The Final Fantasy franchise has been an RPG paragon for more than 30 years. Although

Scientists have been peering into the depths of space, looking right back at the early days of the universe, and they’ve found something very interesting indeed. Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have come across a discovery that indicates some of the very earliest stars to ever form in the universe were staggering in scale, measuring 10,000 times bigger than the Sun. "Today, thanks to the data collected by the James-Webb Space Telescope, we believe we have found a first clue of the presence of these extraordinary stars," says astrophysicist Corinne Charbonnel of the University of Geneva in Switzerland, in research published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. These features are huge collections of between 100,000 and 1 million stars known as globular clusters, which all feature similar properties. Scientists estimate that they were all formed at the same time. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter They’re remnants of the ancient universe and have been described by researchers as "fossils". The cores of these stars are much hotter than those we see in stars today, and scientists suggest it could be down to an excess of hydrogen burning at high temperatures. It’s thought that smaller stars collided with the supermassive stars and relished their energy. However, now most of these global clusters are approaching the very end of their life spans. "Globular clusters are between 10 and 13 billion years old, whereas the maximum lifespan of superstars is two million years," said Mark Gieles, previously at the University of Surrey but now at the University of Barcelona, back in 2018. "They therefore disappeared very early from the clusters that are currently observable. Only indirect traces remain." The researcher states: "If the supermassive star scenario can be firmed up by future studies, this would provide an important step for our understanding of globular clusters and for the formation of supermassive stars in general, with numerous important implications.” 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.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2023--

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Bitcoin is trading at its highest level in more than 18 months, with its price up more than 100 per cent since the start of 2023. The rally has pushed bitcoin’s market cap above $700 billion and the overall crypto market close to $1.5 trillion. The figure is still a long way from its all-time high of around $3 trillion, which was reached at the end of 2021, however some crypto analysts believe the recent gains are the beginning of another record-breaking run. Bitcoin’s hash rate – which denotes how much computing power is required to verify transactions and generate new units of the cryptocurrency through a process called mining – hit a record high this week, according to data from Blockchain.com. This signals a resilient network, with hopes of future price gains attracting an increasing number of miners. Recent reports have revealed significant investment in cryptocurrency mining from both state-backed and commercial ventures. Tether, the issuer of the stablecoin USDT is planning to invest $500 million in mining, while satellite imagery analysed by Forbes suggests Bhutan’s government is establishing a massive bitcoin mining operation in the foothills of the Himalayas. Separate data reveals that miners have been profiting from cheap energy sources to reduce their average BTC production cost by 35 per cent from $21,100 to $13,800. “This data underscores a considerably stronger profitability in the mining sector compared to the challenges experienced throughout 2022 and part of 2023,” said research analyst Matteo Greco from the fintech investment firm Fineqia International. In roughly six months, bitcoin will undergo an event known as a “halving”, which will see the amount of new bitcoins awarded to miners cut by half. The event was hardcoded into bitcoin’s underlying blockchain by its pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto, who introduced it as an anti-inflationary measure when the cryptocurrency first launched in 2009. Taking place approximately every four years, the build up to the halvings have traditionally been the most profitable time for crypto investors. “Buy bitcoin six months before a halving and sell 18 months after a halving has historically beaten ‘buy and hold’ trading strategy,” Dutch crypto trader PlanB wrote earlier this year. “The next halving is April 2024... Will this strategy work again?” Read More Google issues one-week deadline to Gmail account holders UK and South Korea issue warning over North Korea-linked cyber attacks Researchers warned of dangerous AI discovery just before OpenAI chaos Crypto experts predict which bitcoin rivals to look out for

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Microsoft’s attempt to buy the developer of Call of Duty in the biggest tech deal ever may be pressing ahead. A judge ruled that Microsoft could go ahead with its purchase of Activision, despite objections from its rival PlayStation. The US Federal Trade Commission had attempted to block the deal amid fears that it could limit competition in gaming. But the court said that it would not stop the deal. Now the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, which originally blocked the deal earlier this year, said that it would consider new proposals from Microsoft that might make the deal reach approval in the UK, too. “After today’s court decision in the US, our focus now turns back to the UK,” said Brad Smith, vice chair and president at Microsoft. “While we ultimately disagree with the CMA’s concerns, we are considering how the transaction might be modified in order to address those concerns in a way that is acceptable to the CMA. “In order to prioritize work on these proposals, Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of the litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and the parties have made a joint submission to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to this effect.” The deal would be the largest for Microsoft and the biggest in the history of the videogame business. In its arguments, the FTC has said Microsoft would be able to use the Activision games to leave rival console makers like Nintendo and market-leader Sony Group out in the cold. Microsoft President Brad Smith tweeted that the company was “grateful” for the “quick and thorough” decision. “Our merger will benefit consumers and workers. It will enable competition rather than allow entrenched market leaders to continue to dominate our rapidly growing industry,â€Â Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard CEO, said in a statement. The FTC’s complaint had cited concerns about loss of competition in console gaming, as well as subscriptions and cloud gaming. To address the FTC’s concerns, Microsoft agreed to license “Call of Duty” to rivals, including a 10-year contract with Nintendo, contingent on the merger closing. During the five-day trial in June, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella argued the company would have no incentive to shut out Sony’s PlayStation or other rivals in order to sell more Microsoft Xbox consoles. At issue in the Microsoft-Activision deal is leadership in a gaming market whose sales are expected to increase by 36% over the next four years to $321 billion, according to a PwC estimate. And while much of the testimony in the recent trial focused on “Call of Duty,” Activision produces other bestsellers like “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo” and the mobile game “Candy Crush Saga.” Additional reporting by Reuters Read More Microsoft Teams stops working in the middle of the working day Scientists invent cloak inspired by Roman god that could help us live on Mars Record-breaking sugar battery could supercharge transition to renewable energy Scientists invent cloak inspired by Roman god that could help us live on Mars Record-breaking sugar battery could supercharge transition to renewable energy Why the Battle of the Boyne has made its way into your iPhone