crocodile , Burt was estimated to be more than 5 meters (16 feet) long. He was captured in the 1980s in the Reynolds River and became one of the most well-known crocodiles in the world, according to Crocosaurus Cove. The 1986 movie stars Paul Hogan as the rugged crocodile hunter Mick Dundee. In the movie, American Sue Charlton, played by actress Linda Kozlowski, goes to fill her canteen in a watering hole when she is attacked by a crocodile before being saved by Dundee. Burt is briefly shown lunging out of the water. But the creature shown in more detail as Dundee saves the day is apparently something else. The Internet Movie Database says the movie goofed by depicting an American alligator, which has a blunter snout. The Australian aquarium where Burt had lived since 2008 features a “Cage of Death” which it says is the nation's only crocodile dive. It said it planned to honor Burt's legacy with a commemorative sign “celebrating his extraordinary life and the stories and interactions he shared throughout his time at the park.”
TikTok Asks Supreme Court To Stop Federal BanThe striker produced the decisive moment in the match to turn in Joe Rankin-Costello's excellent cross and win the game for the away side. They defended for their lives yet again to record a fourth successive away win and clean sheet. Gueye's start to life at Ewood Park hasn't been without its difficulties but his first goal in the league will hopefully be the spark to kickstart his career in England. Eustace says Rovers need him to deliver and contribute and so couldn't have been happier to see him be the match-winner. READ MORE: ROVERS PLAYER RATINGS AS TWO PLAYERS STAND OUT IN OWLS WIN "I thought it was a really tough game against a physical team who tested us with long balls," Eustace said. "We had to defend that and the boys stuck to their task. We knew we would get opportunities on the turnover and the substitutes would make a difference. "I'm really delighted for Makhtar to get the winning goal. He has been working his socks off in training and in the games when he has come in. "It was a fantastic ball from Joe and it's a brilliant header. He said he wants more crosses in the box so I am delighted for him. "Every striker wants to score goals but he keeps to his task and his work ethic is excellent. He puts it in both boxes and I'm really pleased for him. Hopefully, he can get a few more now. "I hope it helps him kick on. His all-round performance after he scored was very good tonight. He was disappointed not to score tonight. "Ohashi has run his socks off, he is nearly at the end of a full season if you continue the Japanese league. He will fatigue and so we need Makhtar to step up and he did that today." Rovers have now kept nine clean sheets in 19 league outings this season. Add in the six in 10 they ended last term with and it's 15 in 29, a better than one in two rate. Once again they defended their box with little fuss despite intense pressure from Wednesday. Aynsley Pears only had one major save to make, pushing away Michael Smith's late header. "The Championship is relentless, sometimes you can play lovely football and sometimes you have to defend your box. Tonight was a scrappy Championship game with few chances," Eustace said. "We had to defend a lot of balls into the box and crosses. They can be direct at times, especially at the end with the big lads on, putting long balls in. "We defended really well and a bit of quality from us with the cross, it was a decent build-up play and that helps you win 1-0. "I have asked the fans to be with the players and they are fully committed. Another 1,000 fans backed us tonight and we need them to help us through. "We gave them a strong performance with and without the ball. We want to be one, a big family and we're building."
Giants release quarterback Daniel Jones just days after benching him EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Daniel Jones era in New York is over. The Giants quarterback was granted his release by the team just days after the franchise said it was benching him in favor of third-stringer Tommy DeVito. New York president John Mara said Jones approached the team about releasing him and the club obliged. Mara added he was “disappointed” at the quick dissolution of a once-promising relationship between Jones and the team. Giants coach Brian Daboll benched Jones in favor of DeVito following a loss to the Panthers in Germany that dropped New York's record to 2-8. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict. Week 16 game between Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers flexed to Thursday night spot The Los Angeles Chargers have played their way into another prime time appearance. Justin Herbert and company have had their Dec. 22 game against the Denver Broncos flexed to Thursday night, Dec. 19. Friday’s announcement makes this the first time a game has been flexed to the Thursday night spot. The league amended its policy last season where Thursday night games in Weeks 13 through 17 could be flexed with at least 28 days notice prior to the game. The matchup of AFC West division rivals bumps the game between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals to Sunday afternoon. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Red Bull brings wrong rear wing to Las Vegas in mistake that could stall Verstappen's title chances LAS VEGAS (AP) — Max Verstappen is suddenly in jeopardy of being denied a fourth consecutive Formula 1 title Saturday night. Red Bull apparently brought the wrong rear wing to Las Vegas and GPS data showed its two cars to be significantly slower on the straights than both McLaren and Mercedes, which led both practice sessions. Red Bull says it doesn’t have a replacement rear wing in Las Vegas to fix the issue and little chance of getting two flown in from England ahead of the race. Caitlin Clark to join Cincinnati bid for 16th National Women's Soccer League team WNBA star Caitlin Clark has joined Cincinnati’s bid for an expansion National Women’s Soccer League team. Major League Soccer franchise FC Cincinnati is heading the group vying to bring a women’s pro team to the city. The club issued a statement confirming Clark had joined the bid group. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has said the league plans to announce the league’s 16th team by the end of the year. The league's 15th team will begin play in 2026 in Boston. Alyssa Nakken, first full-time female coach in MLB history, leaving Giants to join Guardians CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in an MLB game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler’s staff in 2020, becoming the majors’ first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt. Nakken, 34, will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Aaron Judge won't be bothered if Juan Soto gets bigger contract from Yankees than his $360M deal NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge won’t be bothered if Juan Soto gets a bigger deal from the New York Yankees than the captain’s $360 million, nine-year contract. Speaking a day after he was a unanimous winner of his second MVP, Judge says “It ain’t my money” and adds "that’s never been something on my mind about who gets paid the most.” Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks in his first season with the Yankees, then became a free agent at age 26. In a 'Final Four-type weekend,' two top-6 clashes put women's college basketball focus on West Coast LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two games featuring four powerhouse teams has put the focus in women's college basketball on the West Coast this weekend. JuJu Watkins and No. 3 Southern California host Hannah Hidalgo and No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday. Top-ranked South Carolina visits Lauren Betts and fifth-ranked UCLA on Sunday. Both games are nationally televised and the arenas are expected to be packed. WNBA scouts will be on hand to check out some of the nation's top talent. Two teams will come away with their first losses of the season. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb calls it “a Final Four-type weekend.” A documentary featuring Watkins will air on NBC ahead of USC's game, which leads into the Army-Notre Dame football game. Noodles and wine are the secret ingredients for a strange new twist in China's doping saga Blame it on the noodles. That's what one Chinese official suggested when anti-doping leaders were looking for answers for the doping scandal that cast a shadow over this year's Olympic swim meet. Earlier this year, reports that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned heart medication emerged. None were sanctioned because Chinese authorities determined the swimmers were contaminated by traces of the drug spread about a hotel kitchen. In a strange twist, the leader of China's anti-doping agency suggested this case could have been similar to one in which criminals were responsible for tainting noodles that were later eaten by another Chinese athlete who also tested positive for the drug.For the second day in a row on Thursday, congressional testimony from top national security officials about threats to the homeland was postponed over an apparent disagreement between officials and lawmakers about whether the hearings should be held in public. FBI Director Christopher Wray, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Brett Holmgren, the acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, were scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in an annual public hearing titled “Threats to the Homeland.” About an hour and a half before it was set to begin, it was postponed. A new date was not immediately scheduled. A companion hearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security set for Wednesday was also postponed. The FBI and DHS quickly defended themselves against bipartisan criticism Thursday morning. Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., called it a “shocking departure” from a 15-year tradition that “robs the American people of critical information and the opportunity for public accountability of what the federal government is doing to keep Americans safe.” In a statement, the FBI National Press Office said the bureau has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to transparency and cooperation with congressional oversight. “We remain committed to sharing information about the continuously evolving threat environment facing our nation and the extraordinary work the men and women of the FBI are doing — here at home and around the world — to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States. FBI leaders have testified extensively in public settings about the current threat environment and believe the Committee would benefit most from further substantive discussions and additional information that can only be provided in a classified setting,” the statement said. In its own statement, the DHS pointed out that Mayorkas has testified before Congress 30 times during his tenure. “DHS and the FBI have offered to the Committee a classified briefing to discuss the threats to the homeland in detail, providing the Committee with the information it needs to conduct its work in the months ahead. DHS and the FBI already have shared with the Committee and other Committees, and with the American public, extensive unclassified information about the current threat environment,” the statement said, referencing the recently published Homeland Threat Assessment. The National Counterterrorism Center at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence plays a supporting role to the FBI and DHS in these hearings. Peters said the DHS and FBI’s “claims that they can only relay such information and respond to questions in a classified setting are entirely without merit.” Committee member Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., reacted to news of the postponement on Fox News. “They have not given a reason other than they did not want to testify in an open setting on these issues,” Lankford said. “Again, the American people need to know. We’ve got multiple threats that are out there.”N.B. municipal by-elections show feast or famine on candidates amid challenging political timesNone
NASA Finalizes Strategy for Sustaining Human Presence in Low Earth Orbit
