Chemical Market Reports

Elizabeth Moseley

Russian Cosmonauts to Activate Space Station’s New Robotic Arm

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On Monday, April 18 (UPI), two Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station completed the first of two spacewalks to activate the station’s new European Robotic Arm. The two Cosmonauts were Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev, and they began their nearly seven-hour spacewalk at 11:01 a.m. ET ended at 5:37 p.m. ET, lasting for six hours and 37 minutes. During Monday’s spacewalk, the two removed the arm’s protective covers and installed handrails outside the Nauka module.

NASA Website live-streamed the cosmonauts during the spacewalk to activate the 37-foot long arm, which will be used to transport heavy items and help spacewalkers. The European Space Agency said that the new associate will navigate across the Russian segment of the space station and can carry a load of up to 17,000 pounds. It is one of three systems that can take and move large objects outside the ISS.

On April 28, a second spacewalk for the cosmonauts has been scheduled, when they will remove the arm’s protective thermal blankets and test its mobility. People agreed that the two spacewalkers were on their Final task to continue preparing the European Robotic Arm for operations on the station. On April 28, the cosmonaut pair will remove thermal blankets used to protect the robotic arm when it launched last year and the Nauka module. Matveev and Artemyev will also flex the robotic arm’s joints, release restraints and test its grappling ability. It was the first spacewalk for Matveev and a fourth for veteran spacewalker Artemyev.

Also, spacewalks are planned to continue to outfit the European robotic arm and activate Nauka’s airlock for future spacewalks,” Nasa said. Additional spacewalks are scheduled to continue to equip the European robotic arm and activate Nauka’s airlock for future spacewalks,” Nasa said. Last month, the Russian module arrived at the space station as Moscow replaced the Piers module that disintegrated into the atmosphere during re-entry. Eleven spacewalks are planned to ready the Nauka (the Russian word for ‘science’) module. The Nauka Module, which docked at the space station in July, will serve as a research lab, storage unit, and airlock for the Russian segment.

The module led to a major mishap on the station hours after arrival as its jet thrusters fired, inadvertently throwing the flying outpost out of control. Vladimir Solovyov, the designer general at Energia, a Russian space agency company, sought to reassure international partners that the incident had been contained and said cosmonauts would have Nauka the module up and running soon.

When Asked how the geopolitical tensions with Russia have affected life on the space station, NASA astronaut Dr. Tom Marshburn said during a Friday news conference that it’s been a “collegial, amicable relationship together up here, and we’re working together.”
HE SAID the NASA crew and Russian cosmonauts regularly share meals and watch movies together. “We rely on each other for our survival,” Marshburn said, “It is a dangerous environment. And so we go with our training; we go with recognizing that we are all up here for the same purpose: to explore and keep this space station maintained.”

COCA-COLA: A Stable Safe Heaven in a Dynamic Market

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A total beverage company- COCA-COLA sells its products in more than 200 countries. It provides services to more than 500 brands in about 200 countries. On May 8, 1886, Dr. John Pemberton presented the world’s first Coca-Cola at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in Atlanta & from that one drink, we’ve come up into a total beverage company. The portfolio of this company has increased to more than 200 brands and thousands of beverages across the world, ranging from soft-drink to water and from coffee to tea. The purpose of this multinational company is to refresh the people of the world and stand in a different way. The company’s operational structure has geographical segments like the Middle East & Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America & Asia Pacific.

The company is engaged in producing, retailing, distributing, and marketing non-alcoholic & alcoholic beverages. It is a public company founded in the year of 1892 by John Stith Pemberton. The headquarter of this company is in Atlanta. This company is in news on a continuous basis due to its operations. It has acquired various business units since its establishment. For example, it acquired Minute Maid in 1960, and Columbia Pictures (the movie studio) in 1982. With its acquisition of Minute Maid Corporation in 1960, this beverage company grab the citrus juice market. It introduced the well-known brand Fresca in 1966.

Before that, the company also launches the Sprite- The Lemon Lime Drink and also came up with its first diet cola along with sugar-free Tab, in 1963. Following these innovations and acquisitions, new market opportunities were welcoming the company in the early 1990s. Getting these opportunities, the company launched its first bottle that was partially made from recycled plastic. After that, it came up by acquiring the Indian cola brand Thumps Up in the year of 1993 and Barq’s in 1995. Despite having multiple worries such as inflation, COVID-19, interest rates, volatility in Ukraine’s stocks, etc.- consumers are ready to pay a prestigious pay when seeking something in the form of beverages.

The sales of the COCA-COLA company even beat the prediction of Wall Street of 9.8 billion dollars, that is, its sales rise up to 10.5 billion dollars. The company observed that some of its consumers are experiencing problems from higher prices and because of this CEO James Quincey is experimenting with refillable packaging in Latin America & Africa and returnable glass bottles in the different parts of Southwest US. The main objective of these innovations is to reduce and minimize the waste produced and provide consumers with financial incentives to make use of reusable bottles. One of the brands of COCA-COLA (Coke) is continuously developing quirky new flavors.

Baby Born Inside-Out – New Mother in Shock

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When Ashlie Fowler, 29, was 12 weeks pregnant with her first-born child, she was made aware that her son had developed a condition known as gastroschisis, a birth defect of the abdominal wall, owing to which, organs leak out of the body. This occurs as the organs begin to develop. Generally, the small and large intestines exit through a small hole to the right of the belly button, and at times can include other organs such as the stomach and liver.

Gastroschisis is a rare condition that affects about 4 in 10,000 newborns. While the baby has now been moved to his home, a lot sooner than expected, he seems to be doing much better. His parents have named him Koa – which stands for fighter or warrior in Hawaiian. A name befitting of this champion tot.

