Dismembered body of missing tourist is found in Canary Islands landfill
Spain's Civil Guard discovered the remains of a 56-year-old Belgian national, named by local media as Katty Oosterlinck, on Friday morning after she had been reported missing.
Fifteen people rushed to hospital after 'boat explosion' in Miami
At least 15 people were taken to the hospital after a boat reportedly exploded at a Miami beach on Saturday.
Man City are making sure Arsenal will have to win the Premier League title themselves - but their race would be run without the impact of one key star, writes IAN LADYMAN
IAN LADYMAN AT THE ETIHAD: On this evidence - and on the back of what we saw as they rescued a point at Everton last Monday - City will not help Mikel Arteta 's team over the line.
Plant Seeds Do Something Incredible When the Sound of Rain Strikes
"Plant seeds can sense the vibrations generated by falling raindrops," reports ScienceAlert, "and respond by waking from their state of dormancy to welcome the water, new research shows.... to germinate in 'anticipation' of the coming deluge."
The finding, discovered by MIT mechanical engineers Nicholas Makris and Cadine Navarro, offers the first direct evidence that seeds and seedlings can sense and respond to sounds in nature... "The energy of the rain sound is enough to accelerate a seed's growth," [explains Markis].
Plants don't have the same aural equipment we do to actually hear sounds, of course. But the study suggests that seeds respond to the same vibrations that can produce a sound experience in our human ears. Across a series of experiments, the researchers submerged nearly 8,000 rice seeds in shallow tubs of water, at a depth of around 3 centimeters (1 inch), and exposed some of them to falling water drops over periods of six days... A hydrophone recorded the acoustic vibrations produced by the drops, confirming that the experiment mimicked the vibrations produced by actual raindrops falling in nature — such as the driving downpours that can sometimes pelt Massachusetts' puddles, ponds, and wetlands... In their study, the researchers observed that seeds exposed to the falling drops germinated up to around 37% faster, compared with seeds that did not receive the simulated rainstorm treatment but were housed in otherwise identical conditions.
More information in Scientific American and Scientific Reports.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Swinney just won't take no for an answer as he launches ANOTHER bid to break up UK - a day after shedding 400,000 votes in Scottish election
John Swinney yesterday launched ANOTHER bid to hold a second independence referendum - despite the SNP failing to win a majority and losing 400,000 votes in the Holyrood election.
It's sulking Sarwar! Leader goes AWOL after poll disaster. Scots Labour chief is branded 'cowardly' after adopting bunker mentality... just like Starmer
Anas Sarwar has been branded a 'coward' by members of his own party for going into hiding following Labour 's catastrophic election defeat.
Starmer faces leadership challenge on MONDAY as Labour MP issues bombshell ultimatum to Cabinet
Catherine West, a backbencher, revealed she will go public with a leadership coup on Monday if the Cabinet hasn't moved against the Prime Minister by her deadline.
Simon Cowell laments his, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan's 'awful and horrible' behaviour towards Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent admitting her audition was 'a wake-up call'
The music mogul, 66, admitted the singer's audition back in 2009 was 'a wake-up call' for the panel after their 'disgusting' reactions to her were televised.
Tributes pour in for 'amazing' father-of-three stabbed to death in the street in Manchester: Man, 18, is arrested
A man, named locally as Dre Brown, was stabbed on Raby Street, Moss Side, in Manchester on Friday evening. He sadly died later from his injuries after being taken to hospital.
Cisco Releases Open-Source 'DNA Test for AI Models'
Cisco has released an open-source tool "to trace the origins of AI models," reports SC World, "and compare model similarities for great visibility into the AI supply chain."
[Cisco's Model Provenance Kit] is a Python toolkit and command-line interface (CLI) that looks at signals such as metadata and weights to create a "fingerprint" for AI models that can then be compared to other model fingerprints to determine potential shared origins. "Think of Model Provenance Kit as a DNA test for AI models," Cisco researchers wrote. "[...] Much like a DNA test reveals biological origins, the Model Provenance Kit examines both metadata and the actual learned parameters of a model (like a unique genome that comprises a model), to assess whether models share a common origin and identify signs of modification."