Artificial intelligence has come to the desktop. Microsoft 365 Copilot, which debuted last year, is now widely available. Apple Intelligence just reached general beta availability for users of late-model Macs, iPhones, and iPads. And Google Gemini will reportedly soon be able to take actions through the Chrome browser under an in-development agent feature dubbed Project Jarvis. The integration of large language models (LLMs) that sift through business information and provide automated scripting of actions — so-called "agentic" capabilities — holds massive promise for knowledge workers but also significant concerns for business leaders and chief information security officers (CISOs). Companies already suffer from significant issues with the oversharing of information and a failure to limit access permissions — 40% of firms delayed their rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot by three months or more because of such security worries, according to a Gartner survey . The broad range of capabilities offered by desktop AI systems, combined with the lack of rigorous information security at many businesses, poses a significant risk, says Jim Alkove, CEO of Oleria, an identity and access management platform for cloud services. "It's the combinatorics here that actually should make everyone concerned," he says. "These categorical risks exist in the larger [native language] model-based technology, and when you combine them with the sort of runtime security risks that we've been dealing with — and information access and auditability risks — it ends up having a multiplicative effect on risk." Related: Citizen Development Moves Too Fast for Its Own Good Desktop AI will likely take off in 2025. Companies are already looking to rapidly adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot and other desktop AI technologies, but only 16% have pushed past initial pilot projects to roll out the technology to all workers, according to Gartner's "The State of Microsoft 365 Copilot: Survey Results." The overwhelming majority (60%) are still evaluating the technology in a pilot project, while a fifth of businesses haven't even reached that far and are still in the planning stage. Most workers are looking forward to having a desktop AI system to assist them with daily tasks. Some 90% of respondents believe their users would fight to retain access to their AI assistant, and 89% agree that the technology has improved productivity, according to Gartner. Unfortunately, the technologies are black boxes in terms of their architecture and protections, and that means they lack trust. With a human personal assistant, companies can do background checks, limit their access to certain technologies, and audit their work — measures that have no analogous control with desktop AI systems at present, says Oleria's Alkove. Related: Cleo MFT Zero-Day Exploits Are About to Escalate, Analysts Warn AI assistants — whether they are on the desktop, on a mobile device, or in the cloud — will have far more access to information than they need, he says. "If you think about how ill-equipped modern technology is to deal with the fact that my assistant should be able to do a certain set of electronic tasks on my behalf, but nothing else," Alkove says. "You can grant your assistant access to email and your calendar, but you cannot restrict your assistant from seeing certain emails and certain calendar events. They can see everything." This ability to delegate tasks needs to become part of the security fabric of AI assistants, he says. Without such security design and controls, attacks will likely follow. Earlier this year, a prompt injection attack scenario highlighted the risks to businesses. Security researcher Johann Rehberger found that an indirect prompt injection attack through email, a Word document, or a website could trick Microsoft 365 Copilot into taking on the role of a scammer , extracting personal information, and leaking it to an attacker. Rehberger initially notified Microsoft of the issue in January and provided the company with information throughout the year. It's unknown whether Microsoft has a comprehensive fix for the issue. Related: Generative AI Security Tools Go Open Source The ability to access the capabilities of an operating system or device will make desktop AI assistants another target for fraudsters who have been trying to get a user to take actions. Instead, they will now focus on getting an LLM to take actions, says Ben Kilger, CEO of Zenity, an AI agent security firm. "An LLM gives them the ability to do things on your behalf without any specific consent or control," he says. "So many of these prompt injection attacks are trying to social engineer the system — trying to go around other controls that you have in your network without having to socially engineer a human." Most companies lack visibility into and control of the security of AI technology in general. To adequately vet the technology, companies need to be able to examine what the AI system is doing, how employees are interacting with the technology, and what actions are being delegated to the AI, Kilger says. "These are all things that the organization needs to control, not the agentic platform," he says. "You need to break it down and to actually look deeper into how those platforms actually being utilized, and how do people build and interact with those platforms." The first step to evaluating the risk of Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google's purported Project Jarvis, Apple Intelligence, and other technologies is to gain this visibility and have the controls in place to limit an AI assistant's access on a granular level, says Oleria's Alkove. Rather than a big bucket of data that a desktop AI system can always access, companies need to be able to control access by the eventual recipient of the data, their role, and the sensitivity of the information, he says. "How do you grant access to portions of your information and portions of the actions that you would normally take as an individual, to that agent, and also only for a period of time?" Alkove asks. "You might only want the agent to take an action once, or you may only want them to do it for 24 hours, and so making sure that you have those kind of controls today is critical." Microsoft, for its part, acknowledges the data-governance challenges, but argues that they are not new, just made more apparent due to AI’s arrival. "AI is simply the latest call to action for enterprises to take proactive management of controls their unique, respective policies, industry compliance regulations, and risk tolerance should inform – such as determining