The empire’s 300,000-kilometer road network was stranger and less Rome-centered than legend suggests.

Surging drug use has contributed to an epidemic in the Pacific island nation, where one in 60 adults is estimated to be living with the virus.

All roads lead to Rome. It’s one of the oldest sayings in the Western world, and according to a new study in Nature Communications, it isn’t quite true. Led by Adam Pažout, a researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the team found that cities like Antioch, Ancyra (modern Ankara), Byzantium (modern Istanbul), and Corinth […]

NVIDIA VA-API ajuda a ativar aceleração de vídeo no Chrome e Chromium no Ubuntu com NVIDIA, sem grandes complicações.

O post Como ativar aceleração de vídeo NVIDIA no Chrome e Chromium apareceu primeiro em Blog do Edivaldo - Informações e Notícias sobre Linux.

Ancient DNA suggests Rome’s fall reshaped Europe through gradual migration and intermarriage, not a sudden barbarian takeover.

A nearly identical exploit kit that targets critical vulnerabilities in both Chromium-based browsers and older versions of Windows is being actively used by at least four hacking groups, some of which have ties to the Chinese government.

Researchers from security firm Proofpoint said Wednesday that BlueMoon, the name they gave to the kit, chains three vulnerabilities together so the attackers using it can install malware of their choice. BlueMoon exploits two Chromium vulnerabilities and one in the kernel of Windows 10 (Oct. 2018 Update), Windows Server 2019, Windows 10 2004, Windows Server 2022, and the initial release of Windows 11. All three vulnerabilities have received patches in the past 24 hours.

Deployed rapidly, widely shared

The attacks lacked the stealth found in many campaigns. More often, hackers want to exploit newly discovered vulnerabilities sparingly to lengthen their longevity. Proofpoint hypothesized that one reason for the widely used and visible exploit chain was to take advantage of a “patch gap” in the Chromium supply chain, which spans the time a patch is available from developers and the time that patch is incorporated into browsers such as Chrome and Edge. Another likely contributor was the use of AI, which can often spot vulnerabilities faster than discovery performed solely by humans.

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A nearly identical exploit kit that targets critical vulnerabilities in both Chromium-based browsers and older versions of Windows is being actively used by at least four hacking groups, some of which have ties to the Chinese government.

Researchers from security firm Proofpoint said Wednesday that BlueMoon, the name they gave to the kit, chains three vulnerabilities together so the attackers using it can install malware of their choice. BlueMoon exploits two Chromium vulnerabilities and one in the kernel of Windows 10 (Oct 2018 Update), Windows Server 2019, Windows 10 2004, Windows Server 2022, and the initial release of Windows 11. All three vulnerabilities have received patches in the past 24 hours.

Deployed rapidly, widely shared

The attacks lacked the stealth found in many campaigns. More often, hackers want to exploit newly discovered vulnerabilities sparingly to lengthen their longevity. Proofpoint hypothesized that one reason for the widely used and visible exploit chain was to take advantage of a “patch gap” in the Chromium supply chain, which spans the time a patch is available from developers and the time that patch is incorporated into browsers such as Chrome and Edge. Another likely contributor was the use of AI, which can often spot vulnerabilities faster than discovery performed solely by humans.

Read full article

Comments

© Getty Images

An unexpected discovery by archaeologists has revealed an ancient cult object in the suddenly shallow waters of one of Europe’s longest rivers.

The discovery involves a portion of a limestone altar found near Dunaújváros in Hungary, uncovered during surveys of a riverbed located near Szalki Island.

Taking advantage of unusually low water levels in Europe this summer, archaeologists with the Intercisa Museum and Attila J. Tóth, a diver who specializes in underwater archaeology, had initially been searching for the possible remains of a medieval Pentelic Monastery in a portion of the Danube River.

The current drought conditions in Europe have revealed portions of the riverbed that are normally inaccessible. In recent days, the falling waters of the Danube and other waterways have also revealed several examples of archaeological features left over from the ancient Roman world.

