● [Tech] Google's robot caller in first public trial. ︴ ︴

▼ Google’s robotic calling service, which can speak to humans to make a reservation or appointment, is to get its first small-scale public trial. A few businesses will be receiving calls from the system in the next few weeks, the company said. Google would not be more specific about how many firms would be involved. First shown at the tech giant’s developers’ conference in May, Duplex has become one of the most talked about demos of the year so far. At that event, we heard the robot voice book a table at a restaurant by calling it up, speaking to a human member of staff, and confirming the details. What startled people was that the voice, while synthesised, was incredibly lifelike - even adding its own “uh-huh” and “mm” to the flow of conversation. Indeed, the recipient of the call may have no idea they are talking to a robot. That's kind of the point, but that didn’t stop an enormous debate about the rights and wrongs of such an exchange. There was also cynicism about the demo itself. We were played two recordings, both of which worked very well. But how many attempts did it take to achieve the flawless examples? How could we know it actually worked in real life? On Tuesday, at a hummus restaurant in Mountain View, the Silicon Valley town that surrounds Google’s campus, I heard Duplex in live action for the first time. Human helper Oren Dobronsky, the restaurant's owner, picks up the phone and we listen in. (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [Tech] Swann home security camera sends video to wrong user. ︴ ︴

▼ A leading security camera-maker has sent footage from inside a family's home to the wrong person's app. Swann Security has blamed a factory error for the data breach - which was brought to its attention by the BBC - and said it was a "one-off" incident. However, last month another customer reported a similar problem saying his version of the same app had received footage from a pub's CCTV system. Swann said it was attempting to recover the kit involved in this second case. In the meantime, it said it had notified the UK's data privacy watchdog of both cases. "Swann Communications (Europe) have made us aware of this incident and we will be making inquiries," the Information Commissioner's Office said in a statement of its own. "If anyone has concerns about how their data has been handled, they can report these concerns to us." Swann is owned by the Infinova Group, a US-based security camera specialist with offices across the globe. Motion alerts The BBC first learned of the problem on Saturday, when a member of its staff began receiving motion-triggered video clips from an unknown family's kitchen. (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [Tech] Facebook abandons its Project Aquila flying internet plan. ︴ ︴

▼ Facebook is giving up on its plan to create drones that beam down internet connectivity, the company has confirmed. Project Aquila, first announced in 2014, failed to achieve the long flight times managed by airborne connectivity efforts from rivals including Google. In one test, Facebook’s craft suffered a broken wing as it came in to land. On Tuesday the company said it would instead partner with firms such as Airbus to continue its efforts to connect more people to the internet. The decision means the closure of a facility in Bridgwater, UK, that had been used to build the technology. “It's been exciting to see leading companies in the aerospace industry start investing in this technology too - including the design and construction of new high-altitude aircraft,” wrote Yael Maguire, Facebook’s Director of Engineering, in a blog post. "Given these developments, we've decided not to design or build our own aircraft any longer.” The Project Aquila craft had the wingspan of a Boeing 737 and weighed the same as a typical family car. It was solar-powered during the day and battery-powered at night, and in testing managed 90 minutes in the air. (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [Tech] Apple and Samsung end patent fight after seven long years. ︴ ︴

▼ Apple and Samsung have finally settled a seven-year-long patent dispute, bringing to an end the long-running battle over the design of their rival smartphones. The terms were not disclosed. But it comes weeks after a US jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $539m(£403m) in damages for copying features of the original iPhone. The fight started in 2011, when Apple sued its South Korean competitor, seeking more than $2bn in damages. The suit was the first of many that saw the two companies square off in courts around the world. (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [Science] Spider Eggs Look Like Rock Candy (But Don't Eat Them). ︴ ︴

