A new study into the Earth beneath our feet has discovered that an ancient ocean floor structure could be wrapped around the planet's core which could be taller that Mount Everest in some areas. A brand new high-resolution mapping of the core has uncovered things that scientists previously didn't know according to a study that was first published in April. The discovery found that a thin but dense layer sits at around 2,900 kilometers below the surface at the Core Mantle Boundary where rocks meet the molten outer core of the planet. Geologist Samantha Hansen from the University of Alabama is quoted in the study saying: "Seismic investigations, such as ours, provide the highest resolution imaging of the interior structure of our planet, and we are finding that this structure is vastly more complicated than once thought." She adds: "Our research provides important connections between shallow and deep Earth structure and the overall processes driving our planet.” Hansen and her team conducted the research from 15 different stations in Antarctica by using seismic waves created by Earthquakes to create a map of what the inside of the planet looks like. The team identified the unexpected energy within seconds of the boundary-reflected wave from the seismic data. The findings show that although the layer is very thin it does spread for many, many kilometers and has been called the ultra-low velocity zone (ULVZs) due to its strong wave speed reductions. Due to the properties of the ULVZs the experts believe that the layer could vary dramatically in height. Geophysicist Edward Garnero from Arizona State University adds: "The material's thickness varies from a few kilometers to [tens] of kilometers. This suggests we are seeing mountains on the core, in some places up to five times taller than Mt. Everest." These underground mountains could play a significant role in how heat escapes from the Earth's core and power magnetic fields and volcanic eruptions. The team's studies suggest that the layer could encase all of the core but further research will have to be carried out to determine if that is the case. 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.

The number of Twitter users is “tanking” following the release of rival app Threads, according to the head of an internet services company. Cloudflare chief executive Matthew Prince shared a graph showing an apparent decline in Twitter’s popularity following Elon Musk’s takeover of the social network late last year, with a steep drop appearing at the start of July when tech rival Mark Zuckerberg launched his text-based app. Separate figures from data intelligence platform Similarweb showed that traffic to Twitter was down 5 per cent in the first two full days that Threads was available, compared with the previous week, while user retention has also declined. In a report on the trend, Similarweb noted that the drop in user retention is “a bad sign for app user loyalty” for Twitter. The metric only accounts for people visiting Twitter’s website and not those using the app, with other measures suggesting the number of daily active users steadily increased in the nine months following Mr Musk’s takeover. Twitter does not publish up-to-date user data and did not respond to a request from The Independent for the latest figures. The launch of Threads last Thursday saw a record number of users flock to the app in its first few days, with Mr Zuckerberg revealing that the app had reached 100 million sign ups on Monday. “That’s mostly organic demand and we haven’t even turned on many promotions yet,” the Meta boss posted on Threads. “Can’t believe it’s only been five days!” Recent estimates published by Statista put the number of monthly active Twitter users at around 436 million. The arrival of Threads comes at a difficult time for Twitter, with Mr Musk recently announcing a limit to the number of tweets users can view after issues with data harvesting on the platform. Twitter has threatened to sue Threads’ parent company Meta, claiming former Twitter staff were hired to create a “copycat” platform. “Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information,” Mr Musk’s lawyer Alex Spiro wrote in a letter to Mr Zuckerberg, as reported by Semafor. “Twitter reserves all rights, including, but not limited to, the right to seek both civil remedies and injunctive relief without further notice to prevent any further retention, disclosure, or use of its intellectual property by Meta.” The Independent has reached out to Mr Spiro for further information about any potential legal action. Read More Musk, Zuckerberg and the bitter battle for the future of social media Account tracking Elon Musk’s jet is now on Threads after Twitter suspended it Elon Musk says ‘Zuck is cuck’ as Threads inches closer to 100m users Instagram’s boss has said it will fix some glaring issues with Threads