Instead of the Pentelic Monastery they had hoped to find, Intercisa Museum archaeologists uncovered a fragmentary portion of a Roman altar dedicated to Jupiter, whose worship comprised the supreme public religion of ancient Rome.

Additional discoveries included fragments of tablets also made from limestone, adding to the surprises low water levels in the region have helped reveal this summer.

Ancient Intercisa’s Mysteries Emerge

Approximately 1,800 years ago, the Roman settlement of Intercisa was located where Dunaújváros stands today. This ancient military complex formed a significant part of the military infrastructure that connected parts of ancient Europe, and at such sites, it was common for Roman military personnel to establish altars devoted to Jupiter.

In past discoveries, many of these altars display explicit links to the military sites where they were found, including names of personnel, units, or other information linking them to sites like Intercisa, offering a look at the religious devotion undertaken as part of daily life at Roman frontier military outposts.

Discoveries—and Dangers—of Field Archaeology in Europe

Complicating archaeological work in the area had been the additional discovery of what was suspected of being an unexploded World War II munition, although the object was removed so that it could be disarmed.

According to some estimates, there are as many as millions of tons of unexploded ordnance leftover from World War II that are still buried across Europe. Around 10% of all the explosives dropped by Allied and Axis forces reportedly failed to detonate upon impact.

The discovery of these long-dormant explosives is a fairly common occurrence in Europe at construction sites, archaeological digs, and river dredging. The discovery of these objects sometimes also results in emergency evacuations and transit shutdowns.

A View of the Ancient Roman World at Intercisa

Right now, the discoveries are revealing new insights into the known activities that were undertaken at Intercisa.

In the days ahead, archaeologists with the Intercisa Museum hope that additional discoveries can be made while the Danube’s waters remain so low, although they warn that anyone who discovers artifacts in such newly exposed areas of the riverbed must report archaeological discoveries and also be wary of the possible discovery of remnant World War II explosives.

The limestone altar is only one of many archaeological features from the ancient Roman world that drought conditions in Europe have revealed recently in the Danube. Previously, The Debrief also reported that portions of Constantine’s bridge have recently resurfaced from the famous river’s waters.

Archaeologists with the Intercisa Museum also report recent discoveries that include a fragment of a Roman tombstone that still features traces of paint, as well as a large and nearly intact statue that they have retrieved from the Danube’s shallow or empty riverbeds—all of which add to the archaeological heritage that has long been preserved beneath Europe’s waterways.

Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.

The Road to Macstock takes a serious turn as Mike T. Rose previews his workshop on becoming a digital caretaker for family members and loved ones. Mike discusses scams targeting older adults, password sharing, remote support, Apple Passwords, financial preparedness, and the need to balance protection, respect, independence, and trust when helping others manage their digital lives. 

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The MacVoices Live! panel covers a fake vendor site spreading malware, Apple’s new accessibility previews, and a hardware reorganization aimed at faster, more unified product development. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, Jim Rea, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Jeff Gamet, and Marty Jencius also discuss Eyes Off for shoulder-surfing protection, Microsoft and Google reactions to the MacBook Neo, Google’s proposed AI laptop, and broader questions about AI becoming part of operating systems. 

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A wide range of tech stories get the MacVoices treatment, starting with the quick sellout of the Steve Jobs commemorative coin and what strong MacBook Neo demand may say about Apple’s pricing, chip planning, and enterprise appeal. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Jeff Gamet and Mark Fuccio also discuss Apple updates unexpectedly changing settings, a Canvas ransomware disruption affecting schools, Chrome’s hidden AI download, Google’s Liquid Glass similarities, Digg’s AI-focused return, and safer lithium coin batteries. 