▼ Spider eggs collected in Australia are surprisingly colorful. Credit: Isaac Tucker Spider eggs come in brilliant colors and look like candy, as was demonstrated by a striking photo shared to Twitter on June 26. But lest you be tempted to "taste the rainbow," please hold back, as some spider eggs are known to be toxic, according to a study published in August 2017 in the Journal of Arachnology. In the image, two vials hold egg clusters from two Australian spider species: One clutch is a brilliant green and comes from a huntsman spider in theHolconiagenus, and the other eggs are vibrant yellow and laid byCyrtophora, or tent-web spiders. These translucent eggs look a lot like a delicious gummy candy, though when the tweet was circulated around the Live Science newsroom, one of the editors noted that the eggs would be "THE WORST CANDY EVER." (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [Science] Galapagos' Sierra Negra volcano eruption triggers evacuation. ︴ ︴

▼ The Sierra Negra volcano on the Galapagos island of Isabela is spewing fountains of lava and plumes of ash. Fifty people have been evacuated from the surrounding area and tourists have been barred from visiting it. The eruption started after two strong earthquakes opened up fissures in the 1,124m-high (3688ft) volcano. It comes 11 days after the Cumbre volcano, the most active on the Galapagos, erupted on the uninhabited island of Fernandina. The Sierra Negra volcano is located on the south-eastern tip of Isabela, the largest of the 18 main islands which make up the Galapagos Archipelago. The Galapagos which are located about 1,000km (621 miles) off the coast of Ecuador are one of the most volcanically active regions in the world. (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [Science] Yes, You Can See Tardigrades with a Cheap Optical Microscope. ︴ ︴

▼ A tardigrade as seen through the lens of the AmScope for kids. Credit: Live Science Here at Live Science, our top choice for "cute animal" is the roly-poly and nearly indestructible tardigrade. Yep, we're talking about the water bear, the microscopic organism that looks more like an alien caterpillar than an Earthly animal when viewed up close. Plenty of gorgeous shots of the tiny creatures online show their segmented, pudgy bodies; their eight legs tipped with claws; and their circular mouths in all their glory. But those images are generally shot through high-powered and advanced microscopes, and sometimes, they're even touched up afterward. That got us wondering whether an inexpensive, off-the-shelf microscope you may have used as a kid in biology class would do the trick. What if we went out and grabbed some tardigrades and popped the little, squirming bodies under a microscope lens? Well, that's just what we did. At first, we planned to go out to a backyard and collect them from the grass and dirt; apparently, they thrive in just about any environmental conditions. But to ensure they had all their legs and other body parts, we went with "store-bought" specimens. (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [Science] Lego blocks could be the key to detecting nerve gases in the field The worst toys to step on may yet be redeemed. ︴ ︴

▼ They make for super-customizable lab tech. DepositPhotos Legoblocks destroy the feet of groggy parents around the world, but as a new studyfrom the University of Texas at Austin demonstrates, these mutable children’s toys can also be used for good—in this case, as a simple- and inexpensive-to-construct scientific apparatus. In the aftermath of a nerve gas attacklike the ones that have allegedly occurred in Syria, one of the biggest issues first responders face is figuring out what deadly nerve agent was used. If detection happens fast enough, it can save lives. But the conventional equipment that’s used to ID different nerve gases is expensive and hard to move around. However, as this new paper shows, it should be possible to do this analysis in the field using little more than a smartphone and some Lego blocks. This design builds on earlier work by UT Austin chemist Eric Anslyn and his team. He developed a chemical compound that glows different colors depending on which nerve agent is it exposed to, simultaneously neutralizing the deadly gas. (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [Science] Saturn moon a step closer to hosting life. ︴ ︴

▼ Scientists have found complex carbon-based molecules in the waters of Saturn's moon Enceladus. Compounds like this have only previously been found on Earth, and in some meteorites. They are thought to have formed in reactions between water and warm rock at the base of the moon's subsurface ocean. Though not a sign of life, their presence suggests Enceladus could play host to living organisms. The discovery came from data gathered by the Cassini spacecraft. A new pale blue dot? "These huge molecules contain a complex network often built from hundreds of atoms," explains study author Dr Frank Postberg. "This is the first ever detection of such complex organics coming from an extraterrestrial water-world." On Earth, these molecules are usually biologically created, but this does not have to be the case. "They are a necessary precursor to life," says Dr Postberg, "[but] we currently cannot tell if these organics are biologically irrelevant or signs of prebiotic chemistry or even life." What does life need? *.Liquid water *.Energy *.Organics (compounds containing carbon) *.A group of particular elements (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulphur) Phosphorus and sulphur have not yet been measured on the moon, but it has all of the other ingredients. What next? (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [International News] Adani coal port under threat of stop order amid concern for sacred sites Juru traditional owners say Adani has ignored demands to inspect “unauthorised” cultural assessments. ︴ ︴