The biggest concern that both medical staff and his parents had, was concerning his weight, however, medical specialists were confident that baby Koa would be fine and instilled the same confidence in his parents. The delivery of this champ had to take place at a specialist hospital, as a regular hospital would not suffice. Initially, they wanted to have a natural birth, but mother nature had her own plans and as the tot was breached, a C-section was carried out. After Koa took his first gasps of air, the staff had put all of his organs into a sanitized bag to prevent and infection, neither did they want his organs to dry up or lose heat.

He was then wrapped like a cocoon and placed in an incubator, where he seemed to be rather content. Ashlie praised the dedicated medical staff that made all of this possible, as she couldn’t take her eyes of her miracle. Doctors continued to monitor the tot’s condition to ensure that he put on the necessary weight he needed to. This is a feel-good piece that’s a great way to uplift spirits through the grim times most, if not all of us have had to endure. The future holds a lot in store for this little munchkin and his family. Happy New Year!

India Attracting Investments from VC Firms from all Around the World

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India is attracting funding from investment firms from all around the world, indicating a breakthrough moment for the nation’s entrepreneurs. The analysis was based on information from Tracxn, a startup tracker firm. China’s not-so-great trade barrier is scarcely impeding export profitability. BIS Oxford has published a study outlining trade flows after China imposed a slew of trade obstacles. It appears that those affected by these restrictions or tariffs were more flexible in seeking markets abroad. A prominent example is a coal, which is of demand in China.

211 firms made their debut in India this year, 64 more than the previous year. Kleiner Perkins, the Silicon Valley fund that exited India in 2014, has returned to the battlefield, according to a report. 597 investment firms have done 2,284 deals this year. Concerning the circumstances in China, the study stated that Beijing’s regulation campaign on its IT industry has diminished its attractiveness as Asia’s first-choice destination for foreign investments by international venture funding.

As per Bloomberg, the campaign, which began last November with Jack Ma’s twin behemoths, Ant Group as well as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., quickly spread to other companies such as Tencent Holdings as well as Didi Global, as Beijing increased monitoring and supervision on anything from antitrust to data security as well as the distribution of wealth. According to Bloomberg, the crackdown caused a sell-off that wiped USD 1.5 trillion from Chinese markets, which witnessed erratic fluctuations with every new official inquiry, rule, and warning. However, India is excelling as a result of its thriving public markets, and the quick adoption of internet services in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak.

At the first edition of HT NxT, business executives from a variety of industries stated that, whereas the availability of cheap financing has frequently been mentioned as a main cause for the entrepreneurial wave, it was the emphasis on technology that helped shape this great success story. In research released in January, industry organization Nasscom and strategic consulting firm Zinnov predicted that India would create 100 new unicorns by 2025. Lately, expansion has been remarkable. There have been several promising IPOs in India this year, one of the most talked-about companies was Nykaa. It had a surprisingly profitable share market debut, which even made its founder the richest self-made female billionaire in India. Factors such as these indicate that India could become the world’s most favorable marketplace for venture capitalists over the next several decades.

Study Finds Hospitalized COVID19 Patients Might Have Paid Over $4000 From Their Pockets Despite Insurance Waivers

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A new study has shown that many patients who have been hospitalized with COVID19 in 2020 have paid up to $4000 from their own pocket, even after many insurance firms have implemented waivers for treatment linked to COVID19. Experts who have been involved in the study have said that when the pandemic has hit the United States last year, insurance firms have waived off most of the medical costs for treatment related to COVID19. Experts have said that the decision has been a show of goodwill towards the customers and to dodge health care premium rebates ordered by Obamacare. However, a team of experts from the University of Michigan has found that not all waivers have been all-inclusive. Experts have said that it means patients who have been privately insured have paid more than $4000 out of their own pockets for their hospital bills. Patients who have been covered under Medicare have ended up paying nearly $1500 from their own pockets. The authors of the study have collected data from 7.7 million patients who have been insured by private insurance firms. They as well have studied the data from 1.1 million people who have been covered under Medicare Advantage Plans. Experts have found that slightly more than 4000 patients have been admitted to hospitals after testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus at some point of time from March to September 2020. As per the study, nearly 981 patients or 71.2 percent of patients out of 1377 patients who have had private insurances have paid an average of $788 from their own pockets for medical bills. However, around 5 percent of such patients with private insurances have been given a huge bill for facility services with an average of $3840 in out-of-pocket costs. Nearly two percent of patients with private insurances have paid $4000 out of their own pockets for facility costs.

Experts who have been involved in the study have said that facility services consist of lab services, accommodation in hospitals, and pharmacy services. They have claimed that these are some of the most costly services that are covered within the out-of-pocket waivers for a huge part of insurance plans. The authors of the study have noted that if the lack of out-of-pocket costs for facility services is a sign of the existence of an insurer cost-sharing waiver for these services, the majority of hospitalizations in the study covered by insurers have had waived off cost-sharing for facility services. If this assumption is true, a higher number of out-of-pocket costs for professional and ancillary services shows that cost-sharing waivers by many insurers might have not been able to cover costs for care linked to hospital admissions. Experts have said that professional and ancillary service charges that patients have faced include ambulance use, services offered by clinicians, and other claims like the use of medical machinery. Health experts have said that since the waivers have been applied by private insurers rather than being ordered by the US government, they are not supposed to be all-inclusive. On the other hand, the authors of the study have not been able to determine if the waivers have been intentionally non-inclusive or not. They have said that it is uncertain whether the failure to offer an all-inclusive waiver has been intentional. Other than COVID19 testing and vaccination, there is no mandate from the US government for insurers to wave off cost-sharing for hospital admissions linked to COVID19. Therefore, waivers offered by insurers might be heterogeneous. Waivers from some insurers apply to facility services. While other waivers offered by insurers apply to care linked to hospital admissions more widely.

