Larian Studios has provided a fix for the storage issue with an emergency hotfix.

Is there life on Mars? Well, according to new research, an alien crash landing there could explain puzzling new findings on the surface of the Red Planet. It comes after Nasa’s Curiosity Rover captured images of spiked protrusions on the surface back in April. The strange formations captured in the pictures seem to show a row of spikes and sharp angles emerging from rocks at the base of the Gale Crater, which is 154km long. The odd discovery has put scientists on high alert and it marks one of the most peculiar things ever recorded on the surface of Mars. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Astrobiologist Dr Nathalie Cabrol, who is from the NASA Ames Research Centre and Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, even said that it’s the “most bizarre” rock she’s seen in 20 years of studying the planet. The findings are so irregular, in fact, that experts cannot rule out the idea that they’re extraterrestrial in origin. “A fragment from an extraterrestrial or terrestrial spacecraft cannot be discounted with absolute certainty” the authors of new research published in the Journal of Astrobiology stated. The odd protrusions could be “sand spikes”, which form in certain sands as a result of strong earthquakes. Another theory posits that the formation could be debris from crashed spacecraft, and authors of the study have not ruled out that it could be the result of crafts launched by humans landing on the surface. "Given that possibly 10 or more craft have crashed upon the surface, coupled with the jettison of equipment associated with landing the rovers, it is possible the spikes and its substrate are human-made and consist of debris that fell onto the surface of Gale Crater," the paper reads. “Nevertheless, no debris field is evident and no evidence of any additional debris that may have originated on Earth. “Given its small size and that there are no known human-made analogs and no logical explanation as to what purpose these spikes may serve, it does not seem likely these specimens are the remnants of craft or equipment that fell into Gale Crater. One can only speculate about extraterrestrial origin." However, speaking to The Telegraph, Prof Richard Armstrong, of Aston University, Birmingham said: “There is no way of proving for certain what the spikes are but the balance of the evidence would suggest ‘sand spikes’ resulting from seismic activity on Mars.” 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.

Republican US Rep Byron Donalds has repeatedly echoed other GOP officials in a specious crusade against “critical race theory” and “woke” indoctrination in American schools. But on 26 July, the Florida congressman called on Florida’s Department of Education to “correct” newly approved curriculum guidelines for middle school students to learn how enslaved people “developed skills” that could be “applied for personal benefit”. “The new African-American standards in FL are good, robust, [and] accurate,” he wrote on Twitter, now known as X. “That being said, the attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong [and] needs to be adjusted. That obviously wasn’t the goal [and] I have faith that FLDOE will correct this.” In an interview with Florida’s WINK-TV, Mr Donalds, who is Black, suggested the standards need “some adjustments” and that Florida’s Board of Education could “bring refinement” to the curriculum standards for African American history lessons that the board unanimously approved earlier this month. The standards have been widely derided by educators, Democratic officials and the White House; Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to the state last week to condemn “propaganda” and the “extremist, so-called leaders” who support it, a not-so-thinly veiled strike against Governor Ron DeSantis and his 2024 campaign for the Republican nomination for president. After his comments, Mr Donalds felt the wrath of the DeSantis campaign and other state officials. “Did Kamala Harris write this tweet?” replied DeSantis aide Christina Pushaw. Florida’s Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr said that the state standards would not be changed “at the behest of a woke [White House], nor at the behest of a supposedly conservative congressman.” “Supposed conservatives in the federal government are pushing the same false narrative that originated from the [White House],” said DeSantis press secretary Jeremy Redfern. “Florida isn’t going to hide the truth for political convenience,” he added. “Maybe the congressman shouldn’t swing for the liberal media fences like [the vice president].” In March, Mr Donalds joined other prominent Florida Republicans to endorse Donald Trump for president. “The Congressman also calls it like he sees it, and if he thinks something is BS, he’ll tell you. That’s why we like him so much,” said Trump aide Jason Miller, who called attempts to “smear” Mr Donalds “a disgrace”. Mr Donalds responded to the inter-party backlash, stating that “anyone who can’t accurately interpret what I said is disingenuous and is desperately attempting to score political points.” Read More Why Florida’s new curriculum on slavery is becoming a political headache for Ron DeSantis DeSantis will headline barbecue billed as the largest annual gathering of South Carolina Republicans Watch: Diver rescues shark hooked to artificial reef Coast Guard calls off search for man who jumped off Carnival cruise ship

X, formerly known as Twitter, wants to start collecting “biometric information” about its users, as well as their employment history. Elon Musk’s company is seemingly giving itself permission to fingerprints or facial features, or the other kind of information about people’s bodies that are usually used in biometrics. That is according to a change to its privacy policy that was first reported by Bloomberg. “Based on your consent, we may collect and use your biometric information for safety, security, and identification purposes,” the new rules state. They will go into effect at the end of the month. The policy also allows X to collect “your employment history, educational history, employment preferences, skills and abilities, job search activity and engagement”. The policy does not give any details about where the information will be used, and the company has not elaborated elsewhere. But it has been looking into using biometric data for some features. Earlier this month, for instance, security researcher Nima Owji found that the site was testing a way for users of the premium Twitter Blue service to verify who they are by using a government-issued ID and taking a selfie. A screenshot of the feature showed users being asked to click a button to confirm they “consent to X sharing images of my ID, including biometric data” with authentication companies. Elon Musk has also suggested that X could be used for hiring in the future, which may be the purpose of collecting employment information. Last week, X announced a new feature called “X Hiring” which allows companies that pay for the verified badge to include job ads on their profiles. That appears to be part of his plan to turn X into the “everything app”. He has suggested that it could include payments in the future, and he is soon to roll out audio and video calls that will be made with people’s username rather than their phone number. Read More Tesla reportedly under probe over mysterious project to build ‘glass house’ for Musk Elon Musk booed at video games contest as crowds shout: ‘Bring back Twitter!’ Meta could finally launch Threads feature everyone is waiting for

It's about time. After a few years of everyone kinda knowing that a Google foldable

Glencore Plc is preparing to unleash a new coal supermajor on the New York market that would –

Fans really admired Page Spiranac for her knowledgeable insights in her new YouTube video

By Nate Raymond (Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Monday blocked the Biden administration from proceeding with another piece of

TOKYO (Reuters) -Nearly 900 flights in Japan were cancelled and 240,000 people were ordered to move to safety as a

Diablo 4 Altars of Lilith won't need to be reclaimed each season, as announced by the Campfire Chat panel.

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 7, 2023--

Spend enough time with ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence chatbots and it doesn’t take long for them to spout falsehoods