By Tom Polansek WICHITA, Kansas Farmers in Kansas, the biggest U.S. producer of wheat used to make bread,

Chimpanzees are our closest relatives, so it’s not surprising that they can do many of the things that we can. They’re able to create tools and can even use sign language, plus they share 98.8 per cent of their DNA with humans. It is, therefore, no wonder that the question has often been asked: could humans and chimps ever produce offspring? The answer, according to one evolutionary psychologist, is yes – and it’s already happened. Gordum Gallup made the eyebrow-raising claims in an interview with The Sun Online back in 2018. He told the news site that a human-chimpanzee hybrid – which he dubbed a “humanzee” – was born in a Florida lab 100 years ago. And if you’re wondering how the scientists behind the experiment managed to keep it hushed up for decades, it’s because – according to Gallup – they swiftly killed the infant when they realised the implications of what they’d done. Gallup, a professor at New York’s University at Albany, said his former university teacher told him that the secret birth took place at a research facility in Orange Park, where he used to work. “They inseminated a female chimpanzee with human semen from an undisclosed donor and claimed not only that pregnancy occurred but the pregnancy went full term and resulted in a live birth,” the psychologist told The Sun. “But in a matter of days, or a few weeks, they began to consider the moral and ethical considerations and the infant was euthanised.” Putting Gallup’s unsubstantiated story to one side, it’s unclear whether a human-chimpanzee hybrid is even possible. Some experts believe that our human ancestors and chimpanzees may have been capable of interbreeding as late as 4 million years ago according to IFL Science, which notes that our last common ancestor lived 6-7 million years ago. However, the website also notes that this theory is widely contested. It also points out that other animals with similar genetic differences to that of humans and chimps, such as horses and zebras, have been able to reproduce. And yet, the offspring are often infertile. Nevertheless, back in the 1970s, plenty of people believed that a chimp called Oliver was a human-monkey hybrid thanks to his humanistic walk, intelligence and physical features (he was said to have a smaller, flatter face than his ape peers, according to Historic Mysteries). It wasn't until tests were conducted on Oliver in 1996 that the matter was finally settled: he had 48 chromosomes so was categorically not a humanzee but a regular chimp. Oliver The Humanzee www.youtube.com Still, one certainty is that scientists continue to tread an ethical tightrope when it comes to investigating chimps and their potential to further biomedical research. In 2021, scientists created the first (publicly documented) part-monkey, part-human embryo by growing human stem cells in a macaque monkey. The aim of the work, which was carried out at California’s Salk Institute, was to help create organs for transplants and improve our understanding of human development and disease progression. In 2020, a team of German and Japanese scientists spliced human genes into the brains of marmosets, resulting in the monkey fetuses having larger, more human-like brains, according to the study, which was published in the journal Science. Once the experiment was complete, the team destroyed their creations “in light of potentially unforeseeable consequences with regard to postnatal brain function”. One thing’s for sure, no scientist wants to find themselves the architect of a real-life Planet of the Apes. Sign up for 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 transition to electric vehicles could save more than 100,000 lives in the US by 2050, according to a new study. Switching from fossil uel-burning to zero-emission vehicles would also result in 3 million fewer asthma attacks, the American Lung Association reported on Wednesday, provided that no more gas cars are on the road by 2035. Combined with cleaner electricity generation through renewable sources like solar and wind, this could generate over $1.2 trillion in public health benefits over the next quarter of a century. The report calculates what health impacts the emissions reduction would have on people living near busy roads or near electricity generation with unacceptable doses of toxic air pollution. “These benefits would take the form of avoiding up to 110,000 premature deaths, along with nearly 3 million asthma attacks and over 13 million workdays lost due to cleaner air,” the report stated. “Policies and investments must prioritise low-income communities and communities of colour that bear a disproportionate pollution burden. State and local jurisdictions should act to implement policies as soon as possible.” The report also notes that such a swift transition would avoid “even more dire consequences of climate change” on a global scale. Many countries have already made commitments to ban the sale of fossil fuel vehicles over the coming years in order to meet climate targets, while several major automotive companies have announced that they will stop manufacturing them. The US and China, which represent the two biggest car markets, have targets of 100 per cent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2040, similar to the UK and Europe. Despite these targets, only 4.6 per cent of cars sold in the US in 2021 were electric, according to figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the UK, a recent surge in electric car sales saw them surpass sales of new diesel cars for the first time last year. Read More Electric car drives for 100 hours non-stop on futuristic road Reinventing the seatbelt for the self-driving era