▼ Juru traditional owners request for a stop order on the Abbot Point coal terminal could put at risk Adani’s only income-producing asset in Australia. Photograph: GREENPEACE/PR IMAGE Indigenous traditional owners from north Queenslandhave threatened to try to pursue an order that could shut down Adani’s Abbot Point coal terminal, amid concern that sacred sites in the area have not been properly protected. Guardian Australia can reveal Adani has ignored repeated demands by Juru traditional owners to inspect “unauthorised” cultural assessments conducted by former directors of the embattled Kyburra Munda Yalga Aboriginal Corporation. The Indian conglomerate believes it can still rely on those assessments, despite the federal court ruling that Kyburra was not the appropriate “nominated body” to represent the Juru people on a land-use agreement. Cultural heritage assessments are a significant requirement of any major development on Indigenous country in Queensland. Surveys are conducted to identify sacred sites, then recommendations made about how to best preserve them. (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [International News] Can India become an AI hub for the developing world?. ︴ ︴

▼ A recent report on artificial intelligence (AI) by an Indian government think tank foresees the country as an AI hub for the developing world. Research analyst Shashank Reddy writes about the possibility of that happening. India is the latest country to join the race to lead the AI revolution, which is still in the making. The world's richest - and most powerful - countries have long been in this competition. It cuts across all spheres of national power, from the economy to the military, because the idea is that leadership in AI will enable global dominance. The two biggest powers so far have been the United States and China, with each investing heavily in AI and its applications. So does India stand a chance? Yes, according to a report released this month by think tank Niti Aayog. (▪ ▪ ▪)

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● [International News] 'The war goes on’: one tribe caught up in Colombia’s armed conflict Part 1 of a report on the indigenous Siona people in the Putumayo region in the Amazon. ︴ ︴

▼ Siona spokesman Mario Erazo Yaiguaje participating in a healing ceremony with elder Pablo Maniguaje. Both men recently appeared before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to talk about the armed conflict in their territory- Photograph: Mateo Barriga Salazar Placido Yaiguaje Payaguaje, an indigenous Siona man, was standing right where his 80-something mother was blown apart by a land-mine. There was a crater about the size of a beach ball. Surrounding foliage had been shredded, and on some of the leaves and fronds you could still see the dynamite. This was a 20 metre, steepish climb down to the banks of the River Piñuña Blanco, deep in the Colombian Amazon. Placido’s mother had come here to fish in a lagoon nearby. It was a popular spot forsingo,sábaloandgaropa. A rottenzapotillatree trunk - covered in moss and fungi - now lay across the crater. Placido leant back against it as he spoke, furiously tearing apart a leaf, the pain on his face clearly visible. “My mother really liked fishing. She told me, “I want to eat some fish. I want to eat some fish from the lagoon. Good fish there,”” Placido told the Guardian. “I said, “Mama, don’t go, don’t go fishing.” Behind him, watching and listening, wearing a symbolic wooden truncheon over his left shoulder, was Placido’s brother Celio. Downstream, in their village, Puerto Silencio, Celio told a similar story: his mother had loved fishing and he had tried to persuade her to abandon her plans that tragic day, but failed. “I said, “No, mother, don’t go, it’s better elsewhere” and she said, “No, I’m going” and I said, “No. Better together. . .” But she didn’t wait for me. She went alone,” Celio says. “Then, coming down from the lagoon, it all went wrong for my mother. That was where the mine was. She didn’t think there was anything there.” (▪ ▪ ▪)

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