The authors of the study have said that some out-of-pocket charges that have been paid by patients might be due to some administrative faults. They have said that even if insurers have wanted to offer waivers to cover all care linked to hospital admissions, execution issues might have taken place. Health experts have said that patients might have been billed wrongly if insurers fail to link clinician inpatient evaluation and management bills to the COVID19 hospitalization. The authors of the new report have said that patients who have been covered by Medicare Advantage Plans have paid less. However, some patients have paid out of their own pockets even after getting the cost waivers. Among those who have faced out-of-pocket costs, the majority of them have paid nearly an average of $277 when they have been billed by clinicians. As far as hospital bill goes, they have paid an average of $1536 and 0.2 percent of patients have paid more than $4000. Health officials have said that these waivers have come into existence in the early stage of the pandemic and they have served a few jobs for insurance firms. They have said that earlier, the move has come as a good deed when the lives of millions of people have been in high danger. Then, waivers have helped increase the amount; the insurance firms have been paying for medical losses. The 2010 law known as Obamacare has become a part of the Affordable Care Act as well as a provision that insurance firms must invest at least 80 percent of their earned revenue via premiums on medical expenditure. The law says that if any insurance firm falls short of any amount of 80 percent, it needs to pay back to customers via insurance rebates. Experts have said that the law has been implemented to make sure that insurers do not force exceptionally high premium costs and start spending a majority of amounts on internal managerial costs. However, insurance firms still have not been able to reach the 80 percent mark even after offering waivers. They have $2.1 billion in rebates that have been owed to customers after the last year. The authors of the study have pointed out that these waivers have dramatically vanished this year. Patients who have been admitted to hospitals in the later stage of the pandemic have paid thousands for out-of-pocket costs to seek treatment for COVID19. The findings of the study have shown that if insurers agree to end cost-sharing waivers, the out-of-pocket cost for COVID19 related hospital admissions might be large.

Jeff Bezos To Give Away USD 1 Billion For Conservation Through Bezos Earth Fund

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Jeff Bezos has already pledged USD 10 billion to fight climate change under Bezos Earth Fund. The world’s richest man has now said that he would give USD 1 billion this year to conserve land and aquatic ecosystems. Amazon founder and chairman had started Bezos Earth fund last year and has pledged to donate the above-mentioned amount to activists, scientists, and others who are working to address the issues of climate change. The Amazon founder has set the goal of spending this fund by 2030. Following the announcement of funds for conservation, Bezos is likely to support activists working towards landscape restoration and food system transportation.

According to Bezos Earth Fund, the latest round of grants will be used to ‘create, expand, manage and monitor areas on earth that are protected and conserved.’ The fund is planning to start with the Congo Basin in Central Africa. This has been a key area of biodiversity and carbon stocks. Apart from this, the fund will focus on the tropical Pacific Ocean and tropical Andes Basin. Bezos said that the world was much better 500 years ago and efforts should be made to restore that beauty. “500 years ago, we enjoyed unspoiled forests, breathed fresh air, have clean rivers. Everything was better than today. We can and we must reverse this anomaly,” he said in a statement.

The grant has been announced but it is not clear which organization will get this. But one thing is sure that it would be prioritized in those areas where local communities and indigenous populations are the main focus of the conservation programs. Bezos Earth Fund said that there are certain other things that will be considered while giving the fund. Meanwhile, the fund has announced that it would give around USD 203 million to organizations taking forward climate justice among other causes. The fund will be given by the end of this year. The fund had awarded around USD 791 million in grants last year. This grant was distributed among 16 organizations. Among the prominent names that received the fund are the World Wildlife Fund and the Nature Conservancy.

Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment buys USD 2.2 Billion Stake In Four Seasons Hotels

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Bill Gates has gained more control over the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts as his investment firm Cascade has acquired a controlling interest for USD 2.21 Billion. The luxury hotel has announced that Cascade has increased its stake to 71.25 percent from 47,5 percent. As per the deal, Cascade Investments, a private investment firm founded by Gates, has purchased half of the stake belonging to Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The Saudi prince had collaborated with Gates in 2007 to take the luxury hotel chain and resort private for USD 3.4 billion. This is the first major deal of Gates since he split his fortune with ex-wife Melinda French.

Gates shared ownership of the hotel with the Saudi prince for more than a decade. But now Gates’ investment vehicle is increasing its stakes. The deal values Four Seasons at USD 10 billion. This is including the debt. According to Kingdom Holding Company of the Saudi Prince, it is hopeful of having a gain of USD 1.5 billion on 24 percent stake that it is selling to Gates’ investment firm. Four Seasons was founded by Isadore Sharp in the year 1960. Sharp would continue to have his 5 percent stake in Four Seasons, which now has over 120 hotels and resorts along with 46 residential properties in around 50 countries.

When Gates and Alwaleed bin Talal invested in the company, it was operating 74 hotels, which has now almost doubled. The hotel chain entered public markets in 1997. But the company decided to go private through a transaction under an agreement between Gates’ Cascade, the Saudi Prince’s KHG, and Sharp. Cascade is being looked after by Michael Larson who has a crucial role to play in bolstering the wealth of Gates couple over the year. It is because of Larson that the Gates couple could primarily focus on their philanthropic work. He is the one who is managing USD 50 billion endowments of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

WhatsApp Rolls Out Support To Allow Users Transfer Chats, Others Account Details From iOS To Samsung Android Phones

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Transferring WhatsApp chat from iOS to Android is now a reality. The company has announced to roll out new support for the same. It allows users to migrate chats. The company said that users can transfer their chat history when they switch from iOS to Android devices. This is, however, restricted to Samsung Android devices. Notably, Samsung at its Unpacked event had announced the feature. For now, WhatsApp didn’t allow users to transfer chats when they switch from one OS to another. This resulted in losing the chat data. According to WhatsApp, users can transfer only during the initial setup. It said that the new device should be factory new.