The price of bitcoin has experienced the strongest first half of a year since 2019, nearly doubling in value since the start of 2023. The world’s leading cryptocurrency reached above $31,000 this week, up from $16,000 in January, pushing its market cap above $600 million for the first time in more than a year. Some crypto analysts suggest the approaching ‘halving’ event, which will see bitcoin mining rewards drop by 50 per cent, could be one factor behind the cryptocurrency’s positive price trend. Bitcoin’s halving takes place roughly every four years, with the crypto’s price cycles viewed by many traders and investors as being intrinsically link to the event. Sometimes referred to as “the halvening”, the seismic event is built-in to bitcoin’s technological foundations, and is aimed at making the digital currency anti-inflationary by reducing its supply. “The months prior to the halving have historically seen the start of a bullish trend for the market, hence the market participants are carefully looking at the second half of 2023,” Matteo Greco, a research analyst at the fintech investment firm Fineqia International, told The Independent. “Riot Platforms, an industry leader in bitcoin mining and data centre hosting, announced a $162 million investment to purchase 33,280 miners, aiming to nearly double its computational power in anticipation of the next halving.” Mr Greco pointed to the cryptocurrency litecoin, once referred to as the silver to bitcoin’s gold, which typically experiences its halving event a few months before its more famous rival. In the months leading up to Litecoin’s halvings in 2015 and 2019 its price saw massive gains, which were then replicated by bitcoin. Litecoin’s next halving is currently scheduled for 3 August 2023 and it is once again experiencing a significant price increase, outperforming broader market trends. “Litecoin often served as a sentiment metric on the bitcoin halving,” Mr Greco said. “The big increase in price, while most of the altcoins keep lagging, suggests bullish sentiment is increasing ahead of the next BTC halving.” Bitcoin’s halving is currently scheduled for 26 April, 2024, with pseudonymous crypto trader PlanB noting another historic price trend that could signal more gains over the coming months. “Buy bitcoin six months before a halving and sell 18 months after a halving has historically beaten ‘buy and hold’ [trading strategy],” he tweeted on Monday. “The next halving is in April 2024... Will this strategy work again?” Read More How bad is bitcoin for the environment really? Crypto experts discuss bitcoin price predictions What is Solana? The crypto rising 200-times faster than bitcoin Could Norwegian fjords and waterfalls stop bitcoin from destroying the planet?

(Reuters) -Microsoft Corp is bringing the powerful language-producing models from OpenAI to U.S. federal agencies using its Azure cloud service,

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Amouranth went on Twitter to express frustration over deepfake sites, calls them a 'big leap backwards'

West Virginia University has given final approval to wide-ranging cuts in academic programs and faculty positions