The tool aims to address gaps in visibility into the AI model supply chain. For example, many organizations utilize open-source models from repositories like HuggingFace, where models could potentially be uploaded with incomplete or deceptive documentation. The Model Provenance Kit provides a way for organizations to verify claims about a model's origins, such as claims that a model is trained from scratch, when in reality it may be copied from another model, Cisco said. This may put organizations at risk of using models with unknown biases, vulnerabilities or manipulations and make it more difficult to resolve any incidents that arise from these risks.
Thanks to Slashdot reader spatwei for sharing the news.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
DAN HODGES: As PM's latest reset implodes on the launchpad, bullish Team Burnham plot their attack: 'Andy's ready to go for it'
Last Friday Andy Burnham left his office to take the 20-minute walk to The Badger, a new gastropub he'd agreed to open in Manchester's trendy Northern Quarter.
Cheryl's sweet bond with Liam Payne's family - from a 'magical' Disney holiday together to Christmas gatherings as she tries to keep the One Direction star's memory alive
Cheryl Tweedy endured one of life's biggest tragedies 18 months ago after the death of her child's father, Liam Payne.
Google tweaks Chrome AI privacy wording, insists processing stays on-device
Deletion of a longstanding privacy assurance sparks concerns
Why cruises are so prone to disease outbreaks and how to stay safe while sailing... as hantavirus that killed three spreads to America
Cruises are sold as floating vacations, but they are also useful for understanding public health.
Social Media Sites Got Information from Ad Trackers on US State Health Insurance Sites
All 20 of America's state-run healthcare marketplace sites "include advertising trackers that share information with Big Tech companies," reports Gizmodo, citing a report from Bloomberg:
Per the report, seven million Americans bought their health insurance through state exchanges in 2026, and many of them may have had personal information shared with companies, including Meta, TikTok, Snap, Google, Nextdoor, and LinkedIn, among others. Some of the data collected and shared with those companies included ZIP codes, a person's sex and citizenship status, and race.
In addition to potentially sensitive biographical details about a person, the trackers also may reveal additional details about their life based on the sites they visit. For instance, Bloomberg found trackers on Medicaid-related web pages in Rhode Island, which could reveal information about a person's financial status and need for assistance. In Maryland, a Spanish-language page titled "Good News for Noncitizen Pregnant Marylanders" and a page designed to help DACA recipients navigate their healthcare options were found to be transmitting data to Big Tech firms...
Per Bloomberg, several states have already removed some trackers from their exchange websites following the report.
Thanks to Slashdot reader JoeyRox for sharing the news.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
British airport stops flights from today as it closes for good after 90 years to be replaced by green energy plant
A UK airport has officially ceased all flights from today as it closes for good after operating for 90 years.
Police launch urgent appeal to find missing schoolgirl, 15, last seen in Southport
Katie-Lou Berry - who has links to Bolton, Liverpool and Bootle - was last spotted at around 6.10pm on May 8 close to the Botanic Gardens in the town.
What really happens when you reheat your coffee in the microwave
Reheating coffee multiple times does more than ruin the taste. It also alters the composition of your cup of Joe.
Mother's anger as boy, seven, who is slowly going blind is refused specialist help because he goes to private school
Little Rowan Antolovi, who has a rare genetic eye disorder, is struggling to manage in the classroom because of his failing eyesight.
'Giddy' Garraway and her man in lycra! Good Morning Britain presenter Kate and Liam Halligan can't keep their hands off each other - as star makes emotional decision about wedding ring
Ms Garraway beamed with joy as she joined the former GB News economics and business editor at the Herne Hill velodrome to wave him off to take part in the Duchenne Dash.