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"Google should be required to divest the Chrome browser, and prohibited from paying Apple to distribute Google's search engine, the nonprofit advocacy group Public Knowledge argues in a new court filing," MediaPost reports, citing a friend-of-the-court brief filed Tuesday in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals: The group adds that "independent ownership" of Chrome "would open the distribution channel Google controls and allow Chrome to serve browser users when it makes privacy decisions and determines how to integrate search and (artificial intelligence)..." In September 2025, [U.S. District Court Judge] Mehta issued a remedies order that requires Google to share some data about users' searches with "qualified" competitors and to provide syndicated search results and ads to those competitors. The order also prohibits Google from entering into exclusive distribution contracts for Google Search, Chrome, Google Assistant and the Gemini app for six years, but allows the company to continue to make payments for search-ad revenue or distribution to Apple, Mozilla and others... Google recently appealed Mehta's order. The company argued in its written brief that it "prevailed in the marketplace fair and square," adding that Apple and Mozilla "sensibly chose" Google as the default search engine "because it gave their users the best experience," and because Apple and Mozilla would earn the most ad revenue through the deals. The [U.S.] Justice Department and states countered to the appellate court last week that the liability finding should stand, and also argued that Google should have been banned from paying Apple and Mozilla for placement as the default search engine on their browsers. [Antitrust enforcers had originally asked the judge to order Google to divest Chrome, but he's already rejected that request.] The government did not argue in its appellate papers that Google should be forced to sell Chrome. But Public Knowledge independently contends in its friend-of-the-court brief that divestiture would benefit consumers... "Divestiture would place those decisions with an institution whose success depends on serving browser users primarily...." The group is calling the appellate court's attention to Google's April 2025 decision to preserve tracking cookies — a reversal from its earlier plans to block third-party cookies by default. "Google is in the position of both deciding Chrome's tracking rules while running the advertising business affected by them," Public Knowledge writes. "An independent Chrome could make those decisions on behalf of users alone." But Firefox developer Mozilla filed its own friend-of-the-court brief Thursday warning Firefox could be forced to "exit the browser and browser engine markets" if it can't receive payment from Google for distributing its search engine, according to a later report from MediaPost: Federal and state antitrust enforcers recently asked the appellate court to reverse the portion of Mehta's order that allows those payments to continue. But Mozilla counters in its new friend-of-the-court brief that Mehta's decision regarding those payments was supported by the evidence --including a study it conducted concluding that its revenue would "decline dramatically" if forced to replace Google with Bing as Firefox's default search engine... Google is expected to file new arguments with the appellate court next month.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Kenny still appreciated a good church service and even did readings from the breviary. Unusually, he argued there was no reason why an agnostic shouldn't pray.

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Excavations carried out as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) have brought to light an architectural complex of incalculable value in the heart of Villa Celimontana. Under the supervision of the Special Superintendency of Rome of the Ministry of Culture, the work has uncovered eight rooms belonging to an Imperial-era building whose […]

In the summer of 15 BC, Emperor Augustus’ two stepsons, Tiberius and Drusus, brought the Central Alps and the Swiss Plateau under Roman control. That campaign concluded decades of efforts to link the Gallic provinces with Illyricum and secure the routes between northern Italy and the Danube. However, while the western and eastern routes of […]

Jérôme Dupras is a member of one of Quebec’s most popular folk rock bands. Now, as the province’s chief scientist, he will help shape its environmental destiny.

Cancer-associated cachexia, the wasting syndrome that erodes muscle, fat and physical resilience in many people with advanced cancer, has long resisted treatment. Now, researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) report a preclinical strategy that targets the disorder from an unexpected location: the brainstem. In tumor-bearing mice, an RNA-based therapy designed to silence a neural receptor preserved body weight, muscle mass, fat stores and physical function, while dramatically improving survival even after cachexia had already developed.

The study was conducted by a joint team led by Minho Shong and Jinkuk Kim of KAIST’s Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, in collaboration with the KAIST faculty startup THOR Therapeutics. Their approach focuses on the biological circuit formed by growth differentiation factor 15, or GDF15, and its receptor, GFRAL. GDF15 is a signaling protein released in elevated amounts during several disease states, including cancer. When it reaches the hindbrain and binds to GFRAL, it activates neural pathways associated with nausea, appetite suppression and profound metabolic changes.

