Divorced men with diabetes are at the highest risk of having some or all of their feet and legs amputated because of it, research has found. According to a study of almost 67,000 people with diabetes in Sweden, people with the condition who are divorced are 67 per cent more likely to have to undergo a lower limb amputation than those who are married. Meanwhile men are at 57 per cent greater risk than women. On average, 184 people a week in England have some part of a lower limb removed surgically to stop infection spreading and killing them. Lasantha Wijesinghe, a consultant vascular surgeon in England who performs lower limb amputations, said they were usually necessary because the person’s life was at risk because of sepsis. The authors of the study, which has not been peer-reviewed yet, said they could not be sure why divorcees of both sexes ran such a greater risk than married people, but speculated that this “may be due to a change in self-care and food habits observed in people when they divorce and are more likely to be living alone”. “Specifically with men, this is often related to more social isolation, with a secondary effect of low physical activity,” they added. Older people are also at higher risk of an amputation and patients who are on insulin treatment, have a pre-existing foot condition such as neuropathy or who smoke are also at higher risk. The study also concluded that obese people have a lower risk than those with a standard weight. The authors could not explain this finding but suggested it could be down to chance. Dr Faye Riley, the research communications manager at Diabetes UK, said: “This study identifies a range of factors that may be linked with a higher risk of amputation among people with diabetes, and raises interesting questions about how social support can influence our health behaviours and outcomes. By pinpointing which people with diabetes are most at risk, support can be targeted where it’s most needed.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

We don’t want to alarm anyone, but the sun is broken. A section of the sun has left the surface and begun circulating around the top of the star as if it were a huge polar vortex, and it’s not exactly clear why it’s happened. The observation was made possible thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, and its no surprise that it piqued the interests of scientists everywhere. Tamitha Skov is a space weather physicist who regularly shares updates on social media, and she seemed incredibly excited about the latest developments. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “Talk about Polar Vortex! Material from a northern prominence just broke away from the main filament & is now circulating in a massive polar vortex around the north pole of our Star,” she wrote. “Implications for understanding the Sun's atmospheric dynamics above 55° here cannot be overstated!” Solar prominences consist of hydrogen and helium, and they extrude from the sun’s service releasing plasma. While there’s confusion around the cause of the phenomenon, it could be related to the reversal of the sun’s magnetic field, as well as the fact that something expected has been known to happen when the sun reaches a 55 degree latitude in every 11-year solar cycle. Solar physicist Scott McIntosh, who is the deputy director at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado told Space.com: "Once every solar cycle, it forms at the 55 degree latitude and it starts to march up to the solar poles. “It's very curious. There is a big 'why' question around it. Why does it only move toward the pole one time and then disappears and then comes back, magically, three or four years later in exactly the same region?" Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

By Greg Roumeliotis (Reuters) -Private equity firm Veritas Capital has made an offer to buy BlackBerry Ltd, according to a

Sometimes it seems like it has to be on purpose. Google, a company known for

Scientists have discovered a new AI-driven hacking method that guesses passwords with over 90 per cent accuracy by listening to what people type on their keyboard. The cyberattack works by using AI to learn and recognise the sound profile of different keys on a keyboard, according to the yet-to-be peer-reviewed research, posted as a preprint in arXiv. Using a smartphone-integrated microphone listening for keystrokes on an Apple MacBook Pro, researchers, including Joshua Harrison from Durham University in the UK, could reproduce the exact keys with 95 per cent accuracy. Scientists also tested the accuracy of the AI system during a Zoom call, recording the keystrokes using the laptop’s microphone during a meeting. In this approach, the AI model was found to 93 per cent accurate in reproducing the keystrokes and in another test using Skype, the model was found to be about 92 per cent accurate. Researchers say the new cyberattack method is facilitated by advancements over the last decade in the number of microphones within acoustic range of keyboards. The model works by recognising the unique patterns with which users press keys on their keyboard, including the sound, the intensity and time of each keystroke. Researchers used a MacBook Pro to test the concept, helping the system recognise patterns first by pressing 36 individual keys 25 times a piece. They used an iPhone 13 mini, kept 17 cm away from the keyboard, to record the keystroke audio for their first test. They then recorded the laptop keys over Zoom, using the MacBook’s built-in microphones. This new technique using the trio of AI, microphones, and video calls “present a greater threat to keyboards than ever,” scientists warn in the study. “When trained on keystrokes recorded by a nearby phone, the classifier achieved an accuracy of 95 per cent, the highest accuracy seen without the use of a language model,” scientists write in the study. However, scientists say the AI system does not easily work the same way for every keyboard. They say the AI model must be trained separately for each keyboard, providing additional references to understand what character each keystroke corresponds to. The study says people can mitigate these kinds of attacks if they change their typing style. Scientists found that touch typing reduced the keystroke recognition accuracy from between 64 per cent to 40 per cent. They also recommend the use of randomised passwords featuring multiple cases as means of defence against such attacks. Since large language models such as ChatGPT are able to predict succeeding characters to complete words, scientists say passwords containing full words may be at greater risk. Randomly generated fake keystrokes to transmitted audio was also found to reduce the risk of such password theft. Using biometric password like fingerprint or face scanning instead typed ones can also help mitigate risk of such cyber attacks, researchers say. Read More Hackers crack Tesla software to get free features Famed computer hacker Kevin Mitnick dies at age 59 Stolen ChatGPT accounts for sale on the dark web Nuclear fusion milestone achieved in huge boost for near-limitless clean energy Tesla’s ‘Master of Coin’ is stepping down after 13-year stint at EV company Now even Zoom tells staff: ‘Come back to the office’

A British man has admitted to his involvement in one of the most high-profile social media hacks, a

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Kai Cenat stumbles upon a post featuring himself with a fan, accompanied by the text, '@lildurk??'

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Kris Jenner's latest Instagram post has posed a few questions about her flawless appearance. The reality star and famed momager of the Kardashian-Jenner clan took to the app on Monday (28 August) to showcase a glam look by make-up artist Samer Khouzami. The clip shows the 67-year-old innocently smiling for the camera – but many have gone as far as to accuse her porcelain skin as being "AI". One person hit back at MUA Khouzami: "Please post an unfiltered photo so we can see her true beauty. Being a master makeup artist this just gives clients the wrong illusion and this is things they expect instead of seeing pours which is totally normal." Another added: "She is f***ing stunning - but please show us this look without the ridiculous filter though? She doesn’t need it." "What the hell is happening that’s not her face," one fan quipped. Meanwhile, the editing app Facetune, which has become a popular hit among influencers and celebrities, snubbed: "This is a great time to tell everyone we have Facetune for videos." This isn't the first time eagle-eyed fans have accused the family of editing their photos online. Kim Kardashian even admitted to one hilarious mishap that got the internet talking. In a post last year, the SKIMS founder confessed to replacing Kylie Jenner's daughter, Stormi, with Khloe Kardashian's daughter, True. At the time, Kim shared the original image at Disneyland to her Instagram story, writing: "The original pics were Stormi! However, I asked @kyliejenner if I could post them and she said [insert crying face] she wasn't really feeling posting at the moment and so I respect that! But it wasn't going to mess up my IG feed. Chi was wearing pink and it matched perfectly." She continued: "It wasn't the aesthetic I was going for and I can own up to that! You know how much a good aesthetic means to my soul and I will be dammed if Kylie will ruin that for me and mess up my IG grid. So thank you True for taking one for the team!" Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

During his three decades at investment bank Morgan Stanley, Franck Petitgas developed a reputation for solving problems that

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 18, 2023--