A teenager has gone viral on TikTok after leaving a heartwarming message on a stranger’s doorbell camera. Jacksen was walking around the neighbourhood with some friends who were playing ‘ding-dong ditch’, he walked ahead of his friends and went up to Ashley Mann’s house, looking into the camera and leaving an inspiring message. “If you can see me, then you matter, alright?” Jacksen said, “There’s always gonna be somebody that cares about you and you’re a good person no matter what people say, you matter.” One of the boys then runs up and rings the doorbell before running away, but Jacksen carries on with his message: “Ignore them, they’re losers. They’re ‘ding-dong ditching’ you, I’m just trying to say something nice. Like I don’t know what they’re doing, they’re running away and stuff. I’m just trying to say that you matter man, or girl, whoever you are you matter to someone. Just keep that in mind, don’t forget that.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Ashley posted the video to TikTok, which has now been reposted numerous times, with the original racking up over 5 million views. Ashley called the video a “random act of kindness”, and viewers agreed. The comment section was full of people applauding Jacksen’s kind words, and saying how well he has been raised. @ashleyfayeann Random acts of kindness ❤️ “That child has been raised right,” one user commented. Another agreed writing, “that’s so sweet! And from a teenager! He’s obviously been taught well!” “His words could’ve saved someone’s life,” a touched viewer pointed out. And they weren’t the only one to think so: “Messages like this often find the right person at the right time. Kid may not realise now but I hope one day it comes back to him when he needs it.” “Wow! This kid’s got more heart and soul than most adults I come across today and I’m in my 40s,” read another comment. In response to the outpour of love on social media, Ashley, Jacksen and his family have set up a mental health fundraiser on GoFundMe to encourage people to support those in need. “Hey everyone, My name is Ashley back on July 12th I uploaded a video from my doorbell camera to TikTok,” Ashley wrote on the fundraiser’s page. “Jacksen had decided to leave a very positive and uplifting message. I decided to share it to everyone because more people needed to see and hear it especially those who could be struggling. Little did I know it was going to go viral! “Jacksen’s family and I decided to do something with this and create this fundraiser to hopefully raise some money to donate to a local Mental Health resource in our community. Anything is welcomed and if you don’t want to donate please make sure to spread positivity anywhere you go.” She added. They have currently managed to raise over $400. Speaking to CBS News Minnesota, 13-year-old Jacksen said “I just saw the doorbell camera when we were walking to the gas station and I just thought maybe I should say something nice to it.” “Cause my friends were ‘ding-dong ditching’ those cameras, and I was like, you know what? How about I go say something nice? Maybe they need to hear it.” 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.

A trading platform that raised millions of dollars in a round backed by Steve Cohen’s Point72 Ventures is

UPDATE: May. 9, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT This list has been updated with the latest

Melanie Martinez fans have expressed their disappointment with the popstar over her VIP package on her Portals tour. The description of the package on Ticketmaster promises an "interactive photo experience" for VIP ticketholders, leading fans to believe this meant an in-person meet-and-greet with Martinez herself. However, this wasn't the case as the photo experience was Martinez in the form of an AI-generated hologram of that greets fans in her prosthetic mask, so the fans didn't get to meet the singer in person. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter With VIP tickets costing around $400, it has led to fans sharing their discontent on social media. "Does anyone else think the VIP AI meet and greet with Melanie is kinda stupid? I mean, the VIP tickets were $400, and you didn't even really get anything," one fan complained on TikTok. @melsgrippingtoes I still love melane and everything Im literally going to her concert. But she could atleast put in some more effort @kbhorsefan I’d be beyond upset oh my god #melaniemartinez #portals Another added: "When I saw videos of it, I thought that it was a joke, but then no that’s the real thing and it’s so disappointing." "It’s not even ai it’s just a pre-recorded video of her," someone else replied. A fourth person commented: "I would not pay for that… imma just take someone else’s video and photoshop me in. Same thing." Though some fans did defend Martinez, noting that a meet-and-greet was not mentioned in the package. One person said: "I thought it was cute everyone's hating it never said anywhere there was going to be a meet and greet. The concert was so fun." @katebellla I thought it was cute everyones hating it never said anywhere there was going to be a meet and greet. The concert was so fun ? #portalstour @Melanie Martinez "It wasn’t labeled as a meet and greet tho. It was 400 to be upfront in her concert, the ai thing was just an extra thing included," another person wrote. Someone else added: "I mean if it stated AI meet and greet and cost $400 maybe just don’t go." While other fans also claimed they didn't receive their VIP merchandise such as a signed poster, VIP merch and tote bag. One person said: "I didn’t even get the merch bruh," as another similarly echoed: "I heard someone bought VIP and didn't even get the merchandise stuff." Melanie Martinez's third album, Portals is out now after being released back on March 31. 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.