which employee identities should have access to different types of files, workspaces, and other resources," a company spokesperson said in a statement. The company pointed to its Microsoft Purview portal as a way that organizations can continuously manage identities, permission, and other controls. Using the portal, IT admins can help secure data for AI apps and proactively monitor AI use though a single management location, the company said. Google declined to comment about its forthcoming AI agent. Veteran technology journalist of more than 20 years. Former research engineer. Written for more than two dozen publications, including CNET News.com, Dark Reading, MIT's Technology Review, Popular Science, and Wired News. Five awards for journalism, including Best Deadline Journalism (Online) in 2003 for coverage of the Blaster worm. Crunches numbers on various trends using Python and R. Recent reports include analyses of the shortage in cybersecurity workers and annual vulnerability trends.A research team from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has developed a flexible and extremely thin film to power wearable devices using just our body heat, hence eliminating the need for batteries. The new technology could also be used to cool electronic chips in smartphones and computers, as such, helping them run more efficiently as well as enhancing their stability. The breakthrough, according to Professor Zhi-Gang Chen, the founding director of the ARC Research Hub in Zero-emission Power Generation for Carbon Neutrality (ZeroPC), addresses a key challenge in creating a thermoelectric device that converts body heat into power. The device has the potential to be a sustainable energy source for wearable electronics. Talking about flexible thermoelectric devices, Professor Chen explained that: “They can be worn comfortably on the skin where they effectively turn the temperature difference between the human body and surrounding air into electricity.” Building an Exceptional Thermoelectric Wearable Device Devices that can convert body heat into energy, while a topic of immense interest and exploration, currently face the challenge of high costs, complex manufacturing, limited flexibility, and insufficient performance, preventing its mass production and adoption. Source: Queensland University of Technology In the latest study published in the journal Science , the QUT team introduced a cost-effective method for creating flexible thermoelectric films. For this, they used tiny crystals or ‘nanobinders' that form a consistent layer of bismuth telluride sheets, boosting both flexibility and efficiency. Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) is a popular material used by researchers to build such devices. The gray powder is a compound of bismuth and tellurium. The chemically stable semiconductor showcases excellent properties that convert heat into electricity, making it ideal for low-power applications like movement, heart rate, and temperature monitors. So, the QUT team created a printable film of A4 size “with record-high thermoelectric performance, exceptional flexibility, scalability, and low cost, making it one of the best flexible thermoelectrics available,” said Professor Chen. The printable film from the QUT team comprises Bi2Te3-based nanoplates as highly orientated grains and Te nanorods as “nanobinders.” The technique used here was “solvothermal synthesis,” which forms nanocrystals in a solvent under high temperature and pressure. This technique was combined with “sintering,” which heats the films to near-melting point to bond the particles together, and “screen-printing,” which enables large-scale film production. The method used by the team could also work with other inorganic systems like silver selenide (Ag2Se)-based thermoelectrics, which are potentially cheaper and more sustainable than conventional materials, showing the technique's broad applicability. “This flexibility in materials shows the wide-ranging possibilities our approach offers for advancing flexible thermoelectric technology.” – The study's first author, Wenyi Chen The device, as per the study, attained a normalized power density of >3 μW cm−2 K−2, which the team states is “ranking among the highest in screen-printed devices.” With that, the latest research offers a powerful solution for wearables like smartwatches and personal thermal management. In addition to powering up the wearables, these thermoelectric devices can also be applied in a tight space, such as the inside of a mobile phone, to help cool chips and improve performance. For instance, when applied inside a device, the film can bring down the chip temperature by up to 11.7 Kelvin, as such, helping maintain optimal performance in electronic devices. If the team successfully improves the performance of this flexible electric device, they'll be able to power directly for smartphones of the future, stated Chen in the official video titled, “Breakthrough brings body-heat powered wearable devices closer to reality,” posted on the University's YouTube channel. Other potential applications of the device include air conditioning systems and ventilation. The QUT research team also envisions the use of thermoelectric devices in smart clothing and automotive components. This is just the beginning, though; in the next step, the team will focus on optimizing the technology's performance and scaling it. Taking the tech commercial, after all, requires overcoming the challenges of cost-efficiency at scale, durability, and integration with existing devices. Further research and continued development will help these devices revolutionize energy efficiency in various sectors, from consumer electronics to medical and automotive applications. Click here to learn how health wearables are advancing preventive care. Advances in Wearables Technology In today's technologically advanced world, wearable devices have emerged as a popular and highly beneficial innovation. Wearables are simply mobile electronic devices that are designed to be worn on the body or attached to clothes. Some of the common types of wearable technology include smartwatches, smart glasses, and smart jewelry like rings and wristbands. These devices track, analyze, and transmit personal data. One of the most prominent applications of wearables has been found in