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The Central Intelligence Agency has launched a new effort to capitalize on what US intelligence officials believe is an "unprecedented" opportunity to convince Russians disaffected by the war in Ukraine and life in Russia to share their secrets, posting a slickly produced, cinematic recruitment video online on Monday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a meeting with computer chip makers has stressed that investment and international exchanges to strengthen the supply chain were welcome

State-backed assets from Singapore have ended up on an ESG blacklist at Van Lanschot Kempen NV, after Asia’s

(Reuters) -Goldman Sachs will pay a $5.5 million civil penalty to settle allegations it failed to keep records of staff

A rapid reversal in the shares of online-lending firm Upstart Holdings Inc. underscores the dangers for stocks swept

Google’s dominance in online search has triggered a regulatory crackdown by South Africa’s antitrust body. The watchdog determined

Many of us look to the stars for answers to life’s most complex questions. But actually, some of the greatest mysteries lie beneath our very feet. One might think we’d know the Earth pretty well by now but, in fact, our planet’s core remains shrouded in enigma. Indeed, there are two gigantic blobs located beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean that occupy around six per cent of the world’s entire volume. And yet, we’re still not entirely sure what they’re made of or where they came from. There are a number of hypotheses, including that they are piles of oceanic crust that have accumulated over billions of years. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter But a more interesting theory is that they are huge chunks of an ancient planet that hit the Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. To give an indication of just how massive these things are, the structure under Africa – an area known as Tuzo – is thought to be around 800km (497 miles) tall – the equivalent of some 90 Mount Everests stacked on top of one another, as IFLScience notes. The problem with determining the origin of these monster formations is that there are no direct ways of observing the Earth’s core. The deepest hole humans have ever dug – branded the "entrance to hell" – reached a pretty staggering 12,263m (40,230ft), but that doesn’t even come close to breaking through the crust to the layers beneath. Our most effective tool for analysing what lies beneath the ground is a technique called seismic tomography, which looks at how waves of energy travel when earthquakes occur. Since rocks and liquids have different densities, the waves move through them at different speeds. By measuring the tremors from different points on the surface, geologists can determine what kind of material the waves are travelling through and, in so doing, map out the Earth’s interior. It was by using this technique that the two unusual structures – known as large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) – were found. Waves travel more slowly in these areas – fondly known as “blobs” – than through the surrounding lower mantle, indicating that they’re made of something different. We can’t tell what this material is based on seismic tomography data alone, but some scientists like to believe that they are the remnants of an ancient planet called Theia – an idea known as the “giant impact hypothesis”. According to this hypothesis, around 4.5 billion years ago, a Mars-sized object collided with the Earth. This impact not only created the planet we call home today, but also threw off enough rock to form the moon that lights up our night skies. Some scientists suggest that some of Theia’s leftovers also sunk to the bottom of the planet, probably settling somewhere above the core – thereby forming at least one of the two LLSVPs. More Updates About Strange Blob Structures Inside Planet Earth youtu.be Experts have been investigating the area for decades but there’s still no way of knowing for sure just what these two giant blobs are. Still, studies into Theia have offered important insights into how the possible collision might have kickstarted key plate tectonic and mantle motion inside our planet – crucial processes for establishing the world on which we live. It’s also a useful reminder that we still have so much to learn about our planet and where we came from. 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.

The new app has come under scrutiny for its lack of account deactivation options without affecting the connected Instagram account

Scientists have developed a pair of smart gloves that could allow stroke patients with limb weakness to relearn to play the piano. The exoskeleton glove uses artificial intelligence, moving components known as actuators, and touch sensors in a way that could help patients relearn manual tasks after losing or showing a reduced ability to move hands, fingers, or wrists. The researchers said their proof-of-concept gloves “teaches” its wearer to play the piano by “feeling” the difference between right and wrong movements. We found that the glove can learn to distinguish between correct and incorrect piano play Dr Erik Engeberg Dr Erik Engeberg, a professor at Florida Atlantic University’s department of ocean & mechanical engineering, in the US, said: “We found that the glove can learn to distinguish between correct and incorrect piano play. “This means it could be a valuable tool for personalised rehabilitation of people who wish to relearn to play music.” It is estimated that there are 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK today. Stroke is a leading cause of disability, with almost two thirds of survivors leaving hospital with limb weakness, visual problems, and language and communication problems. The glove is designed to assist and enhance their natural hand movements, allowing them to control the flexion and extension of their fingers Dr Erik Engeberg For the study, published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI, a team of engineers designed a pair of exoskeleton gloves that uses actuators to mimic natural hand movements. Each fingertip contains 16 sensors that allows the wearer to feel the objects they touch. Prof Engeberg said: “While wearing the glove, human users have control over the movement of each finger to a significant extent. “The glove is designed to assist and enhance their natural hand movements, allowing them to control the flexion and extension of their fingers. “The glove supplies hand guidance, providing support and amplifying dexterity.” As part of the experiments, the gloves were taught to play the nursery rhyme “Mary had a little lamb” on the piano on its own using pre-programmed movements. When a person wore the gloves to play the piano, it was able to detect where the wearer went wrong in their movements, enabling them to “understand their performance and make improvements”. The economic burden on health and social care in this country demands innovative approaches to treatment and care, which have the potential to reduce the devastating effects of stroke Juliet Bouverie, Stroke Association The researchers said further work is needed to improve the accuracy of the device and make it more adaptable. But they hope that in future, stroke patients and other people with disabilities could use these gloves to regain arm function. Commenting on the work, Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of the Stroke Association said: “It’s an exciting time for technology in stroke research. “We welcome studies which look at creating effective tools for improving recovery after stroke. “The economic burden on health and social care in this country demands innovative approaches to treatment and care, which have the potential to reduce the devastating effects of stroke.” She added: “We hope the results of this research will help build on our current understanding to bring about effective treatments to help rebuild lives after stroke.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live The different types of public EV chargers explained Emergency number back in use after nationwide technical fault Windrush trolls taken down after public criticism

By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Thursday urged colleges to take into account challenges that applicants

Last year was a mixed bag pay-wise for the women who run companies in the S&P 500 -- compensation increased for more than half of them, but the median pay package fell 6%