WhatsApp earlier allowed users to store their chat. Users can transfer chat through its cloud backup feature. But iOS and Android chat histories were stored differently. The feature stored iOS chat histories in iCloud. Android’s histories were stored in Google Drive. This didn’t allow transferring chat on devices running on different OS. When users switched from iOS to Android or vice-versa, they could not transfer their chat. They were able to transfer chats only between phones that are running the same OS. The company said that besides moving chat and chat histories of both individuals and groups, users can also transfer account information, profile photo, and media.

WhatsApp said that old iPhone owners should need to run the instant messaging app’s version 2.21.160.17 or above to enjoy the transfer chats feature. The new Samsung devices should run the app’s 2.21.16.20 Android version or above. Also, Samsung’s new device should have the SmartSwitch app installed. The app’s version 3.7.22.1 or above is required for migrating chats. Users will also need USB-C and Lightning cables. The chart transfer will take place via these two. Users will need to complete the activation of the new device once the transfer is finished. Users will then be able to see the chats. Notably, the ability to transfer chat was a long pending demand by the users.

Pfizer Assures Sufficient Doses Of COVID19 Shot To Elevate Equitable Vaccine Distribution Goal Of WHO

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The chief executive of Pfizer Albert Bourla has pledged to provide enough doses of their COVID19 shot to meet the goal of the World Health Organization (WHO) to elevate equitable vaccine distribution across the world. He has said that the company has enough vaccine supply to meet the expectation of the WHO, while many pharmaceutical experts have been saying that an increased supply of vaccines will look like patent waivers are taken off the table. Pfizer is expected to deliver 41 percent of its vaccines to low and middle-income nations around the world towards the end of the year. On the other hand, Johnson & Johnson has pledged to ship more than 50 percent of doses of its single-dose COVID19 shot to poor countries across the world as production of the vaccine increases in the second half of this year. The CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla has said that it is better to contribute to the WHO’s goal of vaccinating at least 10 percent of the population in each country of the world. Health experts have said that the donation of 200 million doses of Pfizer shots that has been proposed by the Biden government will be used to vaccinate nearly 15 to 18 percent of the population of 92 poorest nations across the world. In a conference of the global pharma industry association, Albert Bourla has said that by next year, the company will be able to offer enough doses to the WHO for their initiative. With enough doses, all countries around the world will have to address the same issues, as there will be many people who will be hesitant to take the shots.

Drugmakers have been protesting against the plan that has been proposed by South Africa and India to waive off intellectual property rights on COVID19 shots. The proposal has been supported by the United States as well. These countries have put forward this proposal in the hope of intensifying access to COVID19 vaccines for low and middle-income nations across the world. Albert Bourla has said that these shots have been designed by two visions, one is the original development, and the other is increased manufacturing. He has claimed that there is no point in transferring the technology as it is going to take years of effort. A new study that has been done by Airfinity, which is a life science analytics firm, has shown that developed nations own at least 500 million doses of COVID19 shots that might be distributed this month. These high-income countries will have nearly 1.1 billion doses by the end of this year, said the experts. However, these estimates do not talk about the supplies that are required to vaccinate teenagers and need to be stored for each nation to give booster shots to people who have already been immunized.

Health leaders have said that if western countries need to give booster shots only to those who are above 50 years and have been immunized with two doses, then, the surplus will increase twofold, which will be nearly 2.5 billion doses. The CEO of Airfinity, Rasmus Bech Hansen has said that the officials have estimated the surplus supply last month only as the production of the vaccines has shot up. He has said that earlier, government officials have been reluctant to acknowledge drugmakers’ predictions on supply due to setbacks in vaccine production and the supply chain. However now, vaccine makers such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna, who have come up with authorized COVID19 shots have shown consistent output. Hansen has said that in a situation where officials are unable to show confidence in future supply, stocking up is the best thing to do. However, looking at the current situation, when companies across the world are delivering the doses at a steady speed, there is no point in stocking up the supply.

Health leaders have claimed that the United States and European Union have massive total surpluses of doses; however, some western nations have many vaccines for their people as they have been trying to spread their bets. As per the latest report, the US and EU have signed contracts for five COVID19 vaccines each. The chief scientific officer of the Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Paul Stoffels has said that speeding up vaccination across the world will help fight against the new emerging variants of coronavirus as they might be able to dodge the antibodies that are derived from vaccines. He has said that it is essential to vaccinate as many people as possible at a faster pace as it will block the replication of the virus and the arrival of new variants in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has criticized many high-income nations for stockpiling COVID19 shots, treatment, and preventive medicines. The officials have said that it has derailed the WHO’s efforts to fairly distribute these resources across the world. The WHO has condemned global inequalities in COVID19 vaccination programs as immunization has started last year during winter.