Cachexia is more complex than ordinary weight loss. Patients can continue losing muscle and body fat even when food intake is adequate, because cancer and the host response to cancer disrupt the systems that regulate energy use, inflammation and tissue maintenance. The resulting decline can weaken immunity, reduce mobility and make chemotherapy more difficult to tolerate. Although the syndrome affects an estimated 50 to 80 percent of people with cancer, available treatments have generally focused on stimulating appetite or providing nutritional support. Such measures may increase food intake temporarily, but they do not necessarily halt the breakdown of muscle or correct the underlying metabolic disturbance.

The KAIST researchers reasoned that the GDF15–GFRAL pathway could act as a central command system for this wasting response. GDF15 produced in the body circulates to the brainstem, where GFRAL is concentrated in a specialized region known as the area postrema and its surrounding neural circuitry. Once activated, this receptor can influence brain networks that control feeding behavior and autonomic metabolism. Rather than attempting to neutralize GDF15 throughout the body, the team chose to disable the receptor itself in the brainstem, preventing the signal from being received.

To accomplish this, the researchers developed antisense oligonucleotides, or ASOs, directed against Gfral messenger RNA. ASOs are short, chemically modified strands of nucleic acid engineered to bind a specific RNA sequence. When an ASO binds its target messenger RNA, cellular enzymes can promote its degradation or interfere with its processing, reducing production of the corresponding protein. In this case, the treatment lowered the supply of GFRAL receptors in the brainstem. The strategy therefore acts at the RNA stage, before the receptor is assembled and displayed on the surface of neural cells.

The experiments were performed in mice carrying tumors and showing established signs of cancer cachexia. This timing is important because many experimental interventions appear effective only when administered before severe wasting begins. According to the researchers, GFRAL silencing after cachexia had progressed substantially reduced the loss of muscle and fat. Treated animals also showed restoration of metabolic functions that had deteriorated during tumor growth, suggesting that the intervention did more than increase appetite. It helped interrupt the physiological program driving the breakdown of energy reserves.

The most striking result involved survival. At approximately day 50, the endpoint used in the study, about 90 percent of the mice receiving the GFRAL-targeting ASO remained alive, compared with roughly 20 percent of untreated tumor-bearing animals. The treated mice retained greater body weight and muscle mass and performed better in measures of muscle function. These findings indicate that cachexia itself can be a major determinant of outcome in cancer-bearing organisms and that blocking its central signaling pathway may provide benefits beyond nutritional improvement.

The work does not yet establish whether the same treatment will be safe or effective in people. GFRAL signaling is involved in the body’s response to circulating stress signals, and manipulating a receptor in the brainstem requires careful assessment of neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and metabolic effects. Human cancers also vary widely in their production of GDF15, tumor location and inflammatory biology. Nevertheless, the results offer a mechanistically precise alternative to therapies that merely encourage patients to eat. By targeting the receptor rather than broadly suppressing the signaling protein, the ASO approach may eventually be combined with chemotherapy, immunotherapy or other cancer treatments.

The findings, published in Cell Reports Medicine, represent an early step toward translating a brain-directed RNA therapy for cachexia. The researchers plan further preclinical studies, along with development of manufacturing and quality-control systems, with the stated goal of beginning clinical development in cancer patients by 2030. If the biology can be reproduced safely in humans, silencing GFRAL could become an adjunct treatment intended to preserve physical function, extend treatment tolerance and improve survival. For now, however, the evidence remains limited to tumor-bearing mice, and the central challenge will be determining whether a signal that can be switched off experimentally can be controlled with equal precision in patients.

Subject of Research:
An antisense oligonucleotide therapy targeting brainstem GFRAL to treat cancer-associated cachexia in tumor-bearing mice.

Article Title:
Therapeutic Gfral silencing via antisense oligonucleotides ameliorates cancer-associated cachexia and extends survival in tumor-bearing mice

Web References:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.102939

References:
Cell Reports Medicine, published 27 July 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.102939

Image Credits:
KAIST

Keywords:
Cancer cachexia, GFRAL, GDF15, antisense oligonucleotides, RNA therapy, brainstem, muscle wasting, cancer metabolism, preclinical research, KAIST

Laser scans revealed a Roman stronghold overlooking the battlefield where an Alpine people lost their freedom.