CaaStle, the embattled fashion startup whose board of directors accused its founder, Christine Hunsicke, of financial misconduct, is starting to face lawsuits from a partner and a supplier over missed payments and more allegations of fraud. As first reported by Axios and by suits seen by TechCrunch, CaaStle is being sued by P180, a vehicle […]
SCI-TECH
Heart disease deaths worldwide linked to chemical widely used in plastics
Daily exposure to certain chemicals used to make plastic household items could be linked to more than 356,000 global deaths from heart disease in 2018 alone, a new analysis of population surveys shows. While the chemicals, called phthalates, are in widespread use globally, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific bore a much larger share of the death toll than others — about three-fourths of the total.
Rainfall triggers extreme humid heat in tropics and subtropics
Scientists believe they have found a way to improve warning systems for vulnerable communities threatened by humid heatwaves, which are on the rise due to climate change and can be damaging and even fatal to human health. The study analysed how patterns of recent rainfall can interact with dry or moist land conditions to influence the risk of extreme humid heat in the global tropics and subtropics.
Sorry Shoppers, Amazon Says Tariff Cost Feature ‘Is Not Going to Happen’
The White House said Amazon would be considered a “hostile and political act” if it listed tariff prices next to products. But the company denies any plans to do so.
Meta says its Llama AI models have been downloaded 1.2B times
In mid-March, Meta said that its “open” AI model family, Llama, hit 1 billion downloads, up from 650 million downloads as of early December 2024. On Tuesday at its inaugural LlamaCon developer conference, Meta revealed that figure has reached 1.2 billion downloads. “We have thousands of developers contributing tens of thousands of derivative models being downloaded […]
Tesla board member Joe Gebbia actually bought some stock
Tesla board member and Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia acquired about 4,000 shares of the automaker’s stock, a purchase that has a value of about $1 million and change, according to a regulatory filing. That’s not a significant stock purchase, and certainly not for the billionaire board member, as Electrek noted in its reporting. It’s notable […]
Meta previews an API for its Llama AI models
At its inaugural LlamaCon AI developer conference on Tuesday, Meta announced an API for its Llama series of AI models: the Llama API. Available in limited preview, the Llama API lets developers explore and experiment with products powered by different Llama models, per Meta. Paired with Meta’s SDKs, it allows developers to build Llama-driven services, […]
Personality traits shape our prosocial behavior
Why do some people do more for the community than others? A new study now shows that personality traits such as extraversion and agreeableness correlate with volunteering and charitable giving.
Breakthrough extends fuel cell lifespan beyond 200,000 hours, paving the way for clean long-haul trucking
Researchers have developed a new catalyst design capable of pushing the projected fuel cell catalyst lifespans to 200,000 hours. The research marks a significant step toward the widespread adoption of fuel cell technology in heavy-duty vehicles, such as long-haul tractor trailers. While platinum-alloy catalysts have historically delivered superior chemical reactions, the alloying elements leach out over time, diminishing catalytic performance. The degradation is further accelerated by the demanding voltage cycles required to power heavy-duty vehicles. To address this challenge, the team has engineered a durable catalyst architecture with a novel design that shields platinum from the degradation typically observed in alloy systems.
US Navy loses $60 million fighter jet after it falls into Red Sea
It was a rough start to the week for the Department of Defense. On April 29, sailors aboard the USS Harry S. Truman witnessed a $60-70 million fighter jet vanish into the Red Sea after they “lost control” of the F/A-18E Super Hornet and its towing tractor. The incident occurred as personnel were moving the aircraft into the carrier’s hangar bay, with initial reports indicating the mishap began after the Truman took an unexpectedly hard turn to avoid drone and missile attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The US Navy reported only one minor injury in a statement.
“Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard,” the Navy explains, before adding that “an investigation is underway.”
Super Hornets (often referred to in the military as “Rhinos”) come in two variants: the F/A-18E and F/A-18F. The F/A-18E involved in Monday’s costly debacle is a single-seat aircraft primarily used in air-to-air combat and air-to-ground missile strike missions. This enables its pilot to operate weapons and flight systems simultaneously, offering a massive logistical upgrade to the US military’s previous generation of Tomcat fighter jets. Super Hornets are substantially bigger than their Hornet predecessor. At 20 percent larger and roughly 7,000 lbs heavier, Super Hornets carry 33 percent more fuel to enable an increased mission range of around 41 percent.
Those souped-up stats make for one of the most powerful and versatile fighter jets in the world. An F/A-18E’s cruising speed is around 555 mph, but the aircraft can top out at 1,190 mph at 40,000 ft if needed. Its maximum speed is about 806 mph (Mach 1.06) at sea level with a range of 1,458 miles while armed with its two AIM-9 missiles.
The (now one Super Hornet-short) USS Truman has been deployed in the Middle East for months, and was most recently directed to assist in increased military operations against Houthi rebel forces. US Central Command previously stated the military is conducting daily strikes against Houthi targets using a combination of bombers, ships, drones, and fighter jets. The USS Truman was initially slated to return to port earlier this year before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a one-month extension of duty.
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