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 13, 2023--

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An hours-long outage that left people in the UK unable to call each other has now been resolved, according to the networks involved. Around lunchtime on Monday, many people found they were unable to make phone calls. Attempting to ring certain numbers just showed the call as failing. It was initially unclear what the problem was, and who was responsible. Tracking website Down Detector showed issues at a range of UK networks, and indicated that customers across the country were experiencing them. It soon became clear that the problem affected Vodafone numbers when they tried to call EE numbers. But it also affected people with Vodafone who attempted to call people who ported their number from EE – since the number remains the same, and so EE is still involved in the process, routing those calls to people’s new network. Vodafone indicated that the problem was with EE. It said that the problem was “an issue with the EE network”, and that the network was seeking to fix it. EE then said that it was aware of the problem and working to fix it. Now EE has said that the issue has been resolved, though it gave little information on what happened or whether it might be able to happen again. It also stressed that the issue only affected calls from Vodafone customers, and that mobile data and text messages had stayed functional throughout the outage. “The issue impacting some customers’ calls to and from a Vodafone number has been resolved,” a spokesperson said. “We’re very sorry for any inconvenience caused. Calls to other networks, mobile data and text messages were not affected.” Customers at some other networks reported problems, including those on O2, which said that users might experience issues when connecting with customers on EE. Those problems were presumably the result of those ported numbers. Read More Vodafone users say they can’t call people SpaceX abandons YouTube for live streams of launches in favour of X/Twitter Spy attire: US investing $22m in surveillance socks and other wearable tech

Video game makers aren’t doing enough to cater for gamers with disabilities, a study has revealed. A poll of 500 adults with physical and mental disabilities who play video games found 81 per cent have struggled to play their favourite games due to inaccessible game features. Specific problems include a lack of customisable control options (21 per cent), hard-to-read text (33 per cent), fast-paced gameplay (34 per cent), and flashing lighting effects (31 per cent). As a result, 39 per cent have been forced to stop playing a game - or abandon it altogether. The Samsung study also found 52 per cent would like to see more characters who represent their disability - and claim they would game more if this happened. The research follows the launch of the brand’s ‘Embrace Your Game’ portal - a European-wide gaming training initiative featuring expert guides, training sessions, and video workshops for gamers of all abilities. Steven Woodgate, chair of the True Ability Employee Resource Group at Samsung Electronics UK, said: “Gamers with disabilities not only make up a sizable portion of the player base. “But they also provide valuable perspectives and experiences to the gaming community. “While we’ve seen some strides in accessibility over recent years, this study reveals the pressing barriers still faced by many. “We must prioritise an inclusive gaming landscape, ensuring every player, regardless of their disability, can enjoy and connect through these digital realms. “The industry owes it to all its players to make games as accessible and representative as possible.” Despite the challenges, 22 per cent of those polled feel empowered by gaming, while 40 per cent said the pastime gives them a sense of escape. And 16 per cent said it provides them with a way to connect with other gamers with disabilities, with 28 per cent claiming video games are an ‘essential’ part of their routine. Barriers for those polled include games which result in ‘cognitive overload’ through complex control configurations and hard to follow information or instructions (28 per cent). While 24 per cent have experienced dexterity issues – such as controllers not being adequately designed for their ergonomic needs. In response, gamers with disabilities revealed the features and accessibility options they’d like to see in future titles. More accessory options for differently abled players (34 per cent) topped the list, closely followed by more online multiplayer options catering toward different disabilities (34 per cent). The research carried out through OnePoll, also found 31 per cent would like to see improved guides and tutorials to help them learn gaming controls more easily. And 31 per cent would also like a greater range of customisable controller options. Robin Christopherson of charity, AbilityNet, which works towards making the digital world more accessible, said: “It should be no surprise to learn that disabled people enjoy gaming as much as anyone else. “But this research demonstrates quite clearly the negative impact on people’s wellbeing when hardware or software isn’t accessible. “It also underlines that games are a vital part of the fabric of many people’s lives, creating social networks and bringing enjoyment which should be open to everyone.” Read More Brits are so fed up with emails that retail giants now send reminder letters Brits will eat over 5,000 slices of pizza in their adult life, study finds Millions of homeware items thrown away each year, research finds Facebook and Instagram users face monthly fee for ad-free version Japan startup unveils 15-foot robot suit for space exploration New discovery is ‘holy grail’ breakthrough in search for aliens, scientist say

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Amazon posts third-quarter profit well ahead of estimates, Intel issues upbeat guidance, Ford reports weaker-than-expected earnings, and Enphase projects a slowdown in solar-product sales will continue.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 2023--