The WHO has been advocating the equal distribution of doses in poorer countries as many high-income nations have already immunized most of their populations and have started offering booster shots as well. The technical chief of the COVID19 team at the WHO, Maria Van Kerkhove has said that the inequality in vaccination has elongated the pandemic. She has said that what these rich countries are doing is not just undue but it is immoral as well. Last month, the WHO has asked developed countries to halt the distribution of booster shots for at least two months. The global health agency has urged these countries to deflect their surplus doses to low-income countries to vaccinate at least 10 percent of the population of each nation across the world towards the end of this month. The WHO has pledged to immunize at least 40 percent of the world population by December 2021. As per the report, the US has already offered booster shots to more than 1.3 people. As per the data from the United Nations, France, and the UK as well have started distributing booster shots to their populations. On the other hand, only 3 percent of people in Africa have been fully vaccinated against COVID19 so far.

Astronomers Discover New Habitable Exoplanets, Could Accelerate Search For Life Outside Solar System

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Astronomers and scientists are racing to find signs of life beyond Earth. Although signs have been found that life could exist beyond Earth and even outside the Solar System, the lack of concrete evidence makes the task murkier. Astronomers have claimed to identify a new class of habitable planets outside the Solar System. They said that the discovery will give acceleration to the efforts for finding life beyond the Solar System. The end of the road to this finding could be the identification of biosignatures in the atmospheres of these exoplanets. This is because biosignatures are considered the signs of life on a planet that is habitable just like Earth. In scientific terms, exoplanets are just other planets that orbit other stars outside the Solar System.

Astronomers in past have discovered several exoplanets that are similar to Earth in size. These planets are the primary target for astronomers looking for signs of life. The just identified exoplanets have been dubbed as Hycean. This opens a new avenue in the search for life. Astronomers from the University of Cambridge said that these exoplanets could be habitable. They said that atmospheres at these exoplanets are likely to be hydrogen-rich. These exoplanets are more numerous. Besides, they are observable than planets that are similar to Earth. They added that these exoplanets can support life. Astronomers said that the probability of finding biosignatures on the new class of exoplanets is high and can be accomplished in two to three years.

Astronomers said that Hycean planets are likely 2.6 times larger than the size of Earth. Their atmospheric temperature is nearly 200 degrees Celsius. However, the conditions of oceans might be favorable for microbial life. This is because the tidally might be on the sides having permanent night. The chances of receiving radiation from their stars are also very low. They said that Hycean-like worlds are common. They could be the most promising destinations for searching for signs of life. They added that understanding other factors like temperature, mass, and properties of atmospheres is also important before confirming that they are habitable just like Earth. Astronomers said that they are looking for molecular signatures similar to Earth. They exuded hope that Hycean could offer opportunities of finding several biosignatures.

SpaceX Offers Services To NASA To Expedite Development Of Spacesuits For Artemis Program

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Private aerospace company SpaceX has offered NASA to develop the necessary equipment required to send astronauts to the Moon. SpaceX is a private aerospace company. It is owned by space enthusiast Elon Musk. The firm has offered its services to expedite the work for the development of spacesuits. If NASA accepts SpaceX’s services, this will help the space agency to get the ambitious Artemis program back on schedule. The mission is facing an imminent delay as NASA spacesuits are unlikely to be ready in the prescribed time. The space agency had in 2019 directed to develop all the necessary equipment that will be required for sending astronauts back to the Moon under its Artemis program.

However, complications delayed the development of equipment. As a result, a delay is now looming over the Artemis schedule. NASA has plans to launch three Moon-bound spacecraft. The first will be an uncrewed spacecraft. It will be launched in 2021. It will return to Earth after orbiting the Moon. The second will be a crewed spacecraft. NASA has proposed to launch the spacecraft in 2023. The crewed spacecraft will circle the Moon and return to Earth. This will also be the first crewed spacecraft that will travel beyond Earth’s orbit after 50 years. The last spacecraft that flew beyond Earth’s orbit was Apollo 17 in 1972. The third and final spacecraft will be launched in 2024 under the Artemis program. It will see two astronauts landing on the lunar surface.

According to NASA, the new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Units spacesuits may not be ready by the time the agency prepares for the launch of spacecraft. Notably, the development of spacesuits started in 2007 as part of the Constellation Program. The crewed program was, however, canceled by NASA in 2009. The efforts to develop spacesuits gained momentum in 2017 when NASA launched the xEMU project. Astronauts aboard the ISS currently use these spacesuits for spacewalks. But these spacesuits require technological advancements. NASA wants to develop a next-generation spacesuit that can be used in other missions as well.

Tesla Seeks Permission From China Government To Produce Five More Model Y Versions At Gigafactory Shanghai

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Tesla’s Model Y is undoubtedly is a popular segment from the electric vehicle maker. The company wants to increase the production of the car. Model Y is an electric SUV. Tesla has now sought permission from the Chinese government to produce more Model Y versions in the country. It has filed applications with the government. The company wants to cover the Chinese electric vehicles market. It sees huge growth potential. The Chinese market is emerging as one of the biggest global EV markets. Tesla in its plea said that it wants to produce five more versions of the SUV. The company wants a nod to start production at its Gigafactory Shanghai. The facility hosts the final assembly of Model 3 and Model Y. The company started deliveries of Model Y in China in January this year.

Tesla will start the production of five more versions once it receives the necessary approval. The company has plans to export some of the versions produced at the factory to other markets. Tesla is believed to be aiming at the markets where electric SUVs are yet to hit the roads. Notably, Tesla’s filing came soon after the government invited applications for new energy vehicle production in the country. Reports say that Tesla has moved batches of filings. It is believed that Tesla’s applications are related to new versions of the Model Y. The five versions of Model Y include two Standard Range versions. While one will have a domestically produced motor, the second one will see an imported motor.

Tesla has already launched a Standard Range of Model Y in China. However, the company is yet to begin the deliveries. It is targeting to start delivering the SUV from September. Tesla introduced the cheaper version of Model Y in the United States earlier this year. Notably, Model Y has dominated the global EV sales. It is Tesla’s star vehicle. It sold more than 76,000 units in the first half of 2021. Model Y is currently available in two configurations — Long Range and Performance. Both have dual-motor powertrains. This improves the vehicle’s energy efficiency and performance metrics.