healthcare. They can be used to monitor body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs. The application of these devices further extends to physiological diseases like hypertension and muscle disorders as well as neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Wearables are also being utilized as a drug delivery system, helping personalize healthcare. Different types of wearable devices are currently being used in the healthcare field. This includes skin-based wearable devices such as e-skin, wearable vests, smart rings, earphones, and biofluidic-based devices that make use of saliva, tears, and urine. In addition to healthcare, wearables are used to communicate with others, make payments, and track activity levels, as well as lifestyle, gaming, sports, fitness, security, and defense sectors. Over the years, wearable technology has advanced in various ways. For starters, researchers and companies are always looking for better materials to build these devices. Flexible, stretchable materials and soft, ultra-thin designs allow these devices to be worn comfortably and maintain their functionality. For instance, gallium-based liquid metals, which have high conductivity and biocompatibility, are leading the way for bioelectronics that fit better with the body. As for designs, tech has evolved significantly from conventional ways, with a greater focus now on making them seamlessly integrated with the human body. E-tattoos are a great example of this; they are extremely thin, skin-soft electronics that conform to the skin and can noninvasively digitize physiological and psychological information. Miniaturization of these devices, along with printed electronics and intelligent fabrics, has led to sensors that can monitor a variety of physical parameters while electrodes are being embedded in textiles to measure activity. For example, Wearable sweat sensors continuously and noninvasively monitor health indicators through sweat to empower precision medicine. Source: MDPI A lot of advancement is also being made in wearable smart chemical sensors , which are finding increasing application in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and safety assessment. Various innovative approaches have been taken to sensor design and fabrication, with one such system designed to detect NO2 by incorporating a polyvinyl alcohol/borax/agarose/NaNO3 electrolyte and multi-walled carbon nanotube electrodes on gold nanosheets. The system shows enhanced performance and self-repairing capabilities, making it perfect for wearable applications. Overcoming Limitations of Wearable Tech With all these innovations helping wearable devices become better and more effective, they have been seeing transforming different industries, especially healthcare. However, they suffer from limitations like stability and privacy. For instance, the data received from the sensors in these wearables may experience distortion and noise due to constant body motion. Batteries used in wearables present another significant challenge. The limitations of power sources have prompted researchers to explore various solutions, such as piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENG), which function as self-powered sensors, and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG), which serve as miniaturized energy harvesters. Thermoelectric generators, in particular, have been gaining a lot of traction in the wearable tech space. Back in 2017, researchers from Zhejiang University and Xidian University released a paper on the design of a wearable thermoelectric generator for harvesting the energy of the human body. Much like the latest research, this one also utilized Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric material to create a device that could generate a voltage of 48 mV for a temperature difference of 12 K. When mounted onto the human wrist skin, the thermoelectric generator's output power was 130.6 nW at an ambient temperature of 25 °C, demonstrating its potential for human body heat energy harvesting and development of wearable self-powered mobile devices. Yet another study made advancements in the design of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) for body heat harvesting applications. The thing is, there's a 10-15°C temperature difference between the body temperature and the ambient temperature, but only a tiny portion passes through a wearable TEG because of the thermal resistance of the skin. To overcome the challenges for wearable TEGs, a comprehensive quasi-3D analytical model was developed, and then a microwave processing technique was used to synthesize high-performance thermoelectric nanocomposites, which led to a strong reduction of the thermal conductivity and resulted in TEGs exhibiting 4-7x higher power density than commercial TEGs on the human body. Just this year alone, several research studies have been released focusing on thermoelectric devices for wearables. A few months ago, researchers from the University of Washington also developed a highly flexible and soft prototype that can harvest energy from body heat and turn it into electricity, which can then power small electronics. For its flexible thermoelectric devices (TEDs), the UW team used 3D soft architectures, rigid semiconductors, multifunctional composites, and self-healing liquid metal conductors. In addition to energy harvesting, the focus of all these studies has been on the development of lightweight and flexible thermoelectric materials, designing adaptable surfaces to fit diverse body parts, enhancing the functionality of wearables, and achieving cost-efficiency and scalability. The Rapidly-Growing Wearable Market The advancement in wearable technology and the resulting boost in functionality have increased the adoption of these devices. The growing interest in wearable devices has its market projected to grow past $150 billion before this decade is over. The market for wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers, in particular, has been rising for some time. They actually boomed during the pandemic as personal health became everyone's focus. These devices are also adding an increasing number of metrics, and as they move closer to that of a medical device, more and more consumers are adopting them. Besides fitness and healthcare, tech giants are taking a