pivotal

Barring divine intervention or the West Coast falling into the sea, President Biden will handily win California in the November election.But should he — or presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump — secure a second term in the fall, the future of either’s policy agenda rests heavily on which party controls Congress, where Republicans currently hold a wafer-thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.With the Golden State home to some of the most hotly contested swing districts in the country, the House’s fate will…

A new review of literature on global climate change written by an international team of more than 200 researchers leaves no room for doubt: humanity is heading for disaster, unless significant steps are taken to change that course.How disastrous? The research team mentions trillions of US dollars in climate-related damage, billions of people pushed into hardship around the world, and millions of lives lost as a result of a rapidly warming planet.The report focuses specifically on tipping points – sudden, large scale…

MWC 2024: The world's largest mobile phone fair, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023, kicks off in Barcelona with a sharp focus on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to rejuvenate the smartphone industry amid declining sales. With 95,000 attendees and 2,400 exhibitors expected, the event aims to showcase the AI-powered innovations shaping the future of mobile technology.Phone manufacturers are poised to unveil cutting-edge AI features embedded in their latest handsets, with a particular emphasis on advanced photo…

Structure of the poxviral core protein A10. The three subunits of the trimer (colored differently) are represented as simulated cryo-EM surfaces. The cryo-EM surface is increasingly more visible with each subunit. Credit: © Jesse HansenA recent re-emergence and outbreak of Mpox brought poxviruses back as a public health threat, underlining an important knowledge gap at their core. Now, a team of researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) lifted the mysteries of poxviral core architecture by…

The biggest civil aviation event in Asia, Wings India 2024, began today, with minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurating it at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad, Telangana. The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) are coordinating the event, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to fulfil the common man’s aspirations of flying. The success of the previous edition has spurred the collaborative efforts for this…

Research from UCLA’s Department of Urology shows that the semen microbiome, especially microbes like Lactobacillus iners, can influence male fertility by affecting sperm motility, opening new paths for understanding and treating male infertility. A new study finds that a small group of microorganisms may be influencing sperm motility.You may have heard about the gut microbiome and its influence on a person’s overall health and well-being. It turns out that the same may hold true for the semen microbiome.According to…

For some artists, the duties and demands of awards attention can be a lifelong dream come true. For others, it’s a slog. Christopher Nolan may fall in the latter category, based on what his Oppenheimer star Robert Downey Jr. said from the stage on Thursday night in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival’s opening night gala. “During this wildly social season, in the wake of resounding global reaction to the Oppenheimer phenomenon, Chris and I shared a vulnerable moment of existential query. He…

The Indian peer-to-peer lending market is projected to grow to $10 billion by 2025 but that milestone is expected to be reached much sooner, says Dipesh Karki, cofounder and CTO of P2P lending platform LenDenClub. "P2P lending companies will offer a distinctive fusion of cutting-edge technologies and speedy financial solutions to strengthen the alternate investment path for investors in India as well as fulfil the unmet credit needs of Indians," Karki told PTI. Put simply, P2P lending, or social-lending, leverages…

Following the debut of the production-intent design of its Helix light eVTOL, electric aviation startup Pivotal has begun selling the personal aircraft in the US. The Helix is unique in that it does not require FAA pilot certification, opening the skies to a larger pool of potential customers… if they have the money. Pivotal is a light eVTOL specialist based in Palo Alto, California, that gained notoriety in the industry on the wings of its BlackFly aircraft. We covered that vessel’s development…

The NLRP3 inflammasome, vital to the human immune system, is also linked to various diseases. Its core component, the ASC protein, forms a dense structure that was previously difficult to analyze. A recent study by an international team, using innovative fluorescence microscopy techniques, has successfully visualized the 3D structure of the ASC speck, resolving long-standing controversies and marking a significant advancement in the understanding of inflammasome biology. Credit: SciTechDaily.comA new study has unveiled…