HBO Max Hopes To Add More Subscribers As Warner Bros To Produce Over 10 Films Exclusively For The Streaming Service

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HBO Max has been getting new subscribers over the past year and the streaming service is hopeful of adding more in the coming days with the help of exclusive content provided by Warner Bros. The American entertainment company has said that it would produce over 10 movies exclusively for HBO Max next year. Speaking during the second-quarter earnings call of AT&T, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said HBO Max cannot ignore the success of at-home viewing. Kilar also said that theatrical releases are significant for the company. WarnerMedia caught everyone by surprise with a day-and-date release model for HBO Max and big screens. The feature allowed the release of the feature films on both big screens as well as on the streaming platform on the same day.

However, this strategy will not be seen in 2022. Next year, films that will be released in theatres will run exclusively on big screens for at least 45 days. Similarly, films that are made for HBO Max will be released on big screens only at select locations, and that too when those movies have the potential to be Oscar contenders. Commenting on the distribution strategy of the company, Kilar said that there is no way the world is going back to the period of 2015 or 2016. “I want to say this, and I have said this before publicly, that we are going back to the period of 2015 or 2016. This is the period when the window between theatrical release and home exhibition was quite lengthy.”

Meanwhile, HBO and HBO Max have added over 10 million new subscribers in the past year. With this, the combined subscribers of the services are 67.5 million. Out of this, 47 million subscribers of the services are only in the United States. Warner media, which is owned by AT&T, expects this number to grow to above 70 million by the end of this year. On the other hand, Netflix, which is the market leader, has a total of 209 million subscribers. Out of this, around 66 million are in America. However, Netflix is facing tough competition from rivals including Disney Hotstar and the growth in terms of subscribers seems to have reached a saturation point.

Health Experts from Moderna Begin Early Phase Clinical Trial Of New Influenza Vaccine Based On mRNA Technology

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After experimenting with the COVID19 shot, Moderna is going to apply new mRNA technology to the influenza shot. The company has started an early phase clinical trial of a new flu shot that will be based on mRNA technology. As per the report, participants have been given the first doses of the experimental mRNA-based flu shot in the trial. Experts have said that Moderna is going to test the new flu shot on nearly 180 people in the phase 1/2 randomized, stratified, and observer-blind trial. Heath experts who are involved in the trial will look into the different doses of the shot, immune responses generated after vaccination, and safety. This flu shot will be known as mRNA-1010. It will be developed to target four lineages of influenza viruses that spread in the communities each year. It will be the same as the existing quadrivalent flu shots in the market. These four lineages of the flu viruses have been found by the World Health Organization to be targeted to mitigate the spread each year. These four lineages are seasonal influenza type A lineages H1N1 and H3N2 and influenza type B lineages Victoria and Yamagata. Health experts have said that if mRNA-1010 proves to be effective in late-stage trials, the company will package it with three other mRNA shots to develop one seasonal shot. Along with influenza, this new combination shot will cater for other two common respiratory viruses that spread along with flu, such as a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV). This shot will target the SARS-CoV-2 virus as well which leads to COVID19 disease. Many health experts expect that COVID19 will become seasonal flu in the future.

At present, there is no authorized shot for RSV and HMPV. It is uncertain if the SARS-CoV-2 virus will turn into seasonal flu or a booster shot will be needed to reduce the spread each year. The CEO of Moderna, Stephane Bancel has said that there are many benefits of mRNA-based vaccines as these shots have the ability to combine various antigens to offer protection from multiple viruses. These vaccines also have the ability to mitigate the evolution of various respiratory pathogens such as influenza, RSV, and the SARS-CoV-2 virus. He has said that with this combination shot, people can easily get just one shot for high-level immunity from almost all deadly respiratory pathogens. The influenza vaccine alone is expected to offer a major upgrade as compared to the existing flu shot. Currently available quadrivalent and trivalent flu shots are considered to have low efficiency. They offer around 40 to 60 percent protection from flu viruses. Health experts have claimed that during some years, these vaccines have even lower efficiency against flu viruses. Moderna expects to beat these figures. After the soaring success of its mRNA-based COVID19 shot that has been proved to be 94 percent effective in the late-stage trial, the company is aiming high with its superior technology to fight against influenza. At present, the company has three mRNA-based shots under development, mRNA-1010, mRNA-1020, and mRNA-1030.

Health experts have said that mRNA technology delivers a snippet of a virus’s genetic code into human cells. The snippet of the virus’s genetic code is in the form of messenger RNA (mRNA). This kind of RNA works as an intermediary that transports coded information from DNA to the molecular machinery of cells, which decodes the code into proteins. The mRNA snippets that are present in the shots transport the blueprint for viral proteins that are used by the immune system for target practice. Scientists have said that mRNA-based shots provide a highly precise way to target flu viruses HA and NA as compared to existing flu shots. Currently available flu shots depend on exposing whole viruses, weakened or inactivated viruses to the immune system. With the use of mRNA technology, it is easy to modify the shots. When many deadly strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have started circulating around the world, the co-developer of mRNA-based Pfizer shot, BioNtech has said that the company can easily tweak its mRNA shot in just a few weeks. It is the biggest benefit of the mRNA-based influenza shot over currently available flu shots. Existing flu shots are often developed using fertilized hen eggs, shot developers administer the virus into the eggs and aid the virus to make legions of clones. Then, experts harvest the viruses, purify them and later kill or weaken them. In the later stage, it is used in the shots. This method is quite inexpensive and has been in use for decades. The process is highly time-consuming and it may not produce high-efficiency vaccines. This method lacks the accuracy like other strategies such as mRNA or recombinant proteins, said the experts. In this method, at times viruses start to adapt to their fowl orders. This issue has taken place in the 2017 and 2018 flu seasons in the US when the H3N2 flu virus strain has begun to pick up a mutation in its HA during egg-based vaccine making. Health experts have said that the mutation might have enabled the virus to infect chicken eggs in a better way, but in the vaccine, the mutation has refrained people from generating antibodies to fight against the H3N2 flu virus strain, which has been spreading among humans.

