A spate of recent orca attacks has fuelled concern among scientists in recent weeks for animal safety, and even led to speculation that the ocean mammal could be trying to rise up against humans. But are they? In a new trend – dubbed "orca wars" by some on social media – a population of orcas has recently been smashing into boats off the coast of Portugal and near the Strait of Gibraltar at a rate of nearly one per day. That's according to researcher Rui Alves, who collects data on the attacks. In June alone there have been 12 orca attacks on boats and 12 other encounters. In May, there were 21 attacks, says his website, orca.pt. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Of course, social media reacted just how you might expect: by picking a team. One person tweeted: “If you an orca whale reading this, i am on your side. I have always been on your side.” Researchers don’t know exactly why this is happening, but there are two main hypotheses. The first is that killer whales – highly intelligent and social creatures – have invented a new fad, something that younger members of orca pods have been known to do. The other, more concerning possibility, is that it is a response to trauma involving a boat, Dr Alfredo López Fernandez, of Grupo Trabajo Orca Atlántica (GTOA, or Atlantic Orca Working Group), told the Guardian. “[It could be a] response to an adverse situation; one or several individuals have had a bad experience and are trying to stop the boat so as not to repeat it. This behaviour coincides with the profile of adults,” he said. If it is the latter, there is even one key suspect in starting the trend: a white orca called Gladis Blanca (or White Gladis), who is thought to have had a bad collision with a vessel at some stage. Other adult orcas in the region also have injuries consistent with boat collisions or entanglement, López added. “All this has to make us reflect on the fact that human activities, even in an indirect way, are at the origin of this behaviour,” he said. In fact, the attacks are not such a new thing. Back in 2020, a group of orcas were seen pursuing sailboats in the region, in an act of aggression that was previously thought to be extremely rare. Since then, it has grown more and more common. The orcas have tended to ram into the hulls of boats, but they have also been seen scraping them with their teeth. The attacks sometimes snap the boats’ rudders, leaving sailors unable to navigate. In three cases, the animals damaged a boat so badly that it sank. However, for all the concern that the orcas might be getting, erm, orca-nised, scientists remain concerned that the attacks could come back to bite the ocean mammals eventually. The Iberian orca subpopulation is considered critically endangered, according to GTOA, with only 39 animals the last time a full census was carried out in 2011. López and his colleagues fear boaters may lash out, or that the orcas might hurt themselves in the process of ramming the vessels. Either way, it doesn’t look like the attacks will stop any time soon. So who knows: maybe the ocean world really is rising up… 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.

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 22, 2023--

NEW YORK/LONDON Bitcoin rose to two-week highs on Tuesday after a U.S. court ruled that the Securities and

MrBeast has become the latest celebrity to tackle AI deepfakes, calling on social media to do more. "Lots of people are getting this deepfake scam ad of me… are social media platforms ready to handle the rise of AI deepfakes? This is a serious problem," the famed YouTuber posted to X/Twitter. MrBeast included a clip that has been circulating online, that shows an AI version of him saying he's giving away iPhones. "You’re one of the 10,000 lucky people who will get an iPhone 15 pro for just $2," the deceiving clip said. "I’m MrBeast and I am doing the world’s largest iPhone 15 giveaway." The clip then encouraged viewers to follow a link to "claim yours now!" It comes after Tom Hanks was targeted by artificial intelligence after one company featured him in a dental advert without his consent. The Hollywood actor was forced to speak out about the fake ad, writing: "There's a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it." The surge of AI scams is nothing new, following an alarming – and more sinister rise – in AI-generated porn, mostly targeting female influencers and celebrities. Billie Eilish previously fell victim to the fake tech in one NSFW incident – which saw a video eventually removed from social media after being viewed 11 million times. A separate incident saw popular Twitch streamer Sweet Anita horrified to learn her face had been used in X-rated material. Worryingly, there's not much legal action that can be taken either. Cybersecurity expert and What the Hack podcast host Adam Levin told Indy100 that "as long as every party involved is a legal adult, there aren’t very many laws on the books to prevent or punish the distribution of illicit content". He claimed "it’s nearly impossible to remove any content published online, pornographic or otherwise," before adding: "That said, if all the parties are known, there may be legally actionable kinds of deepfake porn content." 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.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have urged social media companies to reduce the amount of harmful content children can see online to protect their mental health. Harry and Meghan made the remarks at a mental health awareness festival run by non-profit Project Healthy Minds in New York on Tuesday. They are visiting the city for the first time since being caught up in what they called a catastrophic car chase there in May. The royal couple, who have spoken about their own mental health challenges in the past, took part in a panel discussion alongside US surgeon general Vivek Murthy moderated by NBC host Carson Daly, who has previously spoken of his struggles with anxiety. The event, on World Mental Health Day, has been co-ordinated by the duke and duchess’s Archewell Foundation. The couple called on social media firms to adopt better content moderation policies and tweak apps which can prove addictive for youngsters. They spoke after hearing from parents who have lost children to mental health issues linked to social media use. The duke urged tech bosses to “stop sending children content you wouldn’t want your own children to see”. The duchess said she and her husband are focusing on what they can do behind the scenes to make social media use “safer, better and more positive” and that the couple have spoken to tech executives about the issue. She added: “People are getting hurt – and people, specifically children, are dying. “A year ago we met some of the families, not all of them. At that time, it was impossible to not be in tears as I’m sure so many of you have been today hearing these stories. “As parents, our kids are really young – they’re two-and-a-half and four-and-a-half – but social media is not going away. “I think by design, there is an entry point that is supposed to be positive, in creating community and something has devolved, and there is no way to hear that and not try to help these families have their stories be heard.” In the UK, the Princess of Wales gave a speech to young people gathered in Birmingham for a day of workshops and discussions to mark World Mental Health Day, with her husband in the audience. Harry and Meghan were all smiles when they visited the Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn, New York earlier on Tuesday. The school’s website claims it is the “alternative to college that you have been looking for” for people looking to start a career in tech. Harry was applauded when he told a meditation class that “if one of you starts to go quiet, doesn’t show up, you need to find out why” and added “remember to have fun”. Meghan, who was wearing a varsity letterman jacket given to her at the Robert Clack School in Essex in March 2020, told a class she wishes her children were with her but they are “doing well”. Students later rushed to take pictures with the royal couple before the school’s co-founder Reuben Ogbonna joked “back to class, everyone”. Read More Google to trial AI in UK traffic light systems to reduce stop-and-go emissions Broadband customers face £150 hikes because of ‘outrageous’ rises – Which? Rise of AI chatbots ‘worrying’ after man urged to kill Queen, psychologist warns William hails ‘amazing’ eco-friendly start-up businesses Royal website subject to ‘denial of service attack’, royal source says TikTok finds and shuts down secret operation to stir up conflict in Ireland

JD.com reports earnings of 92 cents a share on revenue of $34.2 billion in the third quarter.