special interest in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR, AR & MR) wearables. Smart clothing and e-textiles have also been garnering attention but continue to face challenges in terms of manufacturing scalability and product economics. Interestingly, the wearable payments services market is expected to grow at a strong pace, with a CAGR of 13.6% to $120 billion. This growth is propelled by the adoption of near-field communication (NFC) in smartphones, fitness trackers, and other wearables, Wearable technology product types further involve electronic skin patches, chest straps, smart contact lenses, and wearable cameras, which are also of interest. According to a recent report , the shipments of wearable devices globally are expected to grow more than 6% year over year (YoY) this year to almost 538 million units. This growth is driven by the improving economy and the growing adoption of wearables in emerging regions. This growth, however, will be uneven across the sectors, with wearables, representing over 60% of the wearables market, expected to see a boost as prices stabilize. Smartwatches, meanwhile, are expected to see a 3% decline, the first-ever YoY drop, though they are projected to rebound to 4.8% growth next year. This is due to rising prices and minimal design changes. Emerging Wearable Devices When it comes to emerging wearable devices, the fitness and healthcare sectors are leading the charge. In healthcare, wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) devices, which come in smartwatches and patches, are transforming remote cardiac care. These devices pair with apps that store ECG data, which physicians can review remotely and then provide proactive health management, leading to healthier lifestyles. Today's wearables also enable continuous collection of vital signs with the help of advanced sensors that provide real-time data about their wearers. For instance, Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) offers real-time insights into blood sugar levels, allowing patients to monitor their health right from the comfort of their homes. An increasing focus among companies is also seen on heart rate monitors. Smartwatches like Casio G-Shock Rangeman come equipped with a heart rate monitor to accurately detect body movement as well as changes in the natural environment with the help of GPS and sensors. Then there are Garmin ‘s ( GRMN -0.2% ) heart rate monitors, which come with a comfortable design allowing women to clip them directly onto their sports bras. As we can see, ease of access is certainly the point of focus for tech companies developing wearables. This is also true for Oura smart rings, which can be worn on a finger. The band is equipped with a 3D accelerometer to determine movement, an NTC sensor to observe your body temperature, and a PPG sensor to track your heart rate. Then there's Evie Smart Ring, which has taken a women-first approach to its design by enabling tracking sleep, heart health, and menstrual cycles. Wearable biosensors, meanwhile, offer promising avenues for stress management by detecting subtle changes in biomarkers like cortisol levels. Companies are also building headphones that guide wearers during workouts, while special gloves like GyroGlove are created for Parkinson's patients to reduce tremors and improve quality of life. In the world of entertainment, wearables like Xreal Air allow users to watch content and play games, while Meta ‘s ( META +0.72% ) smart glasses enable content creation and sharing. Then there are wearables like the Ai Pin, which runs on an eight-core, 2.1 GHz Qualcomm processor and can take photos, send text messages, and answer calls. Click here to learn about thermal earring. Companies Dominating the Wearable Sector Now, when it comes to companies, Apple ( AAPL +1.1% ) has been leading the space thanks to its robust portfolio of smart products like the Apple Watch. Key health metrics covered by the watch include heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, and sleep duration. Apple Inc. ( AAPL +1.1% ) (function () { var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://s3.tradingview.com/external-embedding/embed-widget-advanced-chart.js'; script.async = true; script.innerHTML = JSON.stringify({ 'autosize': true, 'width': '100%', 'height': '440', 'symbol': 'NASDAQ:AAPL', 'range': 'YTD', 'timezone': 'Etc/UTC', 'theme': 'light', 'style': '3', 'locale': 'en', 'hide_top_toolbar': false, 'hide_legend': true, 'allow_symbol_change': false, 'save_image': false, 'calendar': false, 'hide_volume': true, 'withdateranges': true, 'support_host': 'https://www.tradingview.com' }); document.currentScript.parentNode.insertBefore(script, document.currentScript); })(); The world's largest company in the world by market cap of $3.75 trillion has its shares currently trading at $248, up 28.88% this year. Apple has an EPS (TTM) of 6.07 and a P/E (TTM) of 40.88 while having a 0.40% dividend yield. For the quarter ended September 28, 2024, in which the company launched its iPhone 16 lineup, AirPods 4, and Apple Watch Series 10 with features for hearing health and sleep apnea detection, the tech giant posted a revenue of $94.9 billion. Meanwhile, Google is capturing the wearable market through Fitbit, which it acquired in 2021. The Chinese company Huawei also launched its TruSense system this year to power upcoming wearables. Other notable names in the space include Samsung Group ( SSUN.F -0.26% ), Sony Corporation ( SONY -0.9% ), Microsoft ( MSFT +0.91% ), and Garmin. Conclusion Wearable technology is a rapidly growing market that is seeing a lot of interest and development. Moreover, breakthroughs in thermoelectric technology, as achieved by the QUT team, are paving the way towards a more advanced future where these devices are not dependable on batteries anymore, in turn leading to lightweight and more efficient wearables. But while all these advancements in material and design are driving the global wearables market, there are still challenges with regard to cost, scalability, and durability. It is only through further innovation, continued collaboration, and increased investment that all these breakthroughs can be put to use in practical applications and integrated into our daily lives! Click here for a list of top wearable health tracking companies to invest in.
CNN wants the North Carolina lieutenant governor’s defamation lawsuit against it thrown outNEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani won his third Most Valuable Player Award and first in the National League, and Aaron Judge earned his second American League honor on Thursday. Ohtani was a unanimous MVP for the third time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was second with 263 points and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte third with 229. Judge was a unanimous pick for the first time. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got all 30 second-place votes for 270 points, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was third with 21 third-place votes and 229 points. Ohtani was unanimously voted the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels and finished second to Judge in 2022 voting. He didn't pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. Ohtani joined Frank Robinson for Cincinnati in 1961 and Baltimore in 1966 as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues. He was the first player to twice become an unanimous MVP. He had combined with Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2023 for the first year both MVPs were unanimous. Ohtani hit .310, stole 59 bases and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs exclusively as a designated hitter, becoming the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. He helped the Dodgers to the World Series title, playing the final three games with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. "The ultimate goal from the beginning was to win a World Series, which we are able to accomplish," he said through a translator. "The next goal is for me to do it again and so right now I'm in the middle of rehab and working out and getting stronger." When Ohtani returns to the mound, could he win MVP and the Cy Young Award in the same year? "That would obviously be great, but right now my focus is just to get to get back healthy, come back stronger, get back on the mound and show everybody what I can do," Ohtani said. Ohtani became the first primary DH to win an MVP in a season that started with the revelation his longtime interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, had stolen nearly $17 million from the star to fund gambling. Ohtani is the 12th player with three or more MVPs, joining Barry Bonds (seven) and Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout (three each). Balloting was conducted before the postseason. Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Witt topped the big leagues with a .332 average, hitting 32 homers with 31 stolen bases and 109 RBIs. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs. When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. Judge had discussed the MVP award with Philadelphia's Bryce Harper, the NL winner in 2015 and '21. "I was telling him, `Man, I'm going to try to catch up to you with these MVPs here, man,'" Judge recalled. "He'd say, hopefully, he could stay a couple ahead of me, which I think he'll do." When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. He is the Yankees' 22nd MVP winner, four more than any other team. Judge was hitting .207 with six homers and 18 RBIs through April, then batted .352 with 52 homers and 126 RBIs in 127 games. "March and April were not my friend this year." Judge said. "Just keep putting in the work and things are going to change. You can't mope. You can't feel sorry for yourself. Especially in New York, nobody's going to feel sorry for you. So you just got to go out there and put up the numbers?" ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg City Council reversed course Thursday on whether to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark, initially voting narrowly for approval and hours later changing course. The reversal on fixing Tropicana Field came after the council voted to delay consideration of revenue bonds for a proposed new $1.3 billion Rays ballpark. Just two days before, the Pinellas County Commission postponed a vote on its share of the new stadium bonds, leaving that project in limbo. “This is a sad place. I'm really disappointed,” council chair Deborah Figg-Sanders said. “We won’t get there if we keep finding ways we can’t.” The Rays say the lack of progress puts the new stadium plan and the future of Tropicana Field in jeopardy. “I can't say I'm confident about anything,” Rays co-president Brian Auld told the council members. The Trop's translucent fiberglass roof was ripped to pieces on Oct. 9 when Hurricane Milton swept ashore just south of Tampa Bay. There was also significant water damage inside the ballpark, with a city estimate of the total repair costs pegged at $55.7 million. The extensive repairs cannot be finished before the 2026 season, city documents show. The Rays made a deal with the Yankees to play next season at 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, New York's spring training home across the bay in Tampa. The initial vote Thursday was to get moving on the roof portion of the repair. Once that's done, crews could begin working on laying down a new baseball field, fixing damaged seating and office areas and a variety of electronic systems — which would require another vote to approve money for the remaining restoration. The subsequent vote reversing funding for the roof repair essentially means the city and Rays must work on an alternative in the coming weeks so that Tropicana Field can possibly be ready for the 2026 season. The city is legally obligated to fix the roof. BRIEFLY PIRATES: Pittsburgh hired Matt Hague as its hitting coach, bringing him back to the team that drafted him in 2008. Hague replaces Andy Haines, who was fired after Pittsburgh finished in the bottom 10 in the majors in every significant statistical category last season, including runs (24th) and home runs (25th), while also striking out a club-record 1,504 times, second-most in the National League behind Colorado. The 39-year-old Hague spent last season as an assistant hitting coach with the Toronto Blue Jays. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Republicans may want to probe the review of US Steel's planned $14B sale - report
Manz , which employs around 1,200 people, has revised its earnings forecasts multiple times in 2023. As of early December, it anticipated annual sales between €170 million ($187 million) and €180 million ($198 million), significantly lower than the €250 million ($275 million) reported the previous year. The estimated operating loss lies between €30 million ($33 million) and €35 million ($38 million), along with additional write-downs. The CEO position changed hands in the summer of 2023, while company founder Dieter Manz still holds approximately 19% ownership. Manz encountered severe obstacles in the display equipment market, where it lost competitiveness to lower-cost Asian producers. In solar production equipment, the company faced weakened global subsidies and intense price competition, and technological improvements were not enough to counter an unfavorable market environment. The electric vehicle battery equipment segment experienced rising competition and volatile demand, compounded by the bankruptcy filing of a major European battery manufacturer that disrupted the industry. Manz also carried substantial debt due to its large-scale expansion in renewable energy. When banks withdrew financial support and talks with potential investors failed, the company faced a critical liquidity shortfall days before the Christmas break. Among other things display, Manz specializes in wet chemical processes for display production, including cleaning substrates, developing photoresists, and etching fine structures on LCDs, touch sensors, and OLED panels. The company also provides fully automated systems for loading and unloading in-line sputter systems, laser-cutting glass substrates, and conducting in-line inspections, all designed for clean room environments.DETROIT (AP) — Starting in September of 2027, all new passenger vehicles in the U.S. will have to sound a warning if rear-seat passengers don’t buckle up. Related Articles National News | Former TV host Carlos Watson gets nearly 10 years in prison in case about failed startup Ozy Media National News | TikTok asks the Supreme Court for an emergency order to block a US ban unless it’s sold National News | Survivors seek a reckoning as FBI investigates child sex abuse in little-known Christian sect National News | Trump migrant deportations could threaten states’ agricultural economies National News | Federal Reserve is likely to slow its rate cuts with inflation pressures still elevated The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday that it finalized the rule, which also requires enhanced warnings when front seat belts aren’t fastened. The agency estimates that the new rule will save 50 lives per year and prevent 500 injuries when fully in effect, according to a statement. The new rule will apply to passenger cars, trucks, buses except for school buses, and multipurpose vehicles weighing up to 10,000 pounds. Before the rule, seat belt warnings were required only for the driver’s seat. Under the new rule, outboard front-seat passengers also must get a warning if they don’t fasten their belts. Front-center seats will not get a warning because NHTSA found that it wouldn’t be cost effective. The agency said most vehicles already have warnings for the outboard passenger seats. The rule also lengthens the duration of audio and visual warnings for the driver’s seat. The front-seat rules are effective starting Sept. 1 of 2026. Rear passengers consistently use seat belts at a lower rate than front passengers, the agency says. In 2022, front belt use was just under 92%, while rear use dropped to about 82%. About half of automobile passengers who died in crashes two years ago weren’t wearing belts, according to NHTSA data. The seat belt rule is the second significant regulation to come from NHTSA in the past two months. In November the agency bolstered its five-star auto safety ratings to include driver assistance technologies and pedestrian protection. Safety advocates want the Department of Transportation, which includes NHTSA, to finish several more rules before the end of the Biden administration, because President-elect Donald Trump has said he’s against new government regulations. Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, urged the department to approve automatic emergency braking for heavy trucks and technology to prevent impaired driving.Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse
On Sunday, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN , denied rumors that he has planned a $600 million wedding to marry his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez. Bezos and several other celebrities reacted to the since-debunked report on social media. What To Know: The Bezos wedding rumor originated on Saturday with a report from the Daily Mail alleging the couple would marry in a $600 million dollar ceremony at Kevin Costner’s Dunbar Ranch in Aspen. Other media outlets picked up the story and billionaire investor Bill Ackman questioned the validity of the report in a response to a story from the NY Post. This is not credible. Unless you are buying each of your guests a house, you can't spend this much money. https://t.co/1TVGOBLe9D Read Next: Honda, Nissan Confirm Merger Plans To Offset Chinese EV Competition: How Mitsubishi Factors In Bezos then responded to Ackman's post with a full denial of the rumored wedding. ‘This whole thing is completely false – none of this is happening,’ he posted on X. ‘The old adage “don’t believe everything you read” is even more true today than it ever has been.’ ‘Now lies can get ALL the way around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out there folks and don’t be gullible,’ Bezos said. Furthermore, this whole thing is completely false — none of this is happening. The old adage "don't believe everything you read" is even more true today than it ever has been. Now lies can get ALL the way around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out... https://t.co/wz2SWp6wBZ Elon Musk , currently the richest man in the world, also responded to the social media thread with well-wishes for his rival. Musk said that “even if one is not present,” he hopes Bezos holds “an epic wedding” in the future. Bezos is currently the second-richest man in the world, according to Bloomberg, and the men have battled for first place in the past. That said, I hope you do hold an epic wedding. It's nice to know that epic events are happening somewhere in the world, even if one is not present. A world where there are amazing events somewhere is better than a world where they are happening nowhere. Michael Saylor , chairman of MicroStrategy, Inc. MSTR and outspoken Bitcoin advocate, also responded to Bezos' denial of the $600 million wedding rumors. "$600M would buy a lot of Bitcoin," Saylor posted. $600M would buy a lot of Bitcoin. What Else: Though Bezos denied rumors of an upcoming Aspen nuptial, he did not give any details about when or where a wedding may take place for the couple. Bezos, 60, and Sanchez, 55, have been engaged since May 2023 and have remained relatively tight-lipped regarding their wedding plans. “We're still thinking about the wedding,” Sanchez told Vogue in November 2023. “What it's going to be. Is it going to be big? Is it going to be overseas? We don't know yet. We've only been engaged five months!” she said. Read Next: ‘Mystery Drone’ Sightings Spark Investigations, Politicians Respond: ‘Shoot Them Down,’ Trump Says Image: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr., a potential first-round pick, declared for the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday. Revel, who sustained a torn left ACL in practice in September, had one season of eligibility remaining. "After an incredible journey at East Carolina, I am officially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft," the senior posted on social media. "... Pirates nation, thank you for your unwavering energy and support every game. Representing ECU is an honor, and I look forward to continuing to do so on Sundays!" Revel recorded two interceptions in three games this season, returning one 50 yards for a touchdown on Sept. 14 against Appalachian State. Over three seasons with the Pirates, Revel had three interceptions, 15 passes defensed and 70 tackles in 24 games. He was a second-team All-American Athletic Conference selection last season. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Revel as the No. 2 cornerback and No. 23 overall prospect in the 2025 draft class. --Field Level MediaOhtani wins third MVP, while Judge takes his second
MMA Global Announces the SMARTIESTM X Global & North America 2024 Winners: A Celebration of Marketing Excellence - Pushing Innovative Boundaries on the Global Stage