Broadcom Hits Dead End In Talks With SAS As Jim Goodnight Says Analytics Software Firm Is Not For Sale

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Talks between Broadcom and software company SAS Institutes have hit a dead end. According to people familiar with the development, the deal would have valued the North Carolina-based company at USD 15 billion to USD 20 billion. The person said that talks collapsed after the matter became public. The acquisition would have helped Broadcom to expand into the software industry. Broadcom Chief Executive Officer Hock Tan has been trying to make several deals in order to transform his company. The company acquired CA Technologies in the year 2018 and American software company Symantec in 2019. It won’t be wrong to say that the company is largely built through acquisition. It was on the lookout for more deals. However, it has failed to finalize any.

The focus on software is even justified as it generated 27 per cent of the total revenue of the Broadcom in the quarter that ended. These acquisitions were initially not liked by investors. However, they have now reduced the company’s dependency on semiconductors for sales. The deal to acquire SAS was aimed at reducing the dependency further. SAS was established in 1976 by Jim Goodnight and John Sall. The company is in the business of software management and analytics. Goodnight is currently on the list of the top 50 wealthiest people in the United States. According to a report, Goodnight worked as a statistics professor at North Carolina State University when he started SAS.

Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, SAS was profitable for around 44 years. More than 83,000 businesses, government office,s and universities used analytic platforms provided by the company. Commenting on the deal, the SAC founder said that “the company is not for sale. In a message, sent to all the employees, Goodnight said that the company is doing great and is focused on further innovation. While Broadcom has become a powerhouse with a string of acquisitions, SAS too wants to become the leader in the field of software.

New Study Reveals The Prevalence Of COVID19 Last Year Has Been Much Higher Than Actual Number Of Cases

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A new report has given some new insights into an unanswered question about the COVID19 pandemic that has hit the world in 2019. Scientists have said that it is uncertain how many people might have contracted the virus but have never been diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus formally. Health experts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have reported that the frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the US last year during spring and summer has been much higher than the official number of cases. The new study has shown that there have been nearly 4.8 undiagnosed cases of COVID19 for every identified case. The figure shows that there have been around 16.8 million undiagnosed cases of COVID19 by July 2020. The authors of the study have said that the data show that there has been a massive spread of the virus during the first six months of the pandemic as compared to what experts have perceived. The outcomes of the new report have been released in the journal called Science Translational Medicine.

Other experts who have not been involved in the study have said that the findings do not show how many undiagnosed cases of COVID19 might be there in the US at present. As per the latest data, the total number of officially diagnosed cases of COVID19 in the US has reached 33.4 million this week. The lead author of the study, Dr. Matthew J Memoli from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has said that many people who have contracted the virus that leads to COVID19 might not have any symptoms or have mild symptoms, which is a hallmark of the pandemic. The lead author of the study has said that to count the number of all symptomatic patients of COVID19 in the US it is crucial to assert the effect of the pandemic and public health response. He has said that to have a full and clear picture of the prevalence of COVID19, it needs to count those people who are infected and have not been formally diagnosed with the disease.

The authors of the study have come up with these findings after looking at a representative sample of 8000 people who have not been formally diagnosed with COVID19. They have looked for antibodies for COVID19 in these patients. The study has come at a time when the US government is trying hard to vaccinate as many people as possible against COVID19, as a new and more contagious, and deadly Delta variant is circulating in the country. Many past studies have shown that a huge number of cases remains undiagnosed in the US. An expert from Columbia University has claimed that the number of undetected people continues to be many times greater as compared to the number of people who have been diagnosed. Dr. Thomas Tsai, who is a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has said that at present there might be much higher levels of disease-induced immunity among people in the US than what experts have been expecting. Health experts have said that still, people should take the shot even if they have infection acquired immunity.

Facebook Develops New Method To Detect, Track Source Of Deepfakes Using AI-Generated Imagery

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Deepfakes have received a lot of attention from the public worldwide. It has become a powerful tool to influence perceptions. It is also used by bad actors for spreading misinformation and fake news. The technology allows the editing of videos easily. Technology is getting better every day. The doctored video content appears in a way that they are real. To crackdown on such content, social media giant Facebook has developed a new method. The method can detect and track the source of deepfakes. It also involves reverse engineering. It analyzes AI-generated imagery. This lets Facebook identify the model that created the video. Facebook said that it has signed a pact with researchers at the Michigan State University to double down on deepfakes.

Facebook said that this is the first time when such a method has been developed to detect deepfakes. It is also the first time when the source can be detected. This will be useful in curbing the spread of misinformation on the platform. Facebook has come under severe criticism in the US and different countries for not doing enough to check the spread of misinformation and fake news. The new Facebook method comes in the backdrop of viral videos of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi appeared drunk in the video. She had come down heavily on Facebook called the social media platform a shameful company.

Facebook said that deepfake software is extremely easy to customize. But the new method of image attribution can help identify videos’ generative model and trace the activity of bad actors. The company said that researchers can now obtain information about the model used for creating deepfakes using the new method. It said that the method will be useful in the real world. Facebook said that the method is a step further to deduce data about deepfakes. Earlier, Microsoft had launched a new tool to combat the spread of misinformation by spotting deepfakes. The tool identifies synthetic media that are manipulated by artificial intelligence.

Facebook Launches Clubhouse Rival Live Audio Room To Public Figures, Certain Groups In America

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Social media giant Facebook is rolling out Live Audio Room. It will allow users to host audio rooms in real-time. The Live Audio Room is, however, limited to some of the American public figures and certain groups. They can start hosting rooms via the main Facebook app on iOS. They can invite followers, verified figures, or any listeners to be a speaker in the room. Facebook said that the host of the audio room can invite speakers in advance and during the conversation as well. A total of 50 speakers can join a room. There is no cap on the number of listeners who can join the room. The new Live Audio Room is aimed at taking on rivals Clubhouse and Spotify. Facebook said that it will expand its support to the public in the coming months.

Facebook in a statement said that admins in groups will have control over moderators and group members. Both visitors and members can listen in public groups. But in private groups, only members can listen. Facebook said that it is also making podcasts available. Users can listen to podcasts via a player. Facebook said that it will provide controls to allow users to listen when the screen is off. Users can find shows on News Feed and podcast creators’ pages. The company said that it will soon introduce an automatic captioning feature. The clips feature will allow listeners to create and share clips.

Facebook said that listeners can extend support to the public figure on the Live Audio Room. The company has provided options to send stars to show appreciation. Facebook is also rolling out multiple features including a notification. A notification will be sent to the host when followers and friends join a room. A new button ‘raise a hand’ has been made available. The button will allow requesting to join the room. Besides, there is an option available to submit reactions during the chat. Meanwhile, Facebook said that it is working with creators on Soundbites. It is a short-form audio feature. Users can record short voice messages and share them on the platform.

Antarctica’s Pine Island Is Losing Its Snow-Mass Faster Than Expected, Loss Accelerated In 2017

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Global warming has been a cause of concern for scientists around the world for decades. But they are losing their sleep now because of the critical Antarctica glacier. This is because the glacier is moving towards the sea at a faster pace than expected. Analysis of satellite images shows that the ice shelf that has been holding back glaciers in Antarctica has gradually thinned. The images show that the Pine Island glacier in West Antarctica in the Southern hemisphere has been shedding snow mass at a faster than expected rate. Floating ice shelves play an important role in holding back the larger grounded mass of the glacier. But the eventual collapse of the Pine Island glaciers into the sea could happen much earlier because of the weakening of the edge. The researchers of the University of Washington and the British Antarctic Survey reached to a conclusion after analyzing satellite images. Their study has been published in the open-access journal Science Advances.

“There are chances that things could change on Pine Island quicker than expected. We may not be able to observe the change at a slow pace,” lead author Ian Joughin said. Joughin is a glaciologist at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory. “Our study found that we are heading to an irreversible collapse. But we expecting this to happen at a fairly measured pace. However, things could be much more abrupt if the rest of the ice shelf melts.” According to reports, there is approximately 180 trillion tons of ice at the Pine Island glacier. If this melts, it could result in a global sea-level rise of 1.6 feet or 0.5 meters. The ice in the glacier has already contributed to the sea-level rise at Antarctica. It is causing a rise of one-sixth of a millimetre in the sea-level on a yearly basis. This is equivalent to two-thirds of an inch per century.

But researchers fear that this rate can increase. They said that sea-level could increase by several feet globally over the next few centuries if this glacier along with neighboring Thwaites Glacier melts at a faster pace. They have been the center of attraction of researchers in recent decades because of the melting of underside ice because of warmer ocean currents. Scientists found that the ice shelf of Pine Island dramatically lost one-fifth of its area from 2017 to 2020. European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites captured it. They also said that the recent changes are due to the glacier losing the outer part of the ice.

Lordstown Motors Slashes 2021 Production Goal Of Endurance Truck, Seeks Additional Capital

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Lordstown Motors Corp has said that the production of its Endurance truck will be lower than what the company was expecting, In fact, the production this year would be almost half of prior expectations of 2,200 vehicles. The company said that the number of vehicles produced this year would be just 1,000. In other words, the company is consuming more cash than expected with production numbers much below than promised. Soon after the announcement, the shares of the company fell drastically. The value of the electric startup, which was launched last year, has also fallen. Investors are apparently showing less interest in the company which last year unveiled a prototype of the all-electric pickup truck Endurance.

Lordstown Motors is an offshoot of Workhorse Group which is also owned by CEO Steve Burns. Workhorse Group is a publicly-traded company that works in the field of battery and electric transportation technology. Workhorse was founded in 1998 and has never been financially strong. It faced financially up-downs at various points. Its offshoot Lordstown Motors had announced its plan to produce 20,000 electric trucks annually. The production was expected to begin at the former GM Assembly Plant in the second half of this year. The 6.2 million-square-foot factory was acquired by Lordstown last November. The company has made capital expenditures of USD 53 million in the first quarter this year but has failed to show any output. However, the company said that it would begin production of the electric pickup truck this year.

Burns, however, is hopeful of having robust demand for electric vehicles. “We have conducted research that shows there is going to robust demand for electric pickup trucks,” Burns recently told investors during a call. “But we need to accumulate capital as the shortage can limit our ability to manufacture the required number of vehicles. We are evaluating our capital requirement constantly,” he said. The CEO said that he was in talks with an unnamed financial entity that is considering asset-backed financing. “We have a lot of assets and zero debt. We are investing a lot of money in buying parts. There are folks that are